Todd Terry- Italo Disco To Acid House

House music legend, Todd Terry, is a man with one of the longest and most consistent careers in the industry. After getting his start in New York playing Italo Disco and Hip Hop he’s gone on to make his name in the world of house music and tour the world several times over. As he prepares to play a very special acid house set at Sankeys Ibiza’s “24” closing party we caught up with the InHouse Records boss to ask him a few questions about his recent tours in Asia and Australia, what producers have caught his attention of late and what’s on the calendar for October…

Tell us about the acid house set you’re going to be playing. How much preparation goes into a set like this? Does a gig like this hold extra excitement for you as you get to dust off some records you might not get to play too often? Love playing the classic tunes, this is the style that gave me a career, so this is fun for me.

Will you be carting a crate of vinyl over to Ibiza or have you converted all your classics to digital? CD’s and flash drives for me these days, with security at the airports these days. Vinyl is too much trouble to get through customs.

Hit us with three of your favourite classic acid house records of all time. Adonis “No Way Back”, Kevin Saunderson “The Sound”, Fast Eddie “Acid Thunder.”

All up, can you tell us about some of your highlights this season? Any parties so good you wish you could bottle them and revisit at a later date? I’m going back to Amsterdam during ADE to headline my second O.W.A.P on October 19. Other highlights would be my Asia and Australian Tour this past month and heading to Chile in South America.

Let’s talk the dance music boom in the US. Based on the your breadth of experience, do you think the explosion of electronic music in the US is the real deal or just a fad? I think it’s great, music goes in cycles, and Dance music is up for now as long as the songs are great.

You’re playing in the Sankeys Ibiza 24 line-up alongside DJ Sneak, a man who has some pretty pointed things to say about Swedish House Mafia, who he believes are “vandalising and bastardising” house music with their chart success and stadium
shows. What’s your stance? Swedish House Mafia do what they do, great for them, but don’t mess with DJ Sneak.

Taking a step away from the SHM and stadium rave, tell us about a couple of impressive DJs or producers we should keep our eye on? J Paul Getto and Prok & Fitch I really like what they are doing. DJ E-Clyps is coming on strong, I have grabbed a few of his singles for my label Inhouse, and he also has tracks out on Marc Kinchen’s Say Aahh! Label.

What’s coming up next for your label InHouse Records? A vocal record “Music Is My Life” I produced and co-wrote with Supa from Aly-Us drops in November, Gypsymen “Camarera” remixes for late November, and something BIG for December “Todd Terry vs. Hip Hop” it’s a mash up of Hip Hop, Funk, Jazz, Soul and my vision of how I would put it together.

Finally you’re playing in the newly named ‘Acid House’ room at Sankeys next week (formerly ‘The Box’). Will you be getting out and treating yourself to a little rave after finishing your set at the closing party? No time for parties, eat, sleep, and fly off to Amsterdam!

Listen to Todd Terry on Pulse Radio