Todd Terry

Todd Terry helped define New York house music in the 1990s through records built from dense, sample-driven combinations of classic disco, Chicago house and hip-hop. Born Todd Norton Terry in Brooklyn on April 18, 1967, he emerged as a DJ, producer and remixer whose tracks brought a tougher, collage-like edge to the dance floor.

Sampling sits at the center of Terry's production approach. His work draws together disco fragments, drum-machine rhythms and the direct pulse of Chicago house, while hip-hop's cut-and-paste sensibility runs through many of his arrangements. The result is house music with a strong rhythmic focus and a club-minded sense of repetition, built for movement rather than ornament.

Alongside releases under his own name, Terry has used a large number of project names, including Royal House, Black Riot, CLS, The Gypsymen and House of Gypsies. He has also remixed a wide range of artists, extending his work beyond his own recordings. In 1991, he co-founded Freeze Records with Will Socolov, and later established In House Records in the early 2000s.