Why Todd Terje Is a Bleeping Genius

Todd Terje clearly likes to take his time, whether we're talking about his layered, soaring neo-disco cuts -- which on average clock in around the seven-minute mark -- or the fact that the Norwegian knob-twiddler held off for nearly a decade before releasing his first full-length, It's Album Time (wink, wink).

The guy's a perfectionist, but he's also a joker (just check out that brilliant cover art by illustrator Bendik Kaltenborn). And the great news is that both those qualities shine through on this LP, a 12-track romp bursting with bleeps, bloops, spacy arpeggios, house-y pianos, and sunny, samba-style grooviness. Terje even enlists Bryan Ferry, whom the DJ-producer has remixed before, for the gin-soaked number "Johnny and Mary," a remake of the 1980 Robert Palmer song. It's a match made in lounge lizard heaven, a standout on a top-shelf record that proves well worth the wait.

It's Album Time releases April 8

Photo: Christian Belgaux (Terje). Artwork: Bendik Kaltenborn (album cover)