Todd Edwards

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Beast of Burden
Hello, I'm Oliver, and I'm a Todd addict. I just got his latest Cd, which I saved up for by not drinking wine or smoking for a week. It's called 'New Trend Sounds - Classics, Remixes and Beyond' - a dismal, unappetising title, and not one his best collections, but it should keep me fixed until January. It has a gorgeous remix of 'Winter Behaviour,' which is nothing like the original. I had quite a lot of personal investment in the original, and this didn't remind me of any good/bad memories, <em>that's</em> how different it is. All Todd sounds the same. But if you love it, you love it. You never get bored of it. On a pirate show last week, some DJ played 2 hours of Todd tracks, and said, half way through, "I was about to say, this is one of my favourites, but they're all my favourites!" I knew exactly what he meant.

Any fellow sufferers? If so, what makes Todd 'Jesus Juice' Edwards so addictive? And why do I find this predilection slightly perverse, like liking Jess Franco films, for instance? (Oh, and regarding the latter, I do, by the way.)
 
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gff

Active member
yes, I love Todd Edwards. I've only heard Full On 2 and the Nervous tracks thing, and about an equal amount of d/l'd stuff, but yes, he's unreal. His vertiginous mesmerizing detail has been well commented on ("ooer microsampling"), but what i love abt him is a) changes keys mid-phrase with a felicity very much like prime stevie wonder and b) that totally unique warm metallic palette of percussion sounds that are neither snares nor hats that populate his interstitial beats. I can't listen to him for too much too long, but I think that's the tempo getting to me.

I've never heard him out, but then, I don't go out, at least, not to hear anything where someone should be playing him and isn't. There is a track of his on a ukg comp I have and it does stick out a bit, he's a singularity.
 
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blissblogger

Well-known member
todd

the weird thing about todd is that he's not god over here, in this town (new york), not at all

some years ago i went in Dance Tracks which is the deep house store over here, got some kind of connection to the Body 'n'Soul lot, and asked for a Todd 12 inch and the guy gave me a sneery look almost as if i'd asked for something by Tiesto

Todd E played a rare dj set in manhattan a year or so ago, i got to meet him -- very nice, as you might imagine. has this weird glow about him, perhaps people who've been saved all have this vibe -- his skin seemed very fresh, you couldn't imagine him with five oclock shadow -- the set was good but got a bit wearing after a bit, all that gasping rapturous breath

still yes he's great and if i'd thought it had a hope of getting in there, i'd have proposed one of his tracks for the Wire's Great Riffs of All Time spread, probably push the love or alabama
 
D

DavidD

can't be stopped
For the neophyte - what ARE his best collections? I've only heard his remix of "Loveshy" and that cut "Shut the Door." Is it like those two, like Akufen or something?
 
X

xero

was minusone
blissblogger said:
the weird thing about todd is that he's not god over here, in this town (new york), not at all
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Is Edwards a New Jersey denizen? I! records, his label is based there I think - is that the reason for the slight disdain from manhattanites? I'm just speculating, don't know much about New York prejudices. I guess that Metro Area are looked on more favourably by the Dance Trax clique though & they're New Jersey based. Perhaps its just that Edwards is seen as spawning a commercial sound, not serious enough for the dad-house beards. I love his stuff tho, even if he is a one-trick pony, it's a mighty trick
 
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dubplatestyle

Well-known member
Hi, my name is Jess, and I've been a Todd sufferer for four years now. My favorite Todd Edwards trax are "Push The Love," "Incidental," "Never Far From You," as well as the remixes of "Alabama Blues," Mantra's "Away," and Hakan Lidbo's "Walk Away." For me, "Push The Love" might be his most sublime moment as well as one of his simplest. Yeah, yeah the crosshatching, BUT the real shiver up the spine moment is when the fairly untreated femme vocal goes "keep on pushin" and her pushin is smeared by echo into the middle distance, a fairly common house technique but executed goose-pimply perfectly. It's gorgeous late-nite neon longing business. My favorite Todd album is actually a mix cd he put together which features only a handful of his actual productions called "Tales From The Underground," which rides that brief 1998 interzone between speed garage and 2-step. (Btw, I think his influence on 2-step has been massively overstated.) It's a little more swingy/shuffley than his usual boogling bassline/skipping hi-hats preset. (As great as the Nervous stuff and the "Full On"s are, that endlessly sizzling, tsssching hi-hat can burrow right into your skull.) (Though all bets are off if I am driving.) The difference between Edwards and Akufen is one of speed (Todd rarely slows down or switches it up) (i.e. he's shooting specifically for the dancefloor every time) and one of force (his kicks really KICK, you can feel them in your chest.)
 
A

appleblim

Well-known member
my name is laurie, and Todd the God first affected me when i started work at MVE in London....all the house boys there loved him, and it was contageous.... all about the Sample Choir 12" on Nervous, and his remix of Moloko...can't remember the tune, but i had a total epiphany to it in a mates car listenin to one of those 4x4 garage stations.......

also, all about the one Dan Bell drops on "the button down mind..." mix cd, remix of a Tuff Jam/RIP track i think.......sick tune....sick mix cd! anyone remember that? i rinsed that EVERY morning for about 3 months when i worked in the camden dance basement.......aaaah memories....!
 
X

xero

was minusone
Ha Ha I guess the road to recovery for todd addicts would be just two steps instead of twelve eh?
 
M

Matos_W.K.

