1. Todd Terje – It’s Album Time
With its origins firmly rooted in the basements of Chicago and Detroit, dance music has never easily lent itself to the LP format. With more and more producers favouring to release back-to-back, quick fire EPs rather than one cohesive work, DJ and producer Todd Terje would be forgiven for approaching his highly-anticipated debut album, aptly titled ‘It’s Album Time,’ with some trepidation. If Terje was anxious it doesn’t show; ‘It’s Album Time‘ is a joyous and playful journey through disco, funk and house, designed for the intimacy of “at home” listening.
Kicking round since the early naughties, tantalizing fans with a string of sporadic singles and remixes, Todd Terje (real name Terje Olsen) couldn’t have picked a better time to release an ode to his bubbling house music legacy. As a result, ‘It’s Album Time‘ features four of Terje’s biggest tracks to date, including 2012’s stratospherically successful ‘Inspector Norse,’ which still garners an impressive level of club play even today. Other past Terje releases include ‘Strandbar‘ and ‘Swing Star‘ part 1 & 2, which each get their own revisit on the LP’s track list. Despite the obvious temptation to rehash old tracks, Todd Terje has thankfully rejected the idea of crafting a glorified “greatest hits,” instead filling the rest of ‘It’s Album Time‘ with unheard originals.
If ‘It’s Album Time‘ was designed to present Todd Terje “the artist” rather than his much-lauded DJ moniker, then this LP is, without a doubt, a stunning success. It’s unlikely you’ll hear any of these new Todd Terje originals whilst on the dancefloor, which might serve to isolate some of his more club hardened devotees, but will nonetheless provide house fans a source of on-going enjoyment from the comfort of their own home.
Written by Charlotte Cjiffers
