A Guide to the Electronic Music Producers on "Yeezus"

A strange thing happened when we finally got to check out the production credits on Kanye West's sixth album, Yeezus: There were a grip of electronic

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Complex Original

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A strange thing happened when we finally got to check out the production credits on Kanye West's sixth album, Yeezus: There were a grip of electronic music producers that helped create this opus, many of which excited us... and only us. Everyone knows Daft Punk, and had heard that Hudson Mohawke was a part of the project (which makes sense, given that he'd signed to G.O.O.D. Music earlier this year), but we were enamored to hear that Gesaffelstein and Arca were rumored to have contributed to the album... we didn't realize how deep it got, though. We also aren't sure how different a co-producer or additional production credit is from a regular producer's credit, nor how much work goes into "additional programming," but we digress.

We understand that a number of you aren't up on who many of these players are, so we decided to give you a primer on these artists; in the very least, you can show off to your music-loving friends about how into the making-of Yeezus you truly are. And hopefully you discover some artists you might not have been familiar with...

Daft Punk

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Years Active: 1993-present

Label: Columbia

Notable Release(s): All of them

Yeezus Credits: "On Sight," "Black Skinhead," "I Am A God," "Send It Up"

Daft Punk should be the most well-known producers on Yeezus. The androids from France were an integral part of the electronica craze that swept through America in the mid-1990s. Their sound has evolved, going from the definition of French house (with influences from Chicago and the garage movement) to incorporating more live instrumentation in their tunes.

Earlier this year they released Random Access Memories. During the press run for Random Access Memories, we found out that they'd collaborated with Kanye in France on a few tracks, but no one had any idea they'd contributed to four tracks from the album, practically helping shape the sound of Yeezus.

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Arca

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Years Active: 2007-present

Label: UNO

Notable Release(s): "Meditation" / "Manners"

Yeezus Credits: "New Slaves," "Blood on the Leaves," "Hold My Liquor," "I'm In It," "Send It Up"

We have grown into big Arca fans over the last year, and we're surprised that his leftfield beats haven't been championed by more fans of electronic sounds. Arca was born in Venezuela, but has spent time in Connecticut as well growing up; he settled on going to NYU and ended up staying to produce music. This lead to him releasing two LPs on NY label UNO, although we imagine it was his soundtrack for the Hood by Air show during February's New York Fashion Week could have been where Camp Kanye picked up his tracks.

Whatever the case may be, Arca's contributed to five tracks on the project, more than any other electronic producer who contributed to Yeezus.

Gesaffelstein

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Years Active: 2008-present

Label: Zone Music

Notable Release(s): "Bromance #1" / "Pursuit"

Yeezus Credits: "Black Skinhead," "Send It Up"

Gesaffelstein is a Parisian who's electro and techno influences are definitely a huge part of tracks like "Send It Up." He's affiliated with Bromance and Zone Music, and OWSLA recently dropped his "Pursuit" single in the US. Word is that Gesaffelstein approaches his music almost like a sculptor approaches his art, wanting to make something as intense and tangible as you can with sound.

Brodinski

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Years Active: 2007-present

Label: Bromance

Notable Release(s): "Bad Runner" / "Dance Like Machines"

Yeezus Credits: "Black Skinhead," "Send It Up"

Brodinski is another Frenchman who has Bromance affiliations, but his sound can be a bit more diverse. He's crafted amazing original work, but it feels like most of his acclaim has come from his remix work, with his services being sought after for Boys Noize, DJ Mehdi, Peaches, Crookers, Jokers of the Scene, Skrillex, and Justice, among many others.

Hudson Mohawke

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Years Active: 2008-present

Label: LuckyMe, Warp

Notable Release(s): "Cbat"

Yeezus Credits: "I Am A God," "New Slaves," "Blood on the Leaves"

HudMo shouldn't need any introduction. Sure, he's one half of TNGHT, but he also signed a production deal with G.O.O.D. Music in early 2013. For the five years before then, he was getting his name up anywhere, from being part of the collective that started LuckyMe to dropping a number of releases on Warp, including his forthcoming sophomore album.

Lunice

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Years Active: 2009-present

Label: LuckyMe

Notable Release(s): "Glow" / "I See U"

Yeezus Credits: "Blood on the Leaves"

Lunice is 1/2 of TNGHT, and made the list because of the use of their "R U Ready" instrumental on "Blood on the Leaves," but this Canadia DJ/producers/dancer is much more than one heavy riddim. He's a hip-hop fan that aims to continue down the path of hip-hop that he's loved while essentially helping pave the way for the "trap" producers behind him.

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Evian Christ

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Years Active: 2012-present

Label: Tri-Angle

Notable Release(s): Kings and Them

Yeezus Credits: "I'm In It"

Evian's only been at it for a year, and with a pair of releases to his name, he's received loads of critical acclaim, with The FADER, FACT, Clash, and other publications singing his praises. His R&B-flavored style speaks to a growing trend in the UK right now, with Evian being one of the few producers from Britain to seemingly take off over night. And to think, he was only just starting to upload his tracks to YouTube in late 2011.

Benji B

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Years Active: ???

Label: ???

Notable Release(s): ???

Yeezus Credits: "On Sight"

When we saw this credit, we wondered: Benji B makes beats?! For the last decade, he's been known as THE future beats head, be it at stints on 1Xtra or Radio 1, and he continues to champion the future of electronic music and hip-hop on both sides of the Atlantic. We'd love to know how much he contributed, but we imagine it's awesome.

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