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May 28, 2014 Todd Terje By Tom Fenwick

If the last 10 years have proved anything, it’s that Norwegian DJ and producer Todd Terje knows how to fill dance floors. But, rather surprisingly, this king of neo-disco—despite spreading his infectious electronica across countless EPs and remixes—has never released a full-length until now. He arrives with a vibrant LP that digs deep into his background of electro-eclecticism, mining a rich seam of influences from funk, house, and disco to jazz, easy listening, and even muzak.

The result—It’s Album Time—is an unwaveringly cocksure record, which rattles between genres and styles whilst rarely missing a beat: tropical lounge (“Svensk Sås,” “Alfonso Muskedunder”) and retro-futurist synth odysseys (“Delorean Dynamite”) sitting alongside Giorgio Moroder-indebted epics (“Swing Star,” “Oh Joy”) and sun-dappled Balearic beats (“Strandbar”). Although the album’s standout is undoubtedly the downcast cover of Robert Palmer’s “Johnny & Mary”—a song which could easily divide opinion (especially with contributor Bryan Ferry’s oddly affected and maudlin vocals), but given time will work its way under your skin and become increasingly essential with each listen.

Todd Terje may have waited an unnaturally long time to produce a cohesive debut, but the unbridled wave of fun that it rides in on makes it one of the most surprising and indispensable records of 2014. (www.toddterje.com)

Author rating: 8/10