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The Neptunes are Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, a duo of record producers based in their hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia who created the sound for some of the most successful hip-hop and R&B artists. They have also been in heavy demand as remixers.

The Neptunes' sound is a highly distinctive brand of off-kilter, stripped-down electronic funk with a heavy debt to Prince. Along with Timbaland and Dr Dre they were the driving force behind many of the musical innovations of late-90s/2000s hip-hop, helping to introduce weirder, spacier sound effects, mid-eastern melodies, exotic percussion, and other idiosyncracies into the modern hip-hop mainstream.

Biography

Pharrel and Chad met at school where they formed a band together. They were both involved in a marching band, where Pharrel played the snare drum and Chad conducted. After graduating from school they formed The Neptunes. Together they helped to launch and relaunch the careers of many artists. They helped launch Clipse, Kelis and Vanessa Marquez and Justin Timberlake's solo career. They helped relaunch the careers of Snoop Dogg, ODB, Robin Thicke and Mystikal. They also produced several songs for Jay-Z, including "I Just Want To Love You (Give It To Me)," "Change Clothes" and "Allure."

The Neptunes currently own a record label, Star Trak, whose notable acts include rapper Snoop Dogg and the rap duo Clipse.

In 2003, they released a self-credited album called The Neptunes Present... Clones, featuring songs and remixes from various artists. This album topped the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart.

The duo has also released two albums under the moniker N-E-R-D, both for Virgin Records.

Techniques

Drums

A Neptunes production is characterized by the unique drums. They are infamous for the use of snares that lack realism and the use of module presets. Despite this their drums are the envy of most producers. "Grindin'" was a simple yet complicated drum track that paid tribute to Run DMCs song of the same nature, "Sucker MC's". Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love" paid tribute to the drums of the funk era, where the loop comprised of various snare sounds. The Neptunes even took a psychedelic tip on Busta Rhyme's hit "Ass on Fire", a song which comprised of drums that were almost science-fiction sounding. They have even used the popular 808 drums on such songs such as LL Cool J's and Jamie Foxx's collaboration "Best Dress".

The Neptune's engineer, in an interview with Sound on Sound magazine, revealed many of their production techniques. In reference to their drums he said, "Williams will play a standard drum kit, then I will cut 16 bars of it into a loop, before using the same method for other instruments including guitars. That's where a lot of the feel of their records comes from — it's not just machines and loops."

Vocals

No Neptunes production is complete without a hook from Pharrell singing in the upper register. A method used on many of their productions including Jay-Z's "Excuse Me Miss", Jadakiss's "Hot Sauce To Go" and Snoop Dogg's "Beautiful".

Synthesizers

A further signature sound found on a Neptune's production are their use of synth's. From the heavy sawtooth lead used in Jay-Z's "Excuse Me Miss (Remix)" to the siren sound used in Kelis's "Caught Out There", their unique synth lines have laced many a classic.

Their Studio Equipment

There has been much speculation about their tools of the trade. For sequencing they use the Korg 01/W, for drum sounds they use the sampling keyboard Ensoniq ASR-10, their sound modules include the Roland 1080 and 2080 and for basslines and filtering they have used the MicroKorg. They are also well known for using the Korg Triton and incorporating live percussion and acoustic instruments into their music.

NERD

The rock group comprised of Pharrell, Chad and their friend Shae Haley. It is an acronym of No-one Ever Really Dies. As a group their hits include "Lapdance", "Rock Star" and "She Wants To Move".

Pharrell goes solo

After several delays, Pharrell is set to release his debut solo album July 25, 2006. The album is titled "In My Mind". The first single from the album was a collaboration with Gwen Stefani titled "Can I Have It Like That". The album has numerous guests, including Daddy Yankee, Vanessa Marquez and Kanye West.

Production Discography

References

1. Sound on Sound "Recording the Neptunes."
2. Hip Hop Game "Interview with the Neptunes."
3. Star Trak Music "Production Discography."

See also

• Pharrell Williams
• Chad Hugo
• N*E*R*D
• Star Trak

External links

• Star Trak Entertainment The Neptunes' own label.
• N-E-R-D.com: Official website of N*E*R*D News, biography, photos, tour information, and forum. The URL "theneptunes.com" was seized by domain name prospectors. See also: cybersquatting.
• Billionaire Boys Club Pharrell's clothing line.
• Neptunes production techniques; an interview with Chad Hugo

• American hip hop groups
• Hip hop producers
• American record producers
• American songwriters
• Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Grammy Award winners