9 UK Producers That Had The 2015 Scene On Lock

In memory: As sadly sometimes happens in rock journalism, we were just whipping up a fun post about the "Magic"-al career of Olivia Newton-John when the tragic news reached us. Incidentally, because her hit "Magic" peaked #1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 just over 42 years ago in 1980. In respect, we will let the fans, family, and music community have their time to recover.

So here's recycled notes from an unpublished piece back in 2015. We'll finish our Olivia Newton-John piece later; your humble author detests hasty edits. But here are the top UK music producers of 2015. Enjoy!

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So we figure, why let the performers hog the spotlight all the time? In the modern music world, producers have risen to become just as important as the performers themselves. Sometimes they even cross over with DJs or performing artists themselves. But usually, they're the people responsible for the ultimate sound of a track, be it just by composing on the synthesizer or sampler, or overseeing all the engineering aspects of the sound recording.

 

#1: Heavytrackerz

Nope, you're not hearing Mike Skinner from The Streets at the beginning there. This group from Walthamstow, East London, has been a 3-man production factory. They were the force behind Meridian Dan's "German Whip" making it to #13 on the UK Singles charts back in 2014. From there until this year's video seen here, everything they touch just keeps on turning into gold. For a bonus buck, here's Game Over featuring Big Tobz & Moelogo, another Heavytrackerz production.

#2: Teddy Music

Teddy Music's most notable ace in the hole is Lady Leshurr. They've produced two songs with her, 2012's "Hoods Up" remix and 2013's "Off the Leash." But their up-front king of clubs (we love beating bad metaphors here, learn to love our quirks) is Wiley, featured here in "What Do You Know." Wiley's on his tenth album, and has earned the nick "The Godfather of Grime." Check Teddy Music's Twitter to catch what they're up to next.

#3: Splurgeboys

We'll call this crew our under-rated spotlight. They produced on Ghetts' Rebel with a Cause album back in 2014, and have been kind of chilled out ever since. Here they are with a remix of HeavyTrackerz "Not That Deep." What sticks with you is the casual thrown-together atmosphere, a true garage attitude, yet with such tight delivery. Like many names on this list, they've been nominated for "Producer of the Year" on genius.com, as their Instagram feed brags. And we still think they're underrated.

#4: Preditah

Now, this is a class act. This video is this year's Preditah production "Selecta." Not your average grime song! This blend of almost Dubstep-like production, and almost Chillwave melodies, takes it out of the alley and onto the dance floor. We dare you to listen to it twice without getting it stuck in your head all day. Preditah also just produced a track on MC Jme's Integrity> (the ">" means "greater than" just like math class).

#5: Diztortion

Sumo wrestler! Old lady in a walker! Proctologist! What is this madness? What else could it be but Lethal Bizzle's latest spin, "Fester Skank," produced by Diztortion. If Diztortion wins the race by any measure, it'll be by what a working dog he is. He's produced on multiple songs each year since 2013, worked with nearly every top name in the scene, and has charted like crazy. The Dutch-born prodigy seems unstoppable, and leaves everybody else looking like they need to step up their game if they want to catch up.

#6: Rude Kid

This song, tight like a clenched fist, is the latest production of Rude Kid (easier to Google by their hashtag-able name of 'RudeKidMusic'), with P. Money & Smack's "Bring It Back." Rude Kid's been in business for awhile, most notably on "Get Busy" featuring Skepta. This just goes to show that they have a versatile sound between these two works. Here's their Twitter, hang on and enjoy the ride.

#7: ADP

Who produced the highest-charting rap album in history? ADP, that's who! That would be Krept and Konan's The Long Way Home, released just last year. At this rate, we just don't have to tell you much about this gig except to post "Freak of the Week," because you just haven't heard that enough already. Meh, here's their Twitter, if you just have to know more.

#8: Zdot

If Tim Burton made a movie with a Hip-hop soundtrack, this would be the opening credits theme. Hey, Tim Burton, can you hear that? You needed to do a darker remake of Beetlejuice anyway, right? We daaaaare you! Anyway, Zdot has also produced several songs on Wiley's Snakes & Ladders album, released last year.

#9: Carns Hill

Like some of the best producers on this list, Carns Hill keeps a lock on by being in tight with a top name. Such as Blade Brown and friends, seen here in a slickly directed video where the choreography alone catches your attention before the rapping even starts. Go ahead, track their tweets, see what they come up with next.

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If you're feeling like this post is time-warped, that's because it is: From 2015! And from the UK! Nevertheless, every artist in this list is still working and current.