TS: The producer of the 90s?

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Neptunes or Timbaland are the obvious choices, as their sound, whether they the twiddled knobs or not, is _the_ sound of hip-hop and pop of the late 90s (and today, obviously). I would like to propose a different winner though, someone who has completely fallen off the face of the planet in recent years: Babyface. Mary J., Boyz II Men (THE artist of the early 90s, don't forget), Toni Braxton, Eric Clapton, En Vogue, Whitney, TLC, Madonna... It just goes on and on. While I detest most of what he did (nothing bores me more than adult contemporary), his track record is damn near impecable.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 10 January 2003 21:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Best producer in terms of chart presence, not limited to R&B? Timbaland and the Neptunes don't really count then, because virtually all their hits are post-1999. Even someone like Norman Cook had more hits in the 90s than either anyway.

― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 10 January 2003 21:26 (twenty-three years ago)

I'd say it's got to be the Cheiron team (mainly Max Martin and Denniz Pop) - they did everything in the mid/late 90s: Britney Spears, N Sync, Backstreet Boys, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Dr. Alban, Ace of Base, E-Type, Five, 3T, Rednex, Solid Harmonie, Jessica Folcker, Bryan Adams, M2M, Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, Billy Crawford, LFO (the US one)...

― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 10 January 2003 21:37 (twenty-three years ago)

yes but most of those acts and their output were terrible - even the most ardent pop lovers would agree? surely this is about quality as much as quantity if not more so...

surprised Yanc3y didnt mention Teddy Riley who was arguably more prolific and influential during the 90s as a WHOLE, along with Babyface initiating that whole modern r 'n b sound...and surely Puff Daddy is as major a contender as Timbaland and the Neptunes (tho i prefer the latter's stuff admittedly)

and what about Steve Albini or Ross Robinson? ok so my quality protests may be hypocritical here ;)

John Leckie, Youth, Nellee Hooper, Andy Weatherall?

then there's Basement Jaxx, the Chemical Brothers and Underworld - very prolific for the last 5 years of the 90s and very very good at what they do, with a reasonable degree of commercial success too.

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 10 January 2003 22:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Babyface fr. sure except maybe Rodney Jerkins.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Friday, 10 January 2003 22:44 (twenty-three years ago)

yes but most of those acts and their output were terrible - even the most ardent pop lovers would agree?

Yes, but Timbaland, Babyface and the Neptunes also produce terrible acts and records, right?

Personally, I'd say it has to be Eirik "Pytten" Hundvin of the Grieghallen Lydstudios.

― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 10 January 2003 23:42 (twenty-three years ago)

The RZA anyone? Vast catalogue of tracks of high quality, although hasn't really been imitated.

In the UK, Nigel Godrich?

― Nick H, Friday, 10 January 2003 23:47 (twenty-three years ago)

well obviously opinion is divided on what is and isn't terrible...but producers of Backstreet Boys, Ricky martin, Dr Alban, Ace Of Base (one good song maybe), E-Type, Dion, Adams and Lyte Funky Ones...they're responsible for some of the worst pop of the 90s in my book...whereas at least Timbaland and the Neptunes are responsible for some of the bets hip-pop ever

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 10 January 2003 23:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Whether they're '90s or not is debatable, but if they qualify, the Bomb Squad have to be way up in the running. But I agree re: Babyface, RZA, and Tim/Missy. I might also add Mitchell Froom & Tchad Blake.

― gabbneb, Saturday, 11 January 2003 02:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Is Max Martin responsible 4 dat nu bon jovi song wit da shit video but killer hook?

― naked as sin (naked as sin), Saturday, 11 January 2003 02:21 (twenty-three years ago)

That being theee "aaahhhh-hah-uh-hah-hahh" bit. the rest of the song is as bad as the video.

― naked as sin (naked as sin), Saturday, 11 January 2003 02:22 (twenty-three years ago)

alan moulder

― keith (keithmcl), Saturday, 11 January 2003 02:38 (twenty-three years ago)

The overwhelming majority of Timbaland's hits were in the nineties!

― James Blount (James Blount), Saturday, 11 January 2003 03:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Butch Vig *ducks*

Steve Albini *cowers*

― James Blount (James Blount), Saturday, 11 January 2003 03:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, it's back to Puffy vs. Dre isn't it?

