Todd Edwards | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Todd Edward Imperatrice |
Also known as |
|
Born | Bloomfield, New Jersey, U.S. | December 9, 1972
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument(s) | |
Years active | 1992–present |
Labels | Nervous, i!, Defected |
Website | toddedwardsmusic |
Todd Edward Imperatrice (born December 9, 1972 [1] ), known professionally as Todd Edwards, is an American garage house record producer, DJ and singer from Bloomfield, New Jersey. He began producing primarily for New York's Nervous Records in the 1990s, including under aliases such as the Messenger and the Sample Choir. [1] Edwards' music is known for its influence on the UK garage scene that developed in the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s. [2]
Beginning with his 1993 single "Guide My Soul," Edwards helped pioneer the speed garage genre. [1] His work is known for his "innovative blend of rhythmic, cut-and-paste vocal samples, rubbery basslines, and slapping percussion," [1] which showcased an intensive sampling and remixing technique in which vocals are chopped into micro-sized sections. [2] His 1994 single "Saved My Life" became a club hit in the UK. [1] 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. [1]
Edwards has remixed hundreds of artists, including Wildchild, St. Germain, Benjamin Diamond, Justice, Klaxons and Dimitri from Paris. Edwards has also collaborated with Daft Punk, co-producing and contributing vocals on the songs "Face to Face" (2001) and "Fragments of Time" (2013); the latter won him a Grammy Award for its inclusion on that year's winning album Random Access Memories .
Todd Edwards grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey. His father was a carpet salesman while his mother was a receptionist at Lincoln Technical Institute. He started playing the piano at around 3 years old. Amongst his biggest influences were Prince, Neil Diamond, and Peter Brown. [3]
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 beat. Marc "MK" Kinchen, who is primarily responsible for pioneering this technique, is one of Edwards's influences. [4]
Edwards became a committed Christian in the 1990s after having negative experiences with religion in his youth. [5] This is evident by recurring hidden messages found in his compositions, which often contain religious phrases. [6]
In his early records, Todd Edwards was influenced by house music and grew into the UK garage and 2-step garage scene. Inspired by Todd Terry, 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. [6] 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. [7] He went out gradually landing more gigs in the UK, hoping to land a bigger one than the next. [6] For an American native, Edwards was quick to gain underground popularity in Europe. [8]
Edwards co-produced and performed vocals on the Daft Punk song "Face to Face" from the album Discovery . 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. [7]
In 2012, Edwards released the EP I Want You Back made in collaboration with French producer Surkin. [9] In April 2013, Edwards revealed that he had contributed to Daft Punk's album Random Access Memories ; he expressed that it was difficult keeping his involvement a secret. [10] He provided vocals for and co-wrote the song "Fragments of Time", as well as providing additional production. [11] Edwards went on to describe the sessions as life-changing, providing the final push for him to move from New Jersey to California. [10] [12]
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. [13]
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. [14] [15]
Red Bull Music Academy 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. [16] 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. Edwards noted that Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk convinced him to pursue such a project, and may oversee it. [17]
In May 2021, Edwards's back catalogue was released on streaming services through Defected Records. [18] [19]
Edwards currently resides in Los Angeles. He has been in a romantic relationship since 2014. [11] [12]
Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved early popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining elements of house music with funk, disco, techno, rock and synth-pop. The duo garnered further critical acclaim and worldwide commercial success in the years following, to now be regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history.
Armand van Helden is an American DJ, record producer, remixer and songwriter from Boston. He is considered one of house music's most revered figures, with a career spanning three decades.
Discovery is the second studio album by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk, released on 12 March 2001 by Virgin Records. It marked a shift from the Chicago house of their first album, Homework (1997), to a house style more heavily inspired by disco, post-disco, garage house, and R&B. Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk described Discovery as an exploration of song structures, musical forms and childhood nostalgia, compared to the "raw" electronic music of Homework.
Daft Club is the first remix album by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk, released on 1 December 2003 by Virgin Records. The album features numerous remixes of tracks from their second album, Discovery (2001), and one from their debut, Homework (1997).
