Green Velvet

Chicago house producer Curtis Jones is a weird dude. Under the pseudonyms Green Velvet and Cajmere, he's recorded some of the oddest — and most influential — tracks of the '90s and '00s. His minimal, fast-paced hump-fests all follow a similar template (rapid bass-thump, steady high-hat, frenetic/synthetic vibe), while his remixes for Madonna and Basement Jaxx (among legions of others) highlight his wild, acid-drenched style. Jones' signature, though, is his monotone narration; he creates characters and talks over his rhythms. In "Water Molecule" he imagines himself a drop of water. "La La Land," from 2001, excoriates the ecstasy-popping rave scene. And 1992's "Coffeepot (It's Time for the Percolator)," influenced countless hip-hoppers; Snoop's "Drop It Like It's Hot" is basically "Coffeepot" chopped and screwed.