MERCURY REV- The Dark Is Rising
The role of the producer went far beyond its normal reaches to, in some cases, rival in popularity and star power with the artists they supervised. Timbaland; The Neptunes and Dr. Dre were the real builders of the current state of pop; R&B and hip-hop music. But every other genre had its studio wizards defining the sounds of our time. Ten of the most significant ones, after the jump.