Todd Terje - It's Album Time

A favourite in the DJ sets of James Murphy and other tastemakers, Norwegian producer Todd Terje has finally gotten around to producing his debut album, after a half-decade of remixes, edits, collaborations and hugely popular single releases.

Eyebrows have been raised in certain quarters at some of the stylistic detours Terje takes on It’s Album Time, with tracks such as the playful, quirky electro of ‘Pleasure Suit Preben’ and the bossa nova flavoured ‘Svensk Sas’ (a cover of a ’70s Swedish jazz-dance tune) apparently not club-friendly enough for some tastes. Balls to that! Whilst Terje does stretch his creative wings on the record, in truth it contains more than an acceptable quota of dancefloor action.

The producer has said that he considers ‘Delorean Dynamite’ to be the centrepiece of the album, and it’s not difficult to see why; inspired by a rare album of library music by ex-Rainbow guitarist Tony Carey, the track is a rip-roaring slice of electro, boasting an irresistible groove and generous helpings of funk guitar and retro-futuristic synth sounds.

Elsewhere, Terje’s signature tunes, ‘Strandbar’ and ‘Inspector Norse’, remain sublime nu-disco workouts, whilst the two-part suite, ‘Swing Star’, is a terrific ambient house excursion with echoes of The Orb. One utterly unexpected highlight is a cover of Robert Plant’s ‘Johnny And Mary’: featuring a hoarse croon from Bryan Ferry, Terje transforms the track into a moody, down-tempo gem.

Perhaps even more exciting is the news that Ferry and Terje have completed a version of ‘Addicted To Love’ – now that’s one track we can’t wait to hear!