Chris Hughes (b.1954)
The albums The Hurting (1983) by Tears for Fears and Points on the Curve (1984) by Wang Chung, contain tracks that stay very fresh with repeated listenings. These were produced by Chris Hughes. I enjoy the intelligent way in which he handled rhythm and sound in these early albums.
See, for example, if you can fathom how the rhythm at the start of the Wang Chung track The Waves is built. It’s pleasantly disorientating. (I finally managed to work it out.)
Tears for Fears‘s track Mother’s Talk is also original. Hughs’s realization of Steve Reich’s Slow Motion Blackbird on the album Shift (1994) is revealing and effectively soporific.