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Todd Edwards Interview
House | Monday 15th July 2013 |
Ahead of playing at South West Four Festival this August Bank Holiday on Clapham Common, we chatted to house legend Todd 'The God' Edwards. Being in the game for over 20 years he has helped pave the way for the 2- step movement. Having just collaborated on Daft Punk’s new album, we look forward to his b2b set with fellow legend DJ EZ.
Guestlist Network: You started out back in 1992, who were your initial influences that made you get into the house scene?
Toddd Edwards: My friend Rich Criso introduced me to the works of Todd Terry amongst many others. I loved Todd Terry's productions, but if it wasn't for my friend Rich I would have never gotten into house music.
GN: How did you view the house and garage scene when it first started to take off here in the UK?
TE: I didn't know much about either scene at the time. The internet wasn't what it is today. Reading music magazines was one of the primary sources to learn about UK artists as well as exploring and buying import vinyl. I didn't do either. In fact, I didn't look much further than trying to fit into the NYC house scene.
GN: There are many well known producers and DJ’s from a spectrum of genres that rate you as one of their influences, how does it feel when you have people who are so well known and respected for their music mention you as one of their biggest influences?
TE: I'm thankful that something I did has had an impact on others. To be honest with all the peaks and valleys a life in music can throw at you, it's nice to look back and see some personal accomplishments. We all want our art to be loved and accepted.
GN: You grew up in a very religious household, which is also reflected in your music is this something you set out to deliberately do. Are you trying to send out a message through your music?
TE: Yes the spiritual undertones are there with purpose. Before I even had a grasp of why I was doing it I started putting positive messages in my music. I felt compelled to do it. Then I hit a low point right after the first peak of musical success. I felt lost and very unhappy. I prayed a lot, the type of desperate praying one does when there seems to be no other solution. I got results…very good results. I couldn't dismiss it as coincidence, because positive things started happening with such perfect timing that it seemed poetic if that makes any sense. It took a while, but I came out of that dark place. I wanted others to know that what helped me through my dark times could help anyone that is open to it.
GN: You have recently taken a bit of a break away from music, what were the reasons for your hiatus?
TE: I had a very negative friend and manager that was more concerned with his own situations than he was with mine. I followed him loyally. That was a mistake. In 2007 I took a hiatus because there was no work coming in. No work means no money, and the stress of the situation was killing all creativity. I was going to step away for a few months, and that turned into two years. Having a day job brought in stable income, but I was dying inside. At the height of the American financial recession I decided to jump into music full time again. I was going to give myself a year to make something happen. Thank God for Scion A/V and my manager Alexis Rivera. They both were extremely instrumental in my return.
GN: Now that you're back, what can we expect from you in terms of any forthcoming projects, is their anyone you would love to work?
TE: First, I am working on a vocal album which will be co-produced by Peter Franco who is an engineer and assistant mixer on Daft Punk's R.A.M. The focus will be on songwriting and exploring different genres. I intend to do house and garage remixes of the album myself as well to keep my core fans happy. Only time will tell what will come after that. My intentions are to sing and develop a live show. I would also like to collaborate more. I started working on a project with ParaOne that I want to continue with. I also began working on a track with Adam Bainbridge. Both producers have a great sound and project positive vibes.
GN: Why did you choose to keep your involvement on Daft Punk's album ‘Random Access Memories’ a secret?
TE: I kept it a secret because Thomas and Guy asked me to. They had a plan as to how they were going to reveal who was on the album.
GN: You have performed vocals on quite a few tracks, how did you get into singing. Was it a natural progression for you?
TE: I always sang when I was younger. A couple of jokes and teasing by friends was enough to make me put it aside. It's sad that I was so easily influenced when I was younger. I used to love singing, too. The one thing I realized though is that I need someone to be my second pair of ears. It's difficult to listen to my own vocals and remain objective, but knowing that people want to hear more vocals from me is inspiring.
GN: You are playing at South West Four Festival this year b2b with DJ EZ, I know you are both good mates so you must be excited for this one?
TE: I love playing with EZ. He's like a brother, I don't get to see him enough. Of course, going back to back with him is going to make me look like a beginner. ;)
GN: Are there any artists from the festival that you are looking forward to seeing?
TE: It's been a very busy two months revamping my studio and preparing work for my album so I still have to make time to check out the lineup.
GN: Last month you did a Essential Mix for Radio 1, and remixed artists such as Jessie Ware, Disclosure, Rudimental and David Bowie. How did you go about choosing the tracks?
TE: I wanted to make the mix special, naturally. I thought presenting an homage to R.A.M. and my move to LA would do just that. So, I tried to highlight as many artists as possible that were connected to the album whether they were on it or a part of the album's inspiration.
GN: You have said before that you had massive stage fright, how did you overcome this?
TE: It was a slow process. Complete terror slowly became just being anxious before a gig. However, my stage fright completely disappeared after playing the Arcadia stage at Bestival. Djing in a metallic spider that shoots fire from the top, which required a safety harness to climb up a ladder and walk a small plank to a DJ booth that can fit only one person and was 100ft above the crowd of 5000 people…pretty much cured that phobia.
GN: How much of an impact did Nervous Records have on your career?
TE: The work I did on Nervous was one of the earliest groups of tracks that had my cut up style. These as well as my early work on i! Records and my remix of St Germain's "Alabama Blues" had the most impact on the newly developing UK Garage scene at that time. Anything that is considered new and then catches on will always be remembered as the most important in a body of work.
GN: If you had to listen to one track on repeat forever what would it be?
TE: One track out of millions? I never get sick of Prince's "Controversy"
GN: Thanks for your time, look forward to catching you at SW4!
TE: Thank YOU. It's a pleasure.
Catch Todd Edwards at SW4 Festival 25th August @ Clapham Common
More information check out www.southwestfour.com
Facebook click here
Follow @toddedwards3000
Words by Roshan Ram + Tabatha Taylor
