DJ OF THE WEEK 12.10.12: TODD TERJE

Before 2012, Norwegian DJ and producer Todd Terje was not that well known, at least on an international level. That all changed with the release of his first EP “It’s The Arps” which thrust him onto the world stage. And it’s about time.

I admit, I am one of those people who first found out about Todd Terje this year. As soon as I heard the track ‘Inspector Norse,’ which just so happens to be the biggest song of the EP, I was hooked. I was so enamoured I went and purchased the entire album before I even heard any other tracks. The second you hear it, or any Terje track for that matter, your ears perk up as it dawns on you it’s not what you’re used to hearing. There’s that Nu Disco vibe for sure, which Terje is mostly known for providing, but he goes beyond that, way beyond that.

Terje hit the scene in the not so distant past. In fact, he’s been so underground you can’t find that much on him online. I did learn a few things of course, such as that he began by making music in his bedroom on a PC and actually kicked the DJ of his senior prom off the turntables to play his own music. I also learned that he first became known for his re-edits of old disco classics -a genre that was very influential to him during his youth- before moving on to his own productions. The most important things I learned however, I gleaned from reading between the lines and most importantly from listening to his music.

Terje has always had a deep love and appreciation for music. He seems to have those ears that can listen beyond the music and pick up on every nuance, hearing things the rest of us could never make out. He plays instruments, loves House, Disco, Jazz, and many more genres, in fact, he studies them all; he knows his music theory and history, and well, he just knows his shit. And it is apparent in his DJ sets and especially in his music.

Terje’s productions are not just four on the floor thumpers or even catchy melodies over a four on the floor track. In fact, some don’t feature a beat at all. Terje is not afraid to play with sounds, to go to that place where the average EDM listener might begin to feel he’s left the dance music realm altogether. Of course, Terje brings it all home be it with a catchy melody or something more thought provoking; regardless of what nerves they touch in you, you can bet it will be a superbly produced track unlike anything you’ve ever heard.

Despite Terje’s eclectic taste in music, it doesn’t define his DJing as much as you’d think. He admits when he is DJing he will scope out the crowd as a good DJ should, and give the people what they want. Of course, he makes sure to sneak in some unexpected gems here and there, opening their minds and expanding their taste while continuing to rock the party. You gotta love DJs like Terje, we wouldn’t want things to get stale now would we?

TROUW LIVE PODCAST SERIES #1 – Todd Terje @ Drukpers 01-09-2012