Baltimore House legend Teddy Douglas of The Basement Boys and Jasper Street Company fame, has been rocking our dance floors for decades with his signature soulful hits. He’s produced and remixed everyone from Michael Jackson, Lenny Kravitz, Ultra Naté, Crystal Waters, Erykah Badu, Martha Wash and so many more international names. With an incredible catalogue of releases and remixes under his belt, Teddy finally reveals his first (yes FIRST!), solo album project, ‘I’m Here’ on Nervous Records. DMCWorld checks in to find out all about it.
Hi Teddy, welcome to DMC World. How’s 2024 been for you so far?
Thank you for having me. 2024 has been crazy good!!! My first solo LP has finally come out on vinyl and digital.
What is the best piece of new music you have heard recently?
Whilst I was at the ADE Rush Hour record store feature, Louie Vega played a new 2 Soul Fusion remix of Ben Westbeech ft. Rahh ‘Times Are Changing’ on Defected records. Really nice!
You’ve enjoyed a hugely successful career in music for several decades. Looking back at your early days of making dance music, what piece of precious advice would you give to yourself, knowing what you know now?
I would advise myself to stay on top of the business. And to keep doing the music that brings you happiness, no matter what someone tells you about what is trending… or selling.
What’s the secret to your success and staying relevant in today’s market?
Staying relevant is a blessing. Funny thing is, it feels like I have to re-introduce myself every 10 years or so. My career has been over 30 years long and the secret is I just make the music that brings me joy.
How would you describe your signature sound?
Teddy Douglas’ signature sound comes from the House sound we created as the Basement Boys production team. We were known for the Heavy bottom kick drum from the early days of Ultra Naté ‘It’s Over Now’ and Crystal Waters’ ‘Gypsy Woman’ smash hit. There is always something memorable on the record, a little Gamble and Huff influence sprinkled with my roots in Soul and Gospel music. My sound is ‘if you can dance to it, then it’s ready for the world’, vibe.
For those unfamiliar with your work, please name 3 essential Teddy Douglas productions:
Crystal Waters – Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)
Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love
Teddy Douglas & Louis Radio – The Violin
Who did you listen to growing up and do they inspire your own music today?
Growing up, I listened to everything from Earth, Wind & Fire, Nina Simone, to Steely Dan. I love all the Philadelphia International Records. Artists like the O’Jays, MFSB, and Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, just to name a few. Still today I am inspired by my heroes Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.
Not before time, congratulations are in order as you’ve just released your first solo album project, ‘I’m Here’ on Nervous Records. What was the inspiration behind the release and why have you left making it til’ now?
Thank you so much. The time is now! Everyone I have discovered and produced has gone on to Icon status. And I am very proud of our journey. So now my new album ‘I’m Here’ is a musical melting pot of Dance Music. It includes House, Funk, and Rock and all the things I love! The inspiration came from a 3 song demo I recorded when I moved to Pennsylvania in 2006. I was done with the music business and I took a 3 year hiatus. While in Pennsylvania I wrote ‘Star in the Ghetto’, ‘Help!’ and ‘I’m Here’. Those 3 demos became the start of the ‘I’m Here’ album project. I then played the songs to Nervous Records’ President Mike Wiess and A&R Kevin Williams, and now I’m talking to DMC about it. How cool is that!
It’s fair to say ‘I’m Here’ is quite an eclectic album, what made you decide to go down that path and what did you gain from the experience?
I am eclectic. I grew up listening to all kinds of music. The original vibe of the 3 song demo was very edgy. So it was the path I chose to go down. One big bonus was I finally got to record with live strings. I used live Violins and Cellos on ‘Help!’ and ‘Second Hand Smoke.’ That experience was magical for me.
You’ve got some fantastic artists on the line-up from usual suspect Ultra Naté to up and coming talent such as Sispho, please tell us a bit more about who was involved?
Yes Ultra Naté is a dance Icon. I wanted to cover our underground hit, ‘Searchin’, with Ultra re-singing the sample. Also, Hip Hop legend Buckshot from Blackmoon is featured on ‘Star in the Ghetto’ under the moniker BDI Thug along with “B Mo” Moultrie. The song ‘House Music’ is my tribute to my favourite city to play in, Chicago. House Music legend Fast Eddie co-wrote this big room track with me. In addition to those, I’ve got the talents of up-and-coming British superstar Sipho on ‘Help’, Denmark’s incredible Blues singer Richard Farrell features on several tracks, and also Pauline Taylor performs on a cover of The Frontline Orchestra’s ‘Don’t Turn Your Back On Me’.
How long did the album take to make and did you come up against any obstacles you had to overcome in the process?
The album took almost 2 years to make. The only obstacle we faced was coming out of a Covid world and getting back into work in the studio.
How does Teddy Douglas typically go about putting a new song together?
The inspiration can come from different places. Sometimes I will hear the melody in my head, and build from that. Other times I can be inspired by a sample from my record collection. And finally, I’ve worked with a lot of talented musicians over the years, including Mark Harris, Neal Conway, Gary Hudgins, etc, to create compositions for singer/ songwriters like Ultra Naté or Crystal Waters to write lyrics to .
Which of your own releases are you most proud of?
Jasper Street Co. – Praying For You (Louie Vega Remixes)
Teddy Douglas – God Created Woman
How important are songs for our dance floors?
Songs are essential to completely moving the dancefloor. Your 3 senses should be stimulated. Head, heart and your feet. Without a song, you are only moving my feet (with even noise sometimes).
What has been your favourite gig so far this year and where are you most looking forward to playing?
My favourite gig this year was playing at FLASH D.C. this August with my brother DJ Spen. It was a fun night. I am looking forward to going back to play in Japan in 2025.
As a Baltimore legend, how is the House music scene there at the moment?
The Baltimore scene here is thriving. There are multiple parties on the go from Ultra Naté’s Deep Sugar, DJ Spen’s Quantize parties, and also Collective Minds parties, just to name a few.
We come to raid your record collection, which embarrassing record do you chuck out the window before we arrive?
Lol!!! I go through my collection every couple of years and clean out the junk records that I will never play again. I would have to say Anita Ward ‘Ring My Bell’.
What record makes you say ‘damn, I wish I made that’?
Stevie Wonder ‘Another Star’.
Finally, what new productions are you working on that you can tell us about?
Right now, I am going to take a holiday!! Next year in 2025, there will be some touring for my album and I’m also collaborating on something new with Maysa.
Teddy Douglas ‘I’m Here’ Album is out now on Vinyl and all Digital & Streaming sites on Nervous Records.
https://nervous-records.lnk.to/imhere
