Behind The Boards – Episode July 19, 2024
Episode ELEVEN of Behind the Boards is a Producer Spotlight…. This time we’re digging into another relatively young and very prolific producer with an incredible catalogue already and absolutely zero signs of slowing down. I’m talking about the amazing and talented Adrian Younge!! Younge is a well established artist now in the music scene but really has only been releasing music since the early 2010’s. That said, he quickly skyrocketed to catch the attention of a lot of talented and well respected producers, in the hip hop, soul, and jazz world. That got him a chance to perform with, and produce with, and in some cases, just straight up it seems that he volunteered his music to be sampled for full projects. For example, I actually had a chance to see Adrian Younge perform live (see pic! That’s my photo!). That was in 2015 at the Grey Eagle Casino, where he was the Band Leader for the backing band for the Legendary WU TANG CLAN. Alright, let’s be real, if the RZA chooses you to lead the band for a live tour, that’s a big compliment! On the Prhyme album, DJ Premier uses almost entirely Adrain Younge sounds to create that classic album. These are just the hip hop accolades Younge has quickly accumulated (2 of the GOATS)... and that is leaving untouched the whole Jazz is Dead movement he’s got going on now. We’re going to explore that side of things in a later episode. This episode we’re going to check out some of his hip hop side of things, both producing, as well as being sampled on tracks. And then we’ll explore some of the more funky, soulful projects he did, and towards the end, we’re going to check out an Electronique album that I only just discovered this week. Whether it’s challenging timing changes, absolutely aggressive drum beats, or the ode to Spaghetti Westerns that runs rampant on several projects, Younge definitely is talented, and has that magic touch I look for when spotlighting a producer. We’re going to go “somewhat” in chronological order. Enjoy!!!