Sunday 24 July 2011

PRODUCERS I LOVE PART FOUR - THE NEPTUNES

Well for part four of this series I am going to profile my favourite producers of all time. These guys are the reason I got interested in production......The Neptunes. The Neptunes are made up of childhood friends Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. They formed in Virginia Beach, VA when the two met at a summer camp. Firstly the two formed an R&B group with two others; Shay (of their current band NERD) and Mike Etheridge also named 'The Neptunes.' Their first break came when Teddy Riley spotted and signed the band at a local talent show. By the late 90s and early 00's they had hit their peak, winning the Grammy for 'Producers of the Year, Non-Classical' in 2004. They also released their debut and only album to date in 2003 'Neptunes Presents the Clones.'The Neptunes have collaborated with an endless list of artists over the years both together and more recently as individuals. I am going to introduce you to my three favourite Neptunes productions, as well as giving you more information on the duo.























More after the jump.

The first track I am gonna introduce is taken from Jay-Z's 2003 album 'The Black Album.' 'Allure' features Pharrell singing the hook and has many production techniques that 'The Neptunes' are known for such as the percussion, the catchy piano riff and the lead synth line.

'The Neptunes' have been regular collaborator with Jay-Z such as 'Change Clothes' from the same album, 'So Ambitious,' 'Excuse Me Miss' and 'Blue Magic.'



Track two is an NERD track. NERD are the band made up of Pharrell, Chad as well as childhood friend Shay Haley. There are so many tracks that I could have chosen from the band four albums but I've decided to go for something from their debut album, which truly defines their sound. The track I have chosen is 'Provider.'



The final track I am going the chose is a new production taken from Clipses 2009 album 'Till The Casket Drops.' The tracks titled 'I'm Good' and again features Pharrell as so many Neptunes tracks do.



These are just three tracks of 1000's the duo have produced. I recommended searching their back catalog if you would like to hear more from the duo.

As a bonus here is the video that really inspired me to get started producing. It features Pharrell in the studio working on a track with singer Natash Ramos, the track is titled 'Midnight Hour.'

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