Todd Edward Imperatrice (born December 9, 1972), known professionally as Todd Edwards, is an American garage house record producer, DJ and singer from

Bloomfield, New Jersey Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District. History The initial patent for the land that w ...

. He began producing primarily for New York's

Nervous Records Nervous Records is a UK rockabilly music independent record label. It was formed in 1979 by Roy Williams, a DJ on the UK rock'n'roll scene. Nervous Records is credited by many as the leading record label behind the emergence of the British neo ...

in the 1990s, including under aliases such as the Messenger and the Sample Choir. Edwards' music is known for its influence on the

UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop, R&B, and jungle. It ...

scene that developed in the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s. Beginning with his 1993 single "Guide My Soul," Edwards became a chief inspiration for the

speed garage Speed garage (occasionally known as plus-8) is a genre of electronic dance music, associated with the UK garage scene, of which it is regarded as one of its subgenres. Characteristics Speed garage features sped-up NY garage 4-to-the-floor rhyt ...

genre. His work is known for his "innovative blend of rhythmic, cut-and-paste vocal samples, rubbery basslines, and slapping percussion," which showcased an intensive sampling and remixing technique in which vocals are

chopped Chopped can have the following meanings: * Chopped and screwed Chopped and screwed (also called screwed and chopped or slowed and throwed) is a music genre and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and deejaying. It ...

into micro-sized sections. His 1994 single "Saved My Life" became a club hit in the UK. In 1999, Nervous collected several of his productions on the compilation ''Todd Edwards' Nervous Tracks'' and i! Records released the LP ''Prima Edizione'', collecting several more tracks from this era. Edwards has remixed hundreds of artists, including Wildchild, St. Germain,

Benjamin Diamond "Music Sounds Better with You" is the only song by the French house French house, also known as French touch, filter house and tekfunk, is a style of house music originally produced by French musicians in the 1990s. It is a form of Eur ...

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

Klaxons Klaxons were an English rock band, based in London. Following the release of several 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles " Magick" and " Golden Skans", the band released their debu ...

and

Dimitri from Paris Dimitri from Paris (born Dimitrios Yerasimos, el, Δημήτριος Γεράσιμος; 27 October 1963) is a French music producer and DJ of Greek descent. His musical influences are rooted in 1970s funk and disco sounds that spawned contempo ...

. Edwards co-produced and performed vocals on the

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

song " Face to Face" from the album ''

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

'' (2001). Edwards worked again with Daft Punk, co-writing, co-producing and contributing vocals to the song "

Fragments of Time "Fragments of Time" is a song by electronic music duo Daft Punk, featuring vocals and co-production by Todd Edwards. It is included in the duo's 2013 album ''Random Access Memories''. "Fragments of Time" charted in France and the United States du ...

" from their 2013 album ''

Random Access Memories ''Random Access Memories'' is the fourth studio album by the French electronic music, electronic duo Daft Punk, released on 17 May 2013 through Columbia Records. The album pays tribute to late Music history of the United States in the 1970s, 197 ...

'', for which he won a Grammy.

Early life and career

Todd Edwards grew up in

. His father was a carpet salesman while his mother was a receptionist at

Lincoln Technical Institute Lincoln Tech is an American group of for-profit postsecondary vocational institutions headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. Each campus is owned and operated by Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (), a provider of career-oriented pos ...

. He started playing to piano at around 3 years old. Amongst his biggest influences were

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

, and Peter Brown. Edwards began his musical career around 1992. He employs vocal reconstruction techniques to his songs, creating a unique vocal collage set to a

four-on-the-floor Four-on-the-floor (or four-to-the-floor) is a rhythm pattern used primarily in dance genres such as disco and electronic dance music. It is a steady, uniformly accented beat in time in which the bass drum is hit on every beat (1, 2, 3, 4). ...

beat. Marc "MK" Kinchen, who is primarily responsible for pioneering this technique, is one of Edwards's influences.DuttyArtz.com
/ref> Edwards became a committed

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

in the 1990s after having negative experiences with religion in his youth. This is evident by recurring hidden messages found in his compositions, which often contain

religious Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...

phrases.

Beginnings

In his early records, Todd Edwards was influenced by

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

and grew into the

and 2-step garage scene. Inspired by

Todd Terry Todd Norton Terry (born April 18, 1967) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer in the genre of house music. Musical career Todd Terry was influential in moving House music beyond the early Chicago house sound of 1984–86. He crossed ...