― James Blount (James Blount), Saturday, 11 January 2003 03:28 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah Dr Dre Butch Vig or Nellee Hooper

or in terms of influence what about haha Glen Ballard, I mean if this isnt a quality-quality thing

― Vic (Vic), Saturday, 11 January 2003 04:31 (twenty-three years ago)

I was going to say Butch Vig.

― Curtis Stephens, Saturday, 11 January 2003 04:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Glen Ballard definitely belongs on the list, alas, but he doesn't quite span the decade like the others. Teddy Riley had hits in the nineties, but his prime was late eighties (you might as well mention Prince or Hank Shocklee).

― James Blount (James Blount), Saturday, 11 January 2003 04:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Flood. just kidding.

― Vic (Vic), Saturday, 11 January 2003 05:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Why? Between NIN and the Pumpkins you can make a good case for him.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Saturday, 11 January 2003 06:37 (twenty-three years ago)

he's in the mix somewhere for Achtung Baby also

― James Blount (James Blount), Saturday, 11 January 2003 08:56 (twenty-three years ago)

ugh......Brendan O'Brien

― James Blount (James Blount), Saturday, 11 January 2003 08:57 (twenty-three years ago)

I dunno, i guess I should have just said "ducks" or maybe this is again indicative of my low posting self-esteem. Wasn't he also on To Bring You My Love?

― Vic, Saturday, 11 January 2003 09:20 (twenty-three years ago)

prince paul, no question.

― ace, Saturday, 11 January 2003 09:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Hi,

MAW

http://www.jahsonic.com/MAW.html

Jan

― Jan Geerinck, Saturday, 11 January 2003 09:40 (twenty-three years ago)

how the hell is it Prince Paul?

― James Blount (James Blount), Saturday, 11 January 2003 09:47 (twenty-three years ago)

he said no question James

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 11 January 2003 11:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Has anyone mentioned Don Was yet? (I'm too lazy to read this whole thread). Actually, he's probably a bit more 80's prevalent, isn't he. Nevermind.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 11 January 2003 11:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Are we taking the 90s to be 1990 to 1999 inclusive? Tim and the Neps, while arguably producing their best stuff in the 90s (The Rain, Caught Out There, etc), didn't perhaps influence the general sound of the 90s in the way that someone like Dre did.

― Nick H, Saturday, 11 January 2003 16:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Tim and the Neps [..] didn't perhaps influence the general sound of the 90s in the way that someone like Dre did.

That was kind of what I wanted to say above. Anyway, what's the criterion: a subjective "best" producer of that decade, the producer that shaped the 90s most, the one that had the most top 10 hits, the most expensive one, the one that got most publicity, the one that is most respected today?

― Siegbran (eofor), Saturday, 11 January 2003 16:51 (twenty-three years ago)

I realize the question is regarding producers, but "Mixed by Andy Wallace" was some kind of badge in the 90s.

― Sean (Sean), Saturday, 11 January 2003 17:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Mastered by Nimbus!

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Saturday, 11 January 2003 17:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Ross Robinson. Steve Albini. Dust Brothers. The usual.

― dave q, Saturday, 11 January 2003 20:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Jesus Christ - again, the overwhelming majority of Timbaland's hits (eg. The Rain - 1997) were during the nineties. You could easily state his prime as 1996-1999.

― James Blount (James Blount), Saturday, 11 January 2003 20:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Bryce Goggin! Don Fleming! Brian Paulson! Wharton Tiers! Doug Easley!

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 11 January 2003 21:22 (twenty-three years ago)

I read this as "best" not "most influential". The latter category, I'd have/hate to say, belongs to Dre. Because (paraphrasing Christgau) he was the first/biggest to make hiphop a grand soundscape free of isolated samples. Yes, Massive Attack was maybe there first (tho Dre's style started to develop on the later NWA records), but I see them as a shorter step towards rap from existing dance music styles.

But doesn't any measure of who was most influential in the '90s automatically privilege people working at the beginning of the decade?

― gabbneb, Saturday, 11 January 2003 21:40 (twenty-three years ago)

the overwhelming majority of Timbaland's hits (eg. The Rain - 1997) were during the nineties.

