N.E.R.D. |
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Fri. March 29.2002 4:38 PM EST |
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The Neptunes are N.E.R.D.sPop's Hottest Producers Debut Their Own Disc by Jim Macnie |
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N.E.R.D. (Jason Campbell) |
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Confusion over business strategies dominates the music industry these days, but one pop game plan has become obvious: Get with the Neptunes. Mystikal and Jay-Z, Britney and N Sync, Prince and O.D.B., No Doubt and Noreaga - hey, even those accented
Pals since their high school days, Williams and Hugo are part of the Virginia Beach brain trust that includes sound architects Timbaland and Teddy Riley, as well as reigning queen of quirk, Missy Elliott. During the mid-90s, the pair spent time in Rileys camp, learning the masters ways by assisting on tracks by Blackstreet and S.W.V. The floodgates burst when Williams and Hugo struck out on their own, declaring themselves the Neptunes and scoring a 1998 hit with their production of Noreagas Super Thug. Everyone wanted a taste of their cool new flava. Call em this eras Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Call em proud experimentalists, too. Last year, the guys recorded their first full-length disc, and the music gleamed with their signature sound: Tough, mechanical, sharp, minimal, wise. But after mulling over the act of presenting something so closely associated with their previous work, they decided to re-cut the tracks with live instruments rather than samplers and software. Connecting with an old pal named Shay, they concocted N.E.R.D. (No One Ever Really Dies) and re-kicked the tunes with guitars and drums. The result is In Search Of ... (Virgin), an odd mix of hip-hop and riff rock. To give us a glimpse into their worldview, VH1 connected with Chad Hugo. He recently completed production of the debut disc by Kenna, a traditional singer-songwriter whose New Sacred Cow has a great yin-yang of crazed sonics and crafty tunes. Hugo was in the Neptunes' Virginia studio refining Beyoncé's track when he took a sec to discuss hip-hop's impact on pop. VH1: Are there so many projects on your plate that you no longer hit the studio just to experiment with beats and sounds? Hugo: If a project is coming up well think about what we want to do and try out a few things - lay down a blueprint. We talk about what we want it to sound like and what we want to hear the artist doing. Other times, though, well just go in and create stuff, sure. VH1: In terms of pure sound, what has hip-hop really brought to modern music? Has it made us realize that dissonance can be an art? The whole notion of bring the noise? Hugo: Its the new rock n roll. Parents hate it, the same way they did way back in the day with rock and guitars. Im totally attracted to the idea that hip-hop has so much to it. The musics creation kind of extends to the speaker itself. Its important that hip-hop producers not only learn to play their tech equipment, their computers and samplers, but also learn to play the speakers. Rock is acoustically based - you could always do unplugged versions of a rock song. But in hip-hop thats the not the case. Its a jumble of different things coming through the speakers. And some of the stuff we try to do is so minimal; its almost just rhythm and a rapper. Some people try to criticize that, and say theres something missing. But when Run-D.M.C. did Rock Box there wasnt much there, and it was great. Its a vibe thing. Its a necessity to hear that boom coming back from the speakers. Me and Pharrell used to just bang on the lunch table [at school] - wed do it that way. Thats important [to listen for] when you do a hip-hop song. VH1: Is that what youre trying to do with the personality of Kennas record? It seems like the songs could be normal except for the way youre sculpting the production. Hugo: Exactly. Its got a bit of everything strewn here and there, but all twisted. It has the sonics of hip-hop records and electronic records, but the songwriting of some rock or pop thing. People reminisce about the 80s. Back then rock and pop were fused. Those pop sensibilities had to work with a rock sound, a harder sound. All the stuff I like is blended into that [Kenna] record. VH1: Devils advocate question: Is modern production merely an ear candy thing? Do the cool sonic effects of hip-hop suggest that theres not much song-craft going on? Hugo: Uh...[deliberating] I wouldnt say that. People are always going to try to stay ahead by using a piece of technology. But I think there are people crafting pretty good songs without that stuff. As far as hip-hop production goes, whats been an issue over time is that too many people know about the hip-hop game. Rappers discuss the game in their songs. Back then people werent mentioning how many times platinum [some competitor] went. They wouldnt dis you on record sales; theyd dis you on skills. These days ... VH1: Your commercial position becomes your subject matter. Hugo: Which is one reason why record labels have come to try to imitate a hot song. They say to us Give me something like that one over there, that Superthug, instead of trying to do something innovative each time out. VH1: What was the most drastic overhaul you guys ever did in a remix? Hugo: The remix of Sades By Your Side. Princes The Greatest Romance Ever Sold. Check that one out, because we totally flipped that. VH1: Did it get a lot of raised eyebrows? Hugo: Dont know, but sure it didnt get much exposure. Hey, I liked it! The one we got comments on was Garbage. Some people remix by changing a few sounds or a chord structure. We change the whole sh*t. VH1: One of the things I find refreshing about your stuff is the sense of humor. People are a bit tired of the post-gangsta drama. Hugo: Yeah. VH1: You went through your Native Tongues period. Did De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and the Jungle Brothers influence you fun-wise? Hugo: Absolutely. That whole movements rhyme scheme was different; the loops they sampled were wild. The chords really touched me, man. I dont know how to explain it, but hearing those jazz chords ... I dont want to get technical on you, but hit me hard. Theyre not your typical A-C-G chords. Sonically, it was crazy. The Tribe stuff? The hard beats? The texture? VH1: We were listening to The Jungle Brothers Done By the Forces of Nature the other day in the office. Id forgotten just how beautiful and heavy it is. Hugo: Oh yeah, definitely. It was a contrast. Great chords, hard beats and skip to my Lou type rhyming patterns - a totally different feel. VH1: There are those who say its rather perverse to use something other than your signature sound on your first album. So many fans were waiting for the bedrock Neptunes computer moves and here comes N.E.R.D. sounding like a rock record. Hugo: If they want they can buy the import of the first thing, the collectors edition. But we just wanted to do it. You gotta move on, be different things, reinvent yourself. I love [the new one]. Its still got the grooves, you can still bob your head. But you can also play air guitar and air drums. The first one was only one-way. This is two ways. We wanted to have the feeling you get when you mimic your favorite rock record, but with a hip-hop sensibility. VH1: Is N.E.R.D. a blip on the screen, or is it something youll be doing for a while? Hugo: Weve already started our second album. Its a lot of fun. We do it with a smirk on our face. Its our creative way of doing something else. Were going to do a couple of tour dates, might hit a couple Internet sites. VH1: Talking about doing things differently, tell me what you learned working with Teddy Riley. Hugo: Im 28. When I met him I was 19 or so. What did I learn? That guy is real talented. Hed mix his own sh*t. Play keyboards. Orchestrate it all. Hed stack 10 snare drums to make one loud as sh*t snare drum. Crack your head open. It made you want to dance, but he didnt want you to think about dancing. He just wanted your body to move. When you hear his boom back, its really saying Dance, motherf*cker, dance. VH1: Which three Teddy tracks kill you? Hugo: He did The Show - fantastic. I love all the old Guy stuff. And the stuff he did for Michael Jacksons Dangerous record. VH1: What are the three most innovative hip-hop discs? Hugo: Id say A Tribe Called Quests The Low End Theory, Dres The Chronic, and uh... Timbalands production in general. VH1: What TV shows use music to a cool effect? Hugo: Oz, definitely. Spongebob Squarepants. Then from past experience, of course, Bugs Bunny. All the old stuff. The stuff thats done with a violin when the character is jumping up and down. Whoop! Amazing. |
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