Last week I got a chance to interview Todd Terje and as with all of my past interviews the introduction was predictably bad.

To give you an idea of my history my very first interview was with Calvin Harris at his hotel in Melbourne. Being the super organised guy that I am I typed up all my questions onto 2 a4 pieces of paper and brought them along to read off of if I ran out of conversation. To make matters worse I’d included a section where I illustrated to Calvin how he was following in the footsteps of AC/DC who were also born in Scotland. Suffice to say that teaching the man some Australian / Scottish music history didn’t go off the best.

With Terje the issue was that I thought his last name was pronounced to rhyme with ‘surge’. My first question actually involved me saying the word no less than five times before I was corrected. Good times.

Todd Terje is kicking off his Australian tour this Friday night in Melbourne with a show at La Di Da before heading to Sydney next week to play the first Discoasis show. La Di Da have been putting on some great shows of late with Aeroplane, Tim Sweeney and the Fromage guys so this will definitely be one not to miss this weekend.

You can read the rest of the interview below the cut where Todd talks about studying physics, retiring from music and the album he’s hoping to pump out in 2009.

Enjoy these two edits including the Fate remix featuring the sample from Stardust  Music Sounds Better. I’ve also got the Future Classic mixtape that’s been burning a hole in my ipod this week.

Brothers Johnson – Aint We Funkin Now (Todd Terje radio mix)

Chaka Khan – Fate (Todd Terje edit)

Todd Terje – Future Classic Mixtape

xox
ned

//////////////////////

Todd you seem to go by a number of different monikers. Todd Terry, Todd Terje, Disco Terje, Tango, Terje Olsen, Wade Nichols…. Why is that?

When I started I didn’t want anyone to know who I was and I didn’t want each different project I did to be associated with the last. So each of the names is a different entity really…

Have you put out any tracks under names that people don’t associate back to Todd Terje?
Ha! Well there was actually one Lindstrom remix released through Let’s Practise that was like that. People have also put out edits and attributed them to me. There was some Jarlsbourg track or something. I’ve never even heard of the original track!

So music is a full time job for you at the moment, right?
I’ve been doing music for 2 years now full time and it’s been good. But soon I think I’ll go back to being a normal person, going to bed at normal hours and not watching Family Guy all night.

Before that I was studying. Physics. I didn’t finish it but I’d like to go back and do something… Nothing to do with music, that’s a hobby for me.

You’ve got quite a big catalogue of edits which to me shows a pretty hefty music collection. Have you always been into music?
Music has always been a hobby of mine but never something I thought I would make money out of. I always just listened to music, I was a real nerd. By the time I was 18 or 20 I was DJing and very nerdy about it all. I have a big collection of music but I’ve also got a phonographic memory for these things so I can recall a lot of stuff easily.

haha I also started singing in a choir quite young…

When I “retire” I hope I can meet someone like me but a lot younger to pass it on… I don’t think there is anyone like that though, anyone that nerdy at that age living in Oslo…

So where are you getting your music from today?
Well now it’s a lot easier. I can use ebay and amazon or beatport. It’s easier but everyone also has all the same stuff.

When you’re travelling are you swapping music or on the lookout for new stuff.
Of course. But I have to say I am pretty egotistical and don’t really hand out much of my stuff but people give me music all the time. A lot of it is crap but I was in Frankfurt recently and someone gave me a La Roux 12″. It’s gold, that will serve me well for at least a couple of months. It’s a hit.

What’s coming up in 2009?
Well I hope to work on the album but I can’t promise anything. I spend a lot of time playing music and I don’t really know how to work hard. I’ve got a bit of a studio and I really want to do the album so I hope it comes together. And I’m looking forward to coming to Australia!