Hmm that might be the atlantic divide then, Timbaland only produced six chart singles in '97-'99 here, with only the Mel B tune a top 10 hit and the rest enjoying short stays in the lower regions of the charts. That's hardly a massive chart presence, even (god forbid) the Vengaboys production team had four times as many in the same period.

― Siegbran (eofor), Saturday, 11 January 2003 21:55 (twenty-three years ago)

masters at work
carl craig
rob haigh

― michael wells (michael w.), Saturday, 11 January 2003 22:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Westbam (influential in the sense that he more or less kickstarted the electro vibe in techno/trance for 2000 and on)
Sven Vath (and the Frankfurt/Harthouse/Eye-Q collective)
Bangalter & Braxe (needless to explain)

― Siegbran (eofor), Saturday, 11 January 2003 22:07 (twenty-three years ago)

(needless to explain)

Sez you!

― Sean (Sean), Saturday, 11 January 2003 22:21 (twenty-three years ago)

bangalter's class but what did braxe do in the 90s apart from vertigo?

― michael wells (michael w.), Saturday, 11 January 2003 22:24 (twenty-three years ago)

siegbran, did you mean bangalter & homem-christo?

― michael wells (michael w.), Saturday, 11 January 2003 22:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Bangalter & Braxe did a little tune called "Music Sounds Better With You", somewhere in the late 90s, I'm sure you've heard it?

― Siegbran (eofor), Saturday, 11 January 2003 22:39 (twenty-three years ago)

ahem. yes, sorry siegbran. still, one swallow doesn't make a summer, eh? ;)

― michael wells (michael w.), Saturday, 11 January 2003 22:50 (twenty-three years ago)

It certainly made MY summer back then!

― Siegbran (eofor), Saturday, 11 January 2003 23:36 (twenty-three years ago)

"Music Sounds Better With You", somewhere in the late 90s, I'm sure you've heard it?

I've never even heard OF it!

― Sean (Sean), Saturday, 11 January 2003 23:55 (twenty-three years ago)

'Are You That Somebody?' didn't chart in Europe?!!! Missy didn't have a top-ten hit until 'Get Ur Freak On'?!!!

― James Blount (James Blount), Sunday, 12 January 2003 04:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Ginuwine didn't chart?!!!

― James Blount (James Blount), Sunday, 12 January 2003 04:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Ah, my mistake: "Are You That Somebody" did chart, highest position: 3. Her first chart hit here, the next one was "Try Again" in 2000.

I found these (highest position in brackets):
aaliyah "are you that somebody" (3) 1998
missy elliott "the rain" (27) 1997
missy elliott & melanie b "i want you back" (6) 1998
timbaland & missy elliot & magoo "here we come" (29) 1999
destiny's child & timbaland "get on the bus" (15) 1999
timbaland & missy elliot & magoo "here we come" (29) 1999

I forgot about Ginuwine, which ups the total to 9:
ginuwine "pony" (7) 1997
ginuwine "when doves cry" (15) 1997
ginuwine "same ol' g/what's so different" (8) 1999

I found zero Neptunes tracks for the 90s (Kelis only charted in 2000 here).

― Siegbran (eofor), Sunday, 12 January 2003 13:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Missy didn't have a top-ten hit until 'Get Ur Freak On'?!!!

Despite the huge promotion and videos all over the music channels, you're right. Three chart hits to date here: "the rain" (27), "get ur freak on" (10), and "4 my people" (2).

― Siegbran (eofor), Sunday, 12 January 2003 13:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Bertrand Burgalat!

― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 12 January 2003 17:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Aw Sean I'm sure you know it! It's not really bang bang dance music either, I think you'd quite like it if you haven't heard it, best pop song ever!

― Ronan (Ronan), Sunday, 12 January 2003 17:58 (twenty-three years ago)

jim o rourke ?

consistently inventive and restless

stereolab /
wilco /
sonic youth /
smog /
melt-banana /
gastr del sol /
aluminum group /
sea and cake /
brainiac /
high llamas /
superchunk /
us maple
et al.

dave fridmann?

flaming lips /
mercury rev /
luna /
delgados
et al.

― rowan, Monday, 13 January 2003 07:20 (twenty-three years ago)

didnt horn produce TATU?

― nathalie (nathalie), Monday, 13 January 2003 10:14 (twenty-three years ago)

yes.

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 13 January 2003 15:49 (twenty-three years ago)

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