So,
stemming from my current intrigue with the new Britney album ( which is growing on me more each day i might add.)My intrigue and admiration for music producers has grown as well. I've always had a thing for them since I can remember. Even at age 10 I remember reading CD liner notes and wanting to know everyone that had anything to do with the songs I loved . I realized that though the artists I loved were exceptional people , they also had help making the exceptional albums that helped define and solidify their exceptional talent.
stemming from my current intrigue with the new Britney album ( which is growing on me more each day i might add.)My intrigue and admiration for music producers has grown as well. I've always had a thing for them since I can remember. Even at age 10 I remember reading CD liner notes and wanting to know everyone that had anything to do with the songs I loved . I realized that though the artists I loved were exceptional people , they also had help making the exceptional albums that helped define and solidify their exceptional talent.
In recent years I found myself immediately seeking knowledge about the producers to just about each and every song I loved. A time consuming and daunting task ?, maybe, but one well worth it. I said 'loved' though. Not 'liked' there's a big difference! The first mainstream song that really stood out to me was ' Are You That Somebody' By Aaliyah. In case you don't know or have forgotten. That song featured a baby cry in the chorus. What Imagination! I attempted to find out everything there was to know about the person/people that helped Aaliyah make that track.And thus began my admiration for Timbaland ( who till this day is on my personal list of top 10 favorite producers. ) It was one of the most unique things my friends and I had ever heard in a song. The song was a huge success for Aaliyah and the video reminds me of what a great career she had.Others on that list include ( and please forgive my incorrect spelling) Trevor Horn , Linda Perry, The Neptunes, Wyclef Jean , Rodney Jerkins and the newest addition Nate ' Danja' Hills.
Danja is currently the go-to -guy for good beats. I found out a slew of information about him on Wikipedia.com and a few other sites as well. The Internet has definitely aided me in my quest for knowledge about music producers. Though I generally prefer a mix of live instrumentation AND beats ( a la, Outkast's 'Aquemini', The Roots' ' Game Theory', Ashlee Simpson's 'Bittersweet World', Justin Timberlake's 'Justified', The Gorillaz's ' Demon Days' and Pink's 'Mizzundaztood') he is almost entirely a beat guy. I prefer a mix because to me its like having the best of both worlds. Paving the way towards the future of mainstream pop and r &b with music that sounds simultaneously innovative and familiar. While also paying homage to where all music came from in the first place; instruments . ( Well you know, just a few thousand years after our ancestors were beating on stones with rocks and sticks and other miscellaneous objects ). Plus it just goes down so nicely. Like pure ear candy. But Danja is more about the beats .
His style is very funky, futuristic, energetic and sultry . I might even add adventurous somewhere in that list of adjectives depending on the artist he's working with. And I love it. He reminds me that Synthesizers and 808's can be just as much a driving force behind a song as a guitar or piano. I read in his bio over at Wikipedia.com that he commands anywhere from 50,000- 100,000 $ for a song. Now let's just think about that for a second . Not even an album, but a song !I'm definitely one that feels that he is genuinely gifted and possesses heaps of raw and unique talent.
The past few years he has risen up from being a virtual unknown, to becoming Timbaland's sidekick, to a legitimate force to be reckoned with in the music business.I'm sure many of the artists that he has collaborated with feel that he is worth his weight in gold. I guess one would have to ! Even if he is though, I was still shocked when I found out the price for a decent song. I guess music really is priceless to some people. Nice to know that being a music producer means one could be set for life so to speak . Though they are usualy no where near as famous, I bet a lot of producers are more wealthy than the artists they are working for.
If I were a producer I would work with each artist on a personal and professional level. And not just seek to bring the best out of them musically,but in every aspect, as much as I possibly could. I would charge the beginner/novice/struggling artists considerably less than the well known established ones. And if any of the wealthier artists I collaborated with had a problem with it I would kindly tell them where to go , how to get there and to not set foot back in my studio again .The thought of someone paying a producer 100,000$ for a song utterly behooves me. I guess the folks that said it really pays off for an artist to produce their own music weren't just speaking figuratively .
100,000$ could by 100,000 Hershey bars. It's approximately what the US president is paid on an annual basis. 100,000 $ could purchase a house...a NICE one. Just think about that. For the cost of ONE song, someone could live.... in a house.... for YEARS...and so could their children..and their children's children ! BUT having said that, I must acknowledge that a song is forever...a song cannot burn down, be swept away or swallowed into the ground. That's probably not the best analogy but then again it is coming from a self professed music junkie .
I can barely imagine living life without music. Why would anybody want to really. The most horrible punishments of my teen years inloved the suspension not of the phone or television, but music.Music is my life's soundtrack. Some people are far more into it than others, and I am certainly one of those people.But i'll save more about that for another blog.For now off I go to continue listening to B.S's 'Circus' and cleaning my ( non 100,000$) house :)
