Aesop Rock is one of them, not to be confused with the unrelated A$AP Rocky... He does his own instrumentals for the most part.

I love Tool, but don't listen to them as much as I used to. Always good when I turn them on though.

I will always be a fan of The Replacements. Great lyrics, and nice do not give.a fuck attitude. NIN is a great choice too

Any band that has Mark Knoffler in it. Friom Dire Straits on up.

Beatles and George Martin. No band / producer combination in popular music history influenced and changed the way music was produced and recorded. I even hear things in new music that they did first. I like most kinds of music from Sinatra to Merle Haggard and pretty much everything in between. But they were the most impressive. Sorry I got long winded.

I can say for producers I do not like Phil Collins. He over-produced the shit out of Eric Clapton "August" album and watered down some great songs. Ive never forgiven him for that. I sure wish he would re-release some of those tunes with an edgier producer.

easier to say what i don't like

I have too many favorites to list, but I love Depeche Mode, Glen Miller (almost any Big Band), The Cure.

George Martin, Ken Scott, Mitchell Froom, Steve Wilson, Todd Rundgren, probably a lot more but those are the first to come to mind. I listen for a good, clean sound but not too clean. There are some pop and especially Nashville producers whose sound is positively antiseptic. I like to hear some air and sometimes fog or grittiness in the mix. I have an Associates Degree in Audio Recording Technology and enjoy listening to music sometimes just for the production. Interesting that so many people don't have a clue as to what good or bad production sounds like.

Led Zeppelin
Producer Jimmy Page

The Sisters Of Mercy

Been a fan since the early 80s. Which makes me feel incredibly old