Active member
Hi. I'm Michaelangelo, and I'm heading into my eighth year of Todd-mania. It all began with his remix of Mantra's "Away," which I heard on Tuff Jams Presents Speed Garage, a 1998 mix. I think that one's still my favorite. I saw him in 2001 (was that the same one you were at Simon? or are you talking about a different appearance?) at a NYC 2step night and he seemed . . . touched is I think the right word here. not stupid or anything, just kind of savant-like, as if he were answering to a different call than the rest of us at any given moment. (the "God is a DJ" shirt he wore didn't hurt either.) when he spun it took about a half-hour for the crowd to move en masse; most of 'em just stood there, bewildered. he played all his own tracks except for one I can't remember, which is exactly what I'd hoped he'd do.

favorite Todd-not-Todd fact: a LOT more techno people are fans of his than I'd have thought. I wrote a piece about Full On Vol. 2 and Akufen's My Way in the Village Voice last year (in which I was one of those people who overstated Todd's effect on 2step--sorry about that, kids, though he did have a good-sized effect on it if not like a fatherhood type one, and as that 2step night in NYC demonstrates he did get his props from that scene) and expected opprobrium from every direction. instead about a half-dozen people, all of whom I'd pegged as techno-not-house folk, asked, "Where the hell did you get that Todd Edwards CD? I had no idea there was one! I LOVE Todd Edwards!" it's still one of the nicest responses I've ever gotten from a piece.

fave trax/remixes: Mantra, "Away"; "Never Far from You"; "Beckon Call (2003 Remix)"; "Savior Tonight" ("You saved my life! YOU SAVED MY LIFE!"); Daft Punk, "Face to Face" (love that early '80s AOR vocal!); St. Germain, "Alabama Blues" (his masterpiece?); Kristine Blond, "Loveshy." search Full On Vol. 1 & 2.

this post is dedicated to Spencer Chow, Todd-ist supreme.
 
A

Ach!

Turd on the Run
Originally posted by Matos_W.K.:
Mantra, "Away"; "Never Far from You"; "Beckon Call (2003 Remix)"; "Savior Tonight" ("You saved my life! YOU SAVED MY LIFE!"); Daft Punk, "Face to Face" (love that early '80s AOR vocal!); St. Germain, "Alabama Blues" (his masterpiece?); Kristine Blond, "Loveshy."
Click to expand...

Agree wholeheartedly with that Todd selection! I've got the cravings now, got to get a fix...
 
M

Melchior

Taking History Too Far
DavidD said:
For the neophyte - what ARE his best collections? I've only heard his remix of "Loveshy" and that cut "Shut the Door." Is it like those two, like Akufen or something?
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I'll second this. If you could only have one Todd CD which would it be? I've liked everything I've heard, but I haven't heard very much.
 
O

Omaar

Guest
One of my fave tunes is 'never far from you', buy there are bits in it that musically make no sense to me whatsoever - I think it's maybe the bassline, it just sounds really random - still really like it though. This happens in other tunes too, there are passages that I hear that make me wonder what on earth kind of key he's playing in - its not the modulation that throws me, its the key he uses within sections - it just sounds very weird to me. Sometimes everything seems normal and then he modulates somewhere into a new passage and all the tunefulness and harmony seems to disappear temporarily. maybe this makes me like it more, not sure. Anyone else get this feeling?
 
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boosted

Active member
I'm here to proclaim my Todd addiction as well :) Lucky for me, there's a shop here in South Beach that gets i! releases quite regularly. Actually, last time I looked there were still 3 or 4 copies of Nu Trends 2004 in stock.

My current favs from TTG:

Walk With Me
Shut The Door
Stop the Fighting
Stormy Day

hoping for some new stuff to hit the shops soon. Saw a listing on the last Vibe Vee show that there's a new Todd white label out there. Anyone got it yet?
 
P

Paul R

New member
Hi I'm Paul and also a huge Todd fan,

I realised Todd was God when I first heard 'Sample Choir - The Praise'

and I agree with whoever remarked on his Key changes, they are so extreme and happen when you least expect them - what makes them so aurally arousing

i think my personal selection would b something like;

Heavy Weather - Love Can't Turn Around
Wildchild - Jump To My Beat (chorus is sick)
Can't You Believe
The Praise (God In His Hand)
Push The Love
Winter Behaviour
You Don't Want To Lose It
Forgiven
Radio Thing
You're The One
 
D

DJL

i'm joking
30min Todd Edwards mix recorded today:

http://idisk.mac.com/rupertread1-Public

1. Todd Edwards - Can't Live Without U
2. Todd Edwards - Dancing For Heaven
3. Todd Edwards - Never Far From You
4. Songstress - See Line Woman '99 (Todd Edwards Remix)
5. Lonyo - In Ayia Napa (Todd Edwards Perfect Dub)
6. Sound Of One - As I Am (Todd Edwards Mix)
7. Todd Edwards - Push The Love
8. Tuff Jam - Need Good Love (Todd Edwards Main Mix)
 
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D

DigitalDjigit

Honky Tonk Woman
thanks for the mix. todd edwards is one of those acts I heard about but never got a chance to check out. Did you forget to adjust the balance control on the mixer? It's heavily panned to the left.
 
D

DJL

i'm joking
DigitalDjigit said:
thanks for the mix. todd edwards is one of those acts I heard about but never got a chance to check out. Did you forget to adjust the balance control on the mixer? It's heavily panned to the left.
Click to expand...

Yeah I dunno why its done that - bit annoying. Has done this before - only thing I did a bit different on this one compared to other recent mixes was increase the volume. Think that might be the problem as its done it before. My decks are in a different room to my computer so I have to record on minidsic and then plug that into my mac. I'm also using some pretty lame sound editor called Sound Studio that crashes all the time :mad:
 
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