, MK, and experiences from his own trials and errors, Todd Edwards developed a unique sound of vocal sampling in place of musical instrument sampling on his tracks. In 1995, there was some talk developing about Edwards. His manager was approached by St. Germain, who asked Edwards to do a remix of his song, "Alabama Blues". Although Edwards has produced and remixed some great remixes in this time, he didn't begin to DJ until the early 2000s. He went out gradually landing more gigs in the UK, hoping to land a bigger one than the next. For an American native, Edwards was quick to gain underground popularity in Europe.

2001–present

Edwards co-produced and performed vocals on the

song " Face to Face" from the album ''

''. The song reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Club chart in 2004. In 2006, Edwards sang on each track of the LP ''Odyssey'', using multiple aliases on the album. In 2012, Edwards released the EP ''I Want You Back'' made in collaboration with French producer Surkin. In April 2013, Edwards revealed that he had contributed to Daft Punk's album ''

''; he expressed that it was difficult keeping his involvement a secret. He provided vocals for and co-wrote the song "

", as well as providing additional production. In 2013, Edwards appeared alongside many other garage pioneers in a documentary exploring the legacy of UK garage, ''Rewind 4Ever: The History of UK Garage''. At the 2014 Grammy Awards, ''Random Access Memories'' won awards for Best Dance/Electronica Album as well as Album of the Year; Edward's contributions to "Fragments of Time" thus earned him his first Grammy.

Red Bull Music Academy The Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) is a world-traveling series of music workshops and festivals that was founded in 1998 by Red Bull GmbH. The main five-week event is held in a different city each year. The public portion of its program is a festiv ...

teamed up with director Ralf Schmerberg to produce ''What Difference Does It Make: A Film About Making Music'' for its fifteenth anniversary. The film features Edwards sharing his thoughts and beliefs on the music industry. Edwards continues to produce and remix tracks today, with planned tours for the future. One of his projects is a vocal album featuring his own singing and co-produced by engineer

Peter Franco Peter Franco (November 27, 1973) is an audio engineer and music producer. Franco was first recognized for his work in 2007 on Daft Punk's ''Alive 2007'' album. He recorded, and assisted in mixing ''Random Access Memories'' by Daft Punk in 2013, w ...

. Edwards noted that

Thomas Bangalter Thomas Bangalter (; born 3 January 1975) is a French musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, DJ and composer. Son of French music composer and artist Daniel Vangarde. He is best known as one half of the former French house music duo Daft ...

of Daft Punk convinced him to pursue such a project, and may oversee it. In May 2021, Edwards's back catalogue was released on streaming services through

Defected Records In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...

. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Discography

Albums

* ''Todd Edwards' Nervous Tracks'' (1999) * ''Prima Edizione'' (1999) * ''Nervous Innovator Series Vol 4/5'' (2000) * ''Full On (Volume 1)'' (2001) * ''Full On (Volume 2)'' (2003) * ''New Trend Sounds'' (2004) * ''New Trend Sounds (Classics, Remixes & Beyond)'' (2004) * ''Odyssey'' (2006) * ''Full On (Volume 3)'' (2007)

Singles and EPs

* "Guide My Soul" (1993) (as the Messenger) * "F.O.T." (1994) * "Underground People" (collab. DJ Shorty) (1995) * "Dancing for Heaven" (1995) * "Stronger" (1995) * "New Trend's Sound" (1995) * "Saved My Life" (1995) * "Saved My Life" (Remixes) (1995) - UK #69 * "Fly Away (One)" (1996) * "Push the Love" (1997) * "Never Far from You" (1998) * "41:13" (1998) * ''The Prima EP'' (1998) * "One Day" (collab.

Tuff Jam Tuff Jam are a British DJ, music production and remixing duo consisting of Karl 'Tuff Enuff' Brown and Matt 'Jam' Lamont. They began working together in 1993, and were instrumental in developing the UK garage sound. They presented a radio sho ...