Adam Freeland is an English record producer and DJ. He is also the owner and creative director of the record label Marine Parade, which has released material by artists including Evil Nine, ILS, Alex Metric and Jape. Born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, he first began DJing in 1991, originally mixing deep house and later drum and bass. After becoming an in-demand DJ around Britain, he released his first mix album Coastal Breaks (1996) and formed the electronic music duo Tsunami One with Kevin Beber. From 1999 to 2001, Freeland hosted a show on Friday night on London's Kiss 100 FM. In 2000, he released his debut studio album, Now & Them.
Blaze is an American house music group formed in New Jersey in 1984.
Roulé was a French record label founded in 1995 by former Daft Punk member Thomas Bangalter. Roulé had a side label entitled Scratché which released only one record, produced by the Buffalo Bunch. Roulé was liquidated in 2018.
Alfred Darlington, better known by their stage name Daedelus, is an American record producer based in Los Angeles, California. They are a part of the groups The Long Lost and Adventure Time. They are affiliated with the internet radio station Dublab.
Eugenio Sanchez Jr., commonly known by his stage name Junior Sanchez, is an American record producer, DJ, artist, re-mixer and record executive from New Jersey.
Stanton Warriors are a British DJ and production duo consisting of Dominic Butler and Mark Yardley. Originally from the West Country, the duo have performed internationally with their infamous Stanton Sessions parties in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Their name was taken from a manhole cover, made by Stanton Ironworks. Stanton record player needles are popular with DJs for their ability to scratch records.
Jean-Baptiste de Laubier, known professionally as Para One, is a French electronic music producer and film director.
"Life Is Sweet" is a song by the English big beat duo the Chemical Brothers, released as the second and final single from their first album, Exit Planet Dust (1995). It features Tim Burgess from English rock band the Charlatans on vocals. "Life Is Sweet" reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Face to Face" is a song by French electronic music duo Daft Punk, featuring vocals and co-production by American house music producer Todd Edwards. It was released as the fifth single from their 2001 album Discovery. Promotional 12" singles were released for those who pre-ordered the 2003 remix album Daft Club, and a CD single containing a remix of the song by French producer Demon was released commercially. As part of Discovery, the song appears in the film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, and the section of the film in which the song appears serves as its music video. The song topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 2004.
Joel Burleson, better known as Ki:Theory is an American recording artist and producer who specializes in alternative rock with electronic elements. As of 2023, he has released four studio albums, three soundtracks, a remix album, one compilation, and eight EPs, as well as numerous singles.
Elysha Zaide, known professionally by her artist name ill-esha, is a Canadian electronic music artist, producer, singer, and DJ. She is known for her work in bass music, as well as for her performance style of singing and DJing simultaneously.
Tron: Legacy Reconfigured is a remix album of music by Daft Punk, released by Walt Disney Records on April 5, 2011. The album features remixes of selections from the Tron: Legacy film score by various contemporary electronic musicians. Tron: Legacy Reconfigured charted in several countries and peaked at number one in the Billboard Dance/Electronic chart. The album was released to mixed reviews.
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 jungle, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop and R&B. It is defined by percussive, shuffled rhythms with syncopated hi-hats, cymbals, and snares, and may include either 4/4 house kick patterns or more irregular "2-step" rhythms. Garage tracks also commonly feature 'chopped up' and time-stretched or pitch-shifted vocal samples complementing the underlying rhythmic structure at a tempo usually around 130 BPM.
This is the discography for British DJ Dave Lee.
Peter Chapman, also known by his stage names Coins and Peter Project, is a Canadian music producer and composer from Toronto, Ontario, best known for his record Daft Science, a free EP of Beastie Boys remixes using only Daft Punk samples, released on July 1, 2014. He is a member of the Canadian hip hop crew Backburner and played keyboards in the garage rock band The Midways.
Oliver was an American electronic music production and DJ duo consisting of Vaughn Oliver and Oliver Goldstein, based in Los Angeles.