Terje Olsen (born 1981), known professionally as Todd Terje, is a Norwegian DJ, songwriter, and record producer. His stage name is a homage to house music producer
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 ...
.
Called "King of the summer jams"
by ''
Mixmag
''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and Nightclub, clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights.
History
The first issue of ''Mixmag'' ...
'', "one third of the Holy Trinity of Norwegian disco"
by
''Spin'' magazine, and "one of
he Scandinavian dance scene'sprominent figures"
by
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
, Todd Terje made his name with a string of remixes and re-edits in the mid 2000s. He is the younger brother of
Olaf Olsen, known as the drummer from
Bigbang, who often performs drums for Terje's live shows.
He was one of the headliners at the prestigious
Sónar
Sónar is a festival dedicated to music, creativity and technology, founded in Barcelona in 1994 by Ricard Robles, Enric Palau, and Sergi Caballero. The festival has been divided into two parts since its inception: Sónar by Day and Sónar b ...
festival in Barcelona, playing alongside frequent collaborator
Lindstrøm.
He was listed at #17 in the ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' magazine list of "The 25 DJs That Rule the Earth".
In July 2013 he recorded a mix for
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
's ''
Essential Mix
The ''Essential Mix'' is a weekly radio show on BBC Radio 1 currently broadcast between 0:00 and 2:00 a.m. UK time on Saturday morning. Originally broadcast on 30 October 1993, the ''Essential Mix'' features contemporary Disc jockey, DJs and m ...
'' series. He is best known for his 2012 house track "
Inspector Norse".
The song ''Alfonso Muskedunder'' was featured in an episode of the third season of the television series ''
Better Call Saul
''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, '' Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
'' on
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
. The introduction to ''
It's Album Time'' is regularly referenced in a feature in Radio 1 DJ,
Huw Stephens
Huw Meredydd Stephens (born 25 May 1981) is a Welsh radio and television presenter, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 6 Music.
Stephens founded the Sŵn music festival with John Rostron and the yearly s ...
' late night show.
In 2017, he was nominated for Record of the Year for the
Four Tet
Kieran Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting UK albums such as '' Rounds'' ( ...
Remix of his song "Jungelknugen" at the
Electronic Music Awards The Electronic Music Awards is a music award show focused on electronic music genres that debuted on September 21, 2017 in Los Angeles. It was created by Paul Oakenfold and entertainment company Hunt & Crest and produced by Live L!ve Media. The sho ...
. The original version of this track, however, has not been released officially as of December 2021.
Collaborations
Terje co-wrote the
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stu ...
song "
Candy
Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies ( Australian English, New Zealand English), is a confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, called '' sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, ...
"
that reached the Top 10 charts in many European countries and reached #1 on the UK charts.
In 2013, Terje collaborated with Scottish indie rock band
Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I.
F ...
on material for their fourth studio album, ''
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action'', co-producing two tracks.
He mixed and edited
Lindstrøm's album ''Smalhans'', which led to further collaboration. The pair recorded the single "Lanzarote", which was released on Olsen Records in January 2013, and later in the year embarked on a tour that included gigs at
Nuits Sonores
Nuits Sonores is an electronic music festival based at Lyon in France. It usually occurs for five days in May. It has been held since 2003.
Gallery
Nuits sonores 2008.jpg
Itsy Bitsy (Bandesalo).jpg
Jours Sonores.jpg
Greco Roman Soundsystem.jpg
...
,
Sónar
Sónar is a festival dedicated to music, creativity and technology, founded in Barcelona in 1994 by Ricard Robles, Enric Palau, and Sergi Caballero. The festival has been divided into two parts since its inception: Sónar by Day and Sónar b ...
, and Melt!..
Throughout 2014 and 2015, Terje has performed on multiple festivals across the world, such as Coachella, Lowlands and Pitchfork Festival. On stage, he is joined by his brother
Olaf
Olaf or Olav (, , or British ; Old Norse: ''Áleifr'', ''Ólafr'', ''Óleifr'', ''Anleifr'') is a Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" ...
and percussionist
Martin Windstad.
Terje recorded a cover of
Robert Palmer
Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful, soulful voice and wikt:sartorial, sartorial elegance, and his stylistic explorations, combining Soul music, so ...
's 1980 single "
Johnny & Mary" with
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry and ...
. The track appeared on Terje's debut album ''
It's Album Time'' and was also released as a single.
In 2016, Todd Terje released The Big Cover-Up, an EP consisting of covers by
Disco artists, such as
Boney M
Boney M. was a German- Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the grou ...
and
Yellow Magic Orchestra
Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO for short) is a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, vocals). The group is cons ...
as Todd Terje and the Olsens.
Discography
Studio albums
Compilations
Extended plays
Singles
Vinyl singles
Remixes
Edits
Todd Terje has many unofficially released disco edits under various pseudonyms.
Many of them are released without credits. List contains officially released edits.
References
External links
Official Website''Resident Advisor'' FeatureTodd Terje discographyat
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terje, Todd
Living people
Norwegian electronic musicians
Norwegian record producers
Norwegian DJs
Remixers
Nu-disco musicians
1981 births
Electronic dance music DJs
Musicians from Drammen
Smalltown Supersound artists