) (1999) * "Look Out" (1999) * ''Incidental EP'' (2000) * "Shut the Door" (2000) * "Show Me a Sign" (2000) * "Saved My Life" (2000) * ''2 EP'' (2001) * "Restless Soul" (2001) * "Full On (Volume 1)" (Unmixed) (2001) * "Shut the Door" (Remixes) (2002) * "New Trends 2002" (2002) * "New Trends 1995" (2002) * "You Came to Me" (2002) * "You're the One" (2003) * "Beckon Call" (2003) * "Face to Face" (collab. Daft Punk) (2003) * "Full On (Volume 2)" (Unmixed) (2003) * "Full On (Volume 2)" (Remixes) (2003) * "Stop the Fighting" (2003) * "Can't Live Without You" (Reissue) (2003) * "Are You There" (2003) * "Stormy Day" (collab. Filthy Rich) (2004) * "Stormy Day" (collab. Filthy Rich) (Remixes) (2004) * "Hold On to Me" (2004) * "Winter Behaviour" (2004) * "Who You Are" (2004) * "When Your Alone" (2004) * "New Trends Sounds 2004 (Part 1)" (2004) * "New Trends Sounds 2004 (Part 2)" (2004) * "New Trends Sounds 2004 (Part 3)" (2004) * "Mystery" (2005) * "Like a Fire" (2005) * "Heaven" (2005) * "No Scrubs" (2005) * "The Journey" (2006) * "Far Away" (2006) * "Next to You" (2007) * "I Might Be" (2010) * "I Doubted You" (2010) * "Stand Right Now" (2010) * "Head Held High" (2011) * ''Shall Go EP'' (2012) * "Love Inside" (2012) * ''Searching EP'' (2012) * ''No Place Like London EP'' (2012) *"Javid Khan" (2013) *"I've Still Got Sunshine" (collab. Robert Lux) (2014) *"I Want To Be In Fabric" (2016) *"Come Together) (collab. Golf Clap) (2017) *"Catch My Breath" (2017) *"Is It Wrong" (2017) * " You're Sorry" (2019) - U.S. Dance #1 *"Deeper" (collab. Sinden) (2019) *"Getting There From Here" (collab. Poolside and Turbotito) (2020) *"Lover 4 Now" (collab.

Groove Armada Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles "At the River", " I See You Baby" and " Superstylin'". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of w ...

) (2020) *"Inspire Me" (2020) *"The Chant" (2021) *"My Angel" (collab. Electric Enemy) (2021) *"Think I'm In Love" (collab. Vantage) (2021)

Remixes

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...

– "Rockafeller Skank" (Todd Edwards Remix) (2021) *

Four of Diamonds Four of Diamonds are an English girl group composed of Caroline Alvares, Lauren Rammell, Sophia Saffarian and Yasmin Broom. In 2016, they competed in the thirteenth series of ''The X Factor'', where they finished in eighth place. In 2018, they ...

– "Blind" (Todd Edwards Remix) (2019) *

Disclosure Disclosure may refer to: Arts and media * ''Disclosure'' (The Gathering album), 2012 *Disclosure (band), a UK-based garage/electronic duo * ''Disclosure'' (novel), 1994 novel written by Michael Crichton ** ''Disclosure'' (1994 film), an American ...

– "White Noise" (Todd Edwards Edit) (2015) * LION BABE featuring Childish Gambino – "Jump Hi (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2014) * Netsky featuring Beth Ditto – "Running Low (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2014) *

Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...

– "Lay Me Down (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2014) *

Chase & Status Chase & Status are an English electronic music duo composed of Saul Milton (Chase) and Will Kennard (Status). In addition, Andy Gangadeen is the drummer when the band performs live. MC Rage formerly performed as MC with the group, but left in J ...

featuring Jacob Banks – "Alive (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2014) *

Rudimental Rudimental are a British drum and bass band, signed to Asylum Records, Atlantic Records and Black Butter Records. The band consists of Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Leon "Locksmith" Rolle. They were nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2013, and ...

– "Waiting All Night (Todd Edwards Vocal Mix)" (2013) *

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

– "Entertainment (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2013) * Bo Saris – "The Addict (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2013) *

Jessie Ware Jessica Lois Ware (born 15 October 1984) is an English singer, songwriter and broadcaster. Ware came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album, '' Devotion'' (2012), which peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart, produc ...

– "No To Love (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2012) * Toxic Avenger – "Toxic Is Dead (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2012) * One Dark Martian – "Falling (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2012) *

Infinity Ink Infinity Ink is a London-based vocal/music production/DJ duo made up of Italian Luca Cazal and British Ali Love. They have released music through Hot Creations, Crosstown Rebels and, most recently, Cooltempo. Early career Originally they for ...

– "Infinity (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2012) * LOL Boys – "Changes (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2012) *

Modestep Modestep is a dubstep and electronic rock band from London consisting of Josh Friend. Their debut album ''Evolution Theory'' was released on 11 February 2013, including its five singles: " Feel Good", " Sunlight", " To The Stars", " Show Me a S ...

– "Show Me A Sign (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2012) * Kastle – "Time Traveler (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2011) *

Matthew Dear Matthew Dear (born April 4, 1979) is an American electronic music producer and DJ. History Texas-born Dear moved to Michigan as a teenager, where he was inspired by the sound of Detroit Techno. Dear met Sam Valenti IV at a party while attendin ...

– "Slowdance (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2011) * Wretch 32 – "Forgiveness (Todd Edwards Take Me To Church Dub)" (2011) *

Hot Chip Hot Chip are an English synthpop band formed in London in 1995. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former member Rob Smoughton for ...

