Braide left in 2009 due to work commitments, though still contributed to the band's début album Made in Basing Street, released on 25 June 2012.

The concept for the band was conceived as a mutual means for the ZTT music producer partners Trevor Horn (formerly of The Buggles, Yes and Art of Noise) and Steve Lipson (session guitarist for a number of acts) to take a break from their work in the studio and play their songs live.

[5] Joined by producer Chris Braide, music video director and former 10cc frontman Lol Creme (also formerly of Godley and Creme and Art of Noise) and session drummer Ash Soan (worked for various artists including Dido and Robbie Williams, and former member of Del Amitri), they named the project The Producers in reference to their careers in the studio, and started out playing live covers.

The band was joined by percussionist Luís Jardim and guests; Anne Dudley, David Jordan, producer Bruce Woolley (a friend of Horn's who worked with The Buggles) and Will Young.

[9] Further gigs in Camden would see more new songs: "Your Life", "Man on the Moon",[10] "You and I", "Waiting for the Right Time"[11] and a song entitled "Music from Bel Air" (which wouldn't appear on the album), and featured more guest appearances, including Tina Charles (whose backing band Horn began his musical career as part of) on their cover of Grace Jones' "Slave to the Rhythm".

[8] Braide left the band as an official "member" in early 2009 due to work commitments,[12] but would continue to perform at gigs between October 2009 and January 2010, as well as contributing to the album when he could.

[13] The remaining members decided to change their name to US (pronounced "Us"), but still played live under "The Producers", possibly due to Braide's presence.

[19][20] The concerts (which followed Q&A sessions with the music students attending the institutions) consisted of an hour-long set, which followed the format of previous gigs with hits such as "Video Killed the Radio Star", "Slave to the Rhythm", "I'm Not in Love", and David Bowie's "Space Oddity", as well as performances of the band's original songs, "Barking Up the Right Tree", "Freeway", and the live débuts of "Watching You Out There" and "Garden of Flowers" (with Horn taking the place of Braide on lead vocals where appropriate).

The concerts also borrowed from the 2011 Buggles reunion gig, including its tongue-in-cheek cover of "Check It Out" by will.i.am and Nicki Minaj (a song which samples "Video Killed the Radio Star"), and a contest winner being given the opportunity to sing backing vocals on the finale of "Video Killed the Radio Star".

[25] In September 2012, Producers, in a line-up including Lipson and Ryan Molloy, performed at The Big Feastival, a food and music festival in Oxfordshire hosted by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and Alex James of Blur.

The band, with Seal, played European dates in July 2015, including at the Cornbury Music Festival in Oxfordshire[31] and in Amsterdam.

[32] As of 2016, the band's line-up has consisted of Horn and Creme, with varying guest musicians, but Ryan Molloy usually on lead vocals since 2018.