by Sally Edwards (for NME.com)
The hottest hip-hop production duo, The Neptunes, aka Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, hail from Virginia and have been on the scene a while now.
They were most recently heard on Kelis' 'Kaleidoscope' and Sade's 'By Your Side' remix. Pharrell also MC's and sings - check the back-ups on 'All I Said' on Guru's 'StreetSoul' featuring Macy Gray, and 'Shake That Ass' by Mystikal. NMEHIPHOP.COM catches up with one half, Pharrell Williams, to find out more. In Part One we find out about the tracks they've done and the philosophy behind their sound......
A lot of people first heard you for 'Super Thug', is there anything you did before that?
We did 'Looking At Me' for Mase, 'When Boy Meets Girl' Total, 'Tonight's the Night' on Blackstreet's first album, 'Use Your Heart' on SWV's second album, quite a few songs - I can't remember them all.
And you've just done Mystikal's single 'Shake Your Ass'.
Yeah we just did that and some other songs on his album; 'Danger' and 'Jump', and another song on there called 'Family'.
And with those singles being massive on the dancefloor, is there any particular formula you work to?
There is no particular formula, it's striving to be true to yourself and what it is that you feel, because if you are true to yourself then someone's gonna agree, but that to me is the chemistry when it comes to making a song whether it be something we're doing with Babyface or something we just did with Sade, it's like you just roll with the moment and wherever your spirit leads you that's what you jot down, that's what you play, that's what you hear - that's what you present.
So do you go out clubbing?
Here and there I go out once in a while.
Is it more parties you go to?
Neither, I do some or both you know, just enjoying the moment, watching everybody becoming transported with whatever songs are on, that's important: to take it in but it's something I like to watch; I like to watch people react to sounds, sounds that are arranged to create a universal feeling in a club or to the audience that is listening. That's all it really is. I mean. I just like to sit back and watch. It used to be about the girls, but now it's about music and hanging out with my little female friends - you know, I'm getting older.
But you're not that old?!
As far as evolving trying to see new things, to see the new sense of happiness. What it really means to smile. It's rarely seen, it's rarely presented, it's rarely received and that sounds like its just gold or diamonds but it's actually just a feeling, but it's rare, because you know genuine people are rare.
And you've done the Sade remix, can you tell us about how that came about?
Well, I heard that she requested us. And that was an automatic yes. You know Sade is just dope, a legend at what she does, she's like vibe master, she's sets the mood. You ask anyone what they want to hear at Seven o'clock in the evening with their companion and it's Sade, her music is actually considered in my opinion ambience and atmosphere. A Sade CD is the equivalent to a candlelight or a glass of wine. To work with anyone like that whose product is stress relieving is an absolute pleasure, and the answer is yes.
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