– "Hand Me Down Your Love (Todd Edward Micro Chip Remix)" (2010) * Kingdom featuring Shyvonne – "Mind Reader (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2010) *

Spank Rock Naeem Juwan, better known by his stage name Spank Rock, is an American rapper and songwriter from Baltimore. He rose to fame with his 2006 album ''YoYoYoYoYo'', which was produced by former group member Alex Epton (XXXChange). A harbinger of po ...

– "What It Look Like (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2010) * Appaloosa – "The Day (We Feel In Love) odd Edwards Liturgical Mix (2009) * Surkin – "Next Of Kin (Todd Edwards Re-Kindled Mix)" (2008) *

– "DVNO (Todd Edwards' Sunshine Brothers Remix)" (2008) *

– "Gravity's Rainbow (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2007) *

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

– "No Scrubs (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2006) *

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

– "Crazy In Love (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2005) * Paul Johnson – "She Got Me On (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2005) * Zoot Woman – "Taken It All (Todd Edwards 'Soul Line' Remix)" (2004) * Space Cowboy – "Crazy Talk (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2003) * Nio – "Do You Think You're Special? (Todd Edwards So Special UK Remix)" (2003) * Boniface – "Cheeky (Todd Edwards 'Time Like No Other' Remix)" (2002) *

Craig David Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single "Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta), Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger (UK band), Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ' ...

– "What's Your Flava? (Todd Edwards Underground Flava Mix)" (2002) * Daniel Bedingfield – "James Dean (I Wanna Know) [Todd Edwards Life Line Vocal Remix)" (2002) * St. Germain – "Sure Thing (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2001) *

– "If I Ever Feel Better (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2000) * Moloko – "Pure Pleasure Seeker (Todd Edwards Mix)" (2000) * MJ Cole – "Crazy Love (Todd Edwards Save Your Crys Dub)" (2000) * Lonyo - "In Ayia Napa (Todd Edwards Perfect Dub)" * Benjamin Diamond – "Little Scare (Todd Edwards Remix)" (2000) * Kevin Yost – "If She Only Knew (Todd Edward's She Only Knew Disco Remix)" (1999) * Ultymate featuring Jacquee Bennett – Vybe (Todd Edwards Remix)" (1998) * Mad Moses - Panther Party (Todd Edwards Remix) (1997) *

Kristine Blond Kristine Blond (born Anne-Kristine Blond on 16 April 1975) is a Danish singer and songwriter. Blond had success as a pop and R&B singer in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She achieved three top 40 hit singles on the UK Singles Chart. Her biggest hi ...

– "Love Shy (Todd Edwards Remix)" (1997) *

Robin S. Robin Stone (born April 27, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter, who scored success in the 1990s with such house music singles as " Show Me Love" (which was her debut single) and " Luv 4 Luv". She has had three number ones on the ''Bi ...

– "Show Me Love (Todd Edwards Remix)" (1997) * Da Mob featuring Jocelyn Brown – "Fun (Todd Edwards Remix)" (1997) * Indo – "R U Sleeping (Todd Edwards Remix)" (1996) * The Ride Committee featuring Roxy – Accident (Todd Edwards Dub) (1995) * Veda Simpson – "Oohhh Baby (Todd Edwards Remix)" (1994)

Collaborations

* "I Want You Back" (with Surkin) (2012) * "I've Still Got Sunshine" (with Robert Lux) (2014) * "Jaco" (with Nick Hook & Kilo Kish) (2014) * "Go Crazy" (

Pete Tong Peter Michael Tong, (born 30 July 1960) is an English disc jockey who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as ''Essential Mix'' and ''Essential Selection'' on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio stre ...

and Her-o featuring Todd Edwards) (2019) * "Getting There from Here" (with Poolside) (2020) * "Lover 4 Now" (

featuring Todd Edwards) (2020)

Production credits

– " Face to Face" (2001) - U.S. Dance #1 *

– "

" (2013)

References

External links

* *
New York Times Style Magazine – Q. & A. , Daft Punk’s Secret Weapon: Producer Todd EdwardsLWE Interviews Todd EdwardsInterview with Todd Edwards (Scion A/V)XLR8R Born Again Todd EdwardsTodd Edwards (Pitchfork)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Todd 1972 births Living people American DJs American electronic musicians American garage house musicians American house musicians Record producers from New Jersey Musicians from New Jersey People from Bloomfield, New Jersey Speed garage musicians UK garage musicians Grammy Award winners Deep house musicians Electronic dance music DJs Locked On Records artists