LIQUID TODD

-by Nikki Neil

Urb Magazine touted him as “One of America’s most influential DJs” and rightly so. Liquid Todd is more than just a DJ; he’s an electronic pioneer with a knack for balancing the unfamiliar sounds of electronic music with catchy pop hooks and rock n’ roll stylings. In fact, Liquid Todd was the first to bring techno to the commercial airwaves in Boston, New York, and Cincinnati.

Liquid Todd’s weekly radio show, Solid State, (Sat. Midnight – 4 a.m. 92.3 FM K-Rock, NY) has inspired many to follow in his footsteps, and his signature blend of ‘rocktronica’ has won him legions of fans worldwide. But that’s not all; the renowned DJ has also been praised for his production and remix work, and when he’s not twisting knobs and turning tables he’s fighting for such causes as human rights, globalization, protecting the environment, and decriminalizing drug use in the U.S.

With the recent release of Solid State (Right Stuff/EMI), Liquid Todd’s popularity is about to increase tenfold. This dazzling effort not only brings Liquid Todd’s unique rave and roll style straight from the airwaves into your living room but also exemplifies his extraordinary talents as a DJ.

What happened with the WIDE project? The last time I spoke to you, you were working on an album for Atlantic.
Well, we got the deal with those cats but they wanted something totally different than what we were about and to make a long story short – it just didn’t work out. They let us go clean and free, so there’s no hard feelings at all. They just wanted us to do a more traditional commercial project, and we wanted to do a more unconventional – commercial – project.

What did you gain from that experience?
About $100,000. No seriously, I learned a LOT about how the whole thing works. I’d never sign a major-label contract again. They OWN your music! The phrase “work-for-hire” will never appear in a contract with my signature on it. It’s really criminal how they bilk artists into signing away the rights to their work. Courtney Love is suing in California, with the help of a few other musicians, to make the labels adhere to the seven-year rule, and I wish them the best. She may be mouthy white-trash but she’s got a brain under all that misbehavior...somewhere.

Are you still doing A&R for Ultra records? .
I quit Ultra to be a rockstar when the Atlantic deal went through, and I haven’t been back to work at a label since. I probably will someday,but right now I’m writing music and doing remixes – and my radio show of course. I’m still very proud of the work I did at Ultra. I signed John Selway, George Acosta, Sven Vath, Der Dritte Raum and others. I learned so much from that experience, and I wish Ultra the best. They’re doing really well right now too!

Compared to Action, was Solid State easier or harder to put together?
Hmm...about the same...it’s always hard work to make something big happen, but it’s worth it.

How long did it take for this album to come together?
A while actually. It took almost a year between when we first started talking about it and the release date of Feb 12, 2002.

When I interviewed you for the release of Action you mentioned how you licensed a number of tracks that you liked and then tried to mix them together. You said that next time you were going to mix them first, then license them? Did you do that?
I surely did. I put together a set and that set was the basis for the songs I requested for the mix. You have to request more songs than you need in case some of the licenses don’t come through, but it’s pretty much the set I wanted to spin.

When you’re on tour do you change your set every night?
Yeah, I don’t have a playlist. I always wing it.

How do you deal with mistakes during a live performance?
Suck it up. I try to laugh it off – I mean, I’m not doing brain surgery or anything like that. I just have a good time up there, and I think people can see that. If I blow a mix then I just pull out and laugh at my ineptitude. What am I going to do? Cry?

Do you ever take requests?
Not really...but I’ll entertain them...

What are your pet peeves?
I don’t have any pets. No peeves either.

What are you listening to at the moment?
I’m listening to my Powermac fan humming as I type the answers to this interview. No, I’m listening to the new John Selway album: The Edge of Now. Surprise, surprise. I’m just a big fan of his.

Have you done any remixes for any artists?

Yes, I’m actually knee-deep in a remix for Paul Oakenfold right now. I just finished a remix of Groove Armada’s “My Friend,” which you can download for free on my website www.liquidtodd.com. Next up is a mix for Kosheen on Kinetic Records.

As a DJ, what do you think of The Avalanches?
Not much. They don’t really do anything for me.

Is there a single word that best describes you?
Scintillating.

Do you feel that DJ’s are underrated?
It really depends on who you ask. In the past few years the DJ has made a hell of a comeback, but we still have a way to go. Of course, people in the UK are already debating whether or not we make too much money. I say, if you can make a pile of cash from playing baseball or spinning records, you’re winning and no one should have a problem with that. Everyone should be so fortunate. Of course, DJs in America are still pretty underpaid on the whole, so I’m still not making a pile of money. Maybe I should start playing baseball.

The last time we spoke you mentioned how you wanted to learn to scratch. Have you?
No, I just can’t seem to block out the time on my schedule. I need a year in my bedroom to learn.

What is the next obstacle that you want to tackle?
Lunch.

Will your radio show Solid State ever be syndicated in L.A.?
Well, ya’ll have got the talented and suave Jason Bentley (KCRW/KROQ), and he does an excellent job. I wouldn’t want to step on his turf anyway. He’s a real stand-up fella.

Aside from your tour do you have any big plans for this year?
I just want to write some great music and kick ass as a DJ. My radio show, Solid State (mid-4am on 92.3 K-Rock in New York – Saturday nights), turns five years old on April 6, 2002 so that’s a big milestone for me and I’m planning a big celebration. I also do a lot of work on my website, and I want to do another website dedicated to the evils of psychiatric drugs tied in with my music project “RxThugs” - a band I do with a guy named DibS here in NYC (DibS – www.dibsreaction.com). I’m also writing for this website called Starpolish.com, which is a challenge for me since I haven’t really written seriously since college. There are a million things I want to do. There’s a lot of bad shit going on in the world and good people have got to make a stand. There’s a quote on my website that sums it up and I’ll finish this interview with it.

Do not be afraid of enemies; the worst they can do is kill you.
Do not be afraid of friends; the worst they can do is betray you.
Be afraid of the indifferent; they do not kill or betray.
But only because of their silent agreement, betrayal and murder exist on earth.
-Bruno Yasienski

For more on Liquid Todd visit www.liquidtodd.com