Todd the Rocket is an acclaimed DJ, award-winning drummer and percussionist, emerging remixer and producer, and musical curator/director. Living in New England, he has been rocking residencies and energizing feature performances across the region, playing 75 dates a year, as well as performing, producing, and supervising music for labels, television, businesses, and independent artists.
Bio:
Musician, DJ, and Producer Todd the Rocket searches out musical magnetic poles, using the pull between the opposing elements to create tension and motion in his music. This energy, along with his tongue-in-cheek wit and dynamism, has earned Todd the Rocket acclaim and respect, regardless of the venue, setting, or circumstance.
Drawing from a rich amalgam of influential musical icons, such as Quincy Jones, Francois K, Prince, Masters at Work, and Joel Dorn, Todd the Rocket is motivated by soul music in all of its shapes and forms, ranging from Motown-era standards and the socially-aware funk of the 70’s through the pop, hip hop, and dance music of this generation.
Recent years have seen him DJing all over the Northeast, holding residencies in his transplanted home of Portland, ME, Boston’s North Shore, and his hometown of Nantucket Island. It is through his DJ career that Todd the Rocket has really begun to come in to his own, not only in the DJ booth, but across all disciplines. His style reflects his own immersion in to soul music, and its infusion in to so many extensions of modern music. His DJ sets are frequently a pulling apart of the legacy threads that tie contemporary musics together, marrying first generation hip hop with electro-boogie, rare disco, smart pop, house, funk, party jams, and modern electronic music. He is a regular fixture at nightclubs, lounges, sporting events, and venues (Enormous Room – Boston, Red Door – Portsmouth, Maine Roller Derby) and a first-call DJ for premier arts organizations (Maine College of Art, Portland Music Foundation, Portland Museum of Art.) He has been nominated for “Best Downtempo DJ” and “Best Club DJ” for the wepushbuttons Awards, and has performed feature slots at the 2009 WPB: Electronic Music Festival.
As a producer and music supervisor, his credits include executive producer for the debut recording by DJ P.Nice, now Sammy Bananas (Fool’s Gold Records) and contributing a track for the debut release by MC Sontiago (endemik Music, URB Magazine “Next 100”) He also served as the music director for “Into the Drink,” an experiential dive/travel television show debuting nationally in February 2010. He remixed a track by Kate Schrock, “Water’s Edge,” available as a free download from his Soundcloud. As a teaser for the forthcoming “Dreaming: The Music of Andy Happel Remixed” on Todd the Rocket’s The Downbeat Renaissance label, he put out a track mashing Happel with one of his favorite bands, the Police.
Recently, Todd the Rocket has curated mixtapes specifically for live events, the Maine College of Art “Four Seasons in a Day” Fashion Show, and the IAPP “NAVIGATE” 2013 Symposium.
Gather ‘Round the Riots: The Navigate 2013 Mixtape by Toddtherocket on Mixcloud