Best programmer/producer

[thebaron]

Didn't see that one coming?

We all know the what usual names for best guitarist are......

Calling electronica/idm/dance music heads or production geeks.......

who's the best programmer? beats, production, sound design - who has the most impressive wizadry over their gear?

Squarepusher? Aphex Twin? BT? Liam Howlett?

I'd go for Richard James - who hasn't really released anything revolutionary in a fair while but I saw him play a gig in Manchester last year - unreleased stuff - and it was mind blowing.

Any other suggestions for artists with technical wizadry?

[kedo]

Originally Posted by thebaron

Calling electronica/idm/dance music heads or production geeks.......
Any other suggestions for artists with technical wizadry?

I've gotta go for my man Jagz Kooner
This dude takes of the hook electronic madness and shoves it twisting and squirming down the neck of alternative/indie bands until they submit and party down at the nearest smoke filled danceteria..
One of his greatest works where he's got it all goin' on is his production of Primal Scream's Some Velvet Morning
Pure!

[waxxy]

i think jean michel jarre in his early years would be hard too beat..i think hes lost his way lately but his early stuff like zoolook /equinox still sound amazing today.i just think once he started using vsts and working with hank marvin thats when he started sounding crap his old analog recordings sounded warm/fresh experimental his new stuff sounds like mobile phone ringtones
classic jarre--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pddS0wGjKH8&feature=related

ringtone jarre--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eTa6U7pP6w

i think he should ditch the new synths go away and get in touch with his analog side once again.

another person who deserves a lot of credit is grahame massey his 808 state stuff still sounds amazing and too think it was all programmed on an atari computer !!
my best mate was one of the sound engineers on the big songs and he told me they had a warehouse full off old analog synths and drum machines he said it was a producers paradise in there anything they wanted it was in this warehouse.YouTube - 808 State - Pacific State

[Robcore!]

Production wise, Cube::Hard is an absolute idol. He writes really techy melodic hardcore breaks mostly, his stuff is just so amazing, so well written and produced, so original.

MySpace.com - Cube::Hard - Whitstable, UK - Electronica - www.myspace.com/cubehard

Myspace does no justice really because of the mono/low quality thing, but I highly advise you to check out some of his stuff. The clarity, the punchiness, the definition is amazing.

There's some clips here...

http://www.moas.co.uk/audio/seeyouon...ersideclip.mp3
http://www.moas.co.uk/audio/timeclipc.mp3

[barrydv247]

Nice topic. Those are the kind of people that get me excited about music.

Not sure I can pick one in particualr though I do agree that Rich James and Graeme Massey deserve a mention. Liam Howlett deserves alot of credit for what he achieved on limited resources back in the day.

You've given me some new names to check out though........I'll come back another time with a more informed opinion.

I've heard really impressive stuff in terms of sound design and technical wizadry from a guy called Aleksi Perala (astrobotnia/ovuca) - and also Richard Devine - although tecnhnically impressive I don't find his music very accessible.

JMJ was the first music I heard that made me realise not all music had to be guitars and drums. He was certainly a pioneer.

[Robcore!]

Originally Posted by barrydv247

Liam Howlett deserves alot of credit for what he achieved on limited resources back in the day..

Oh man, absolutely! Unbelievable that the first prodigy album was made entirely on 2 keyboards and yet it still sounds so fresh even now!

[krykos]

For the time, I think that Jimmy Page was an excellent producer, and brought in a lot of innovations for the time. For example, when everyone else at the time placed mics in front of the drums (which gave a tinny sound), he had two mics at different distances, then recorded the balance between the two to give a more ambient sound. He also created the reverse echo effect, which has since been used by NIN, RHCP and Pink Floyd.

Best producer nowadays is hard to say, but I think that Danger Mouse does a very good job. On Demon Days by Gorillaz, pretty much half the tracks could have become a wall of noise, but instead each track is distinguishable. Plus, the Grey Album was just sheer genius.

[JAYDMF]

Howlett and the Twin i dont know how those guys do it but theres something very very special about their music, something that is just there and you cant quite get to the bottom of it, especially with aphex, every listen you pick something new up that you hadnt realised was there before and just wonder how the hell do these guys do it, when do they know when to add those little touches and when not to.

[dvdan]

Waxxy's mention of Graham Massey has made me think of an excellent programmer called Paddy Steer. His stuff is amazing. Paddy and Graham are currently in a band called Toolshed who are absolutely brilliant; well worth a listen.
Some fantastic programmers:
Secret Mommy
Squarepusher (duh)
Flying Lotus - in fact, a lot of the warp roster are pretty capable beat-smiths... There are a lot more that I can't think of off the top of my head.

[Meander]

Prefuse 73 (Scott Herron), Herbaliser, Skream...

[Dave Boulden]

For a programmer/producer I'd have to plump for Trevor Horn... first listen to the stuff he produced and programmed on Art of Noise, Frankie Goes to Hollywood etc... *THEN* check out the dinosaur digital gear he did it with and *THEN* try and work out how he made it sound so bloody good!

Trevor Horn record producer video interview at SARM recording studios London

[DV Daz]

Without doubt got to be Ricardo Villalobos. So much detail put into productions. And a great DJ too.

[mrfracas]

Liam Howlett was a prime programmer of the '90s. Whatever he did with his hardware consequently put the breaks into rave music!

When it comes to software programming, it's got to be Richard D James (Aphex Twin), whose fluid control of sub-bass, and crossing beats and melodies into an a-tonal/tonal fusion, and blending umpteen different percussion kits and several melodic phrases within one intense track is something remarkable. Coming from a history of hardware building and analogue recording, it's certainly no wonder.

Tom Jenkinson (Squarepusher) will be hard pressed to better Go Plastic, IMO - it is a phenomenal album that should be in any electronic music producer's collection. But, I believe Tim Exile is taking Jenkinson's place as the new master of Reaktor programming!

There are so many different programmers and producers out there, it's really difficult to pinpoint an absolute favourite.

[mrfracas]

Originally Posted by Dave Boulden

For a programmer/producer I'd have to plump for Trevor Horn... first listen to the stuff he produced and programmed on Art of Noise, Frankie Goes to Hollywood etc... *THEN* check out the dinosaur digital gear he did it with and *THEN* try and work out how he made it sound so bloody good!

Trevor Horn record producer video interview at SARM recording studios London

Trevor Horn is an amazing producer. Coupled with Anne Dudley and the ZTT team, he's made some awesome records.

I was lucky enough to see AON at Shepherd's Bush in 2000; Trevor Horn, Paul Morley, Anne Dudley and (new member) Lol Creme (of 10CC) - arguably one of the best line-ups; it was unbelievable!!

[Dave Boulden]

Originally Posted by mrfracas

I was lucky enough to see AON at Shepherd's Bush in 2000; Trevor Horn, Paul Morley, Anne Dudley and (new member) Lol Creme (of 10CC) - arguably one of the best line-ups; it was unbelievable!!

Cool! I do believe he (Trevor), Steve Lipson and Lol Creme play together in a "pub band" called The Producers which has had various guest members including Anne Dudley, Will Young(!) and Jamie Cullum(!!)