Twelve Kings, One Vision, Terence Toy’s Sacred Soundtrack to the Season

Like many artists who have continued to make music for two, three and four decades, their art, both in content and sensibility, matures following the contours of the peaks and valleys of a life lived. 

The acclaimed LA-based arranger, producer, composer, Terence Toy has DJed throughout the world for nearly 40 years, shaping deep house and jazz with soulful precision. 

Twelve years ago, Toy’s Refuge 8: Air Dawn Water Autumn, used layered beats, vocals and jazz-inspired instrumentation to blend rhythm, emotion and spirit on every track, transforming the dance floor into a sanctuary of sound, joy and connection. 

Five years ago, Toy’s Think: George Floyd, blended jazz, house and protest anthems to channel outrage and hope with the aim of using sound art in support of activism at the time. 

On Nov. 25, he’s releasing a new project, We 12 Kings, an inspired Christmas album dedicated to his mother, Rubye Toy Mackey, and his own evolving faith.

“She would ask me, how come I don’t do any music for the Lord? And all of my music is devil music,” said Toy. 

“[Those] exact words. My mom was an avid Christian, and I didn’t even really know what that meant at the time.”

His mother shaped his musical life from the start — buying him an organ at age 6 and drums at 10, which he played for 20 years. “I carried that comment for a while,” he said. “This project is about the birth of Christ.”

We 12 Kings became a deeply spiritual collaboration among 12 male artists. Originally intended to include both male and female artists, it evolved organically into a brotherhood of men.

Drawing on the biblical symbolism — from the 12 tribes of Israel to the 12 apostles — Toy felt that We 12 Kings was the perfect title to convey the masculine strength and the sacred purpose of the album. The artwork visually represents this sense of divine authority and collaboration, inviting listeners to experience the album as a royal and holy gift. It is a testament to how a creative vision can evolve into something more profound than originally imagined.

Toy has explored sacred themes before. While signed to Universal, he produced the eight part series, Praise Him, but when the label refused to release it, he published it independently through his Refuge label. 

“I definitely pondered why can’t we listen to Christmas music all year round?” he said. 

That query catapulted him to try again. He started a project in 2016, but Toy said it wasn’t good enough or big enough because, at the time, he didn’t know what he was doing. Now the songs sound quite different, with more arrangement and production.

From deep house revivals of gospel hymns to hip-hop and drum-and-bass transformations, We 12 Kings bridges secular and spiritual worlds. Spoken word, rap and lush instrumentation create joy that radiates through every track. The album’s original compositions and reinterpretations invite listeners to rediscover familiar melodies in new, soulful ways.

Toy admits the process tested him.“On one hand,” Toy said, when speaking about the challenges he experienced, “I learned too much; on the other hand, not enough.”

One of Toy’s goals is to have every percussion sound on his tracks done either by himself or another percussionist. He often works with Carlos Fisher and Munyungo Jackson. And between those three, they don’t really need any other help. Other percussion heard on songs with his partner, Smash, is done digitally. Toy was inspired to do an unplugged rendition of Silent Night, featuring JonMykal who can sing: falsetto, soprano, alto tenor, baritone and bass. Once you hear it there won’t be any question, JonMykal’s ethereal voice was made for this classic. Aside from acoustic guitar, Toy had to decide what instruments to use while unplugged and have it sound great. So, he performed body percussion, doing finger snaps, face slaps, hand claps and hambone.

When you hear any instrument on a Toy track, there’s always a musician playing it, any instrument you can think of. Toy revealed he does a Q&A with the singers or rappers he works with. He asks, what are their top five instruments, then bases the track around those instruments, always giving it a fresh sound, he said.

The challenges Toy experienced from knowing too much came from his “arrangement mind,” for example, on The First Noel.

“As time started to descend with getting the project finished, I met this kid, D’Andre Franklin, on the train. We were going to do this medley of five songs with D’Andre. He and I and Smash were choosing the songs [and] running out of time. D’Andre was singing a seven-part harmony [I thought] why can’t I just arrange something and let him shine?” Toy recalled.

That’s what he did. D’Andre sang The First Noel a cappella, in a seven-part harmony.

“When it comes to making decisions as an arranger, if it comes in my head, don’t second, [guess] it,” Toy said. “The second I come up with something, if I laugh about it, that’s what I run [with].” 

He said the challenge comes in the pushback. In another instance, Toy used a lyre, similar to a small harp, on his version of We Three Kings. Everybody pushed back on this choice. Now, Toy said, it’s their favorite song. The instrument truly elevates the song with a mesmerizing ostinato phrasing between the lyre and flute throughout the composition. The number opens with the lyre, slips into a slow drum and bass groove that merges into turntablism, eventually mixing a  mashup of spoken word with scratching, all crescendoing to a halt — into Crushboy Zack’s honeyed, “We three kings of Orient are.” A lone reverberating bass drumbeat propels the song forward, buoyed by heavenly strings and flute. At 11 minutes and change, the progressive arc of We Three Kings will transport you on a stirring, meditative journey. 

It features lyre and guitar, both by “Maestro” Brian Forbes (whose dexterity on strings will blow you away), percussion — sometimes disparate — and improvisational flute by Jaay Dover, singer Crushboy Zack, rap by Jose Torres and spoken-word by Toy.

Toy said it feels amazing that he got this record done. There were “serious tough times.” There were a few times too, when he was going to quit, but he prayed on it. 

“And sometimes immediately, I heard God’s answer,” Toy said. “‘I got you, keep moving forward. People are going to appreciate this.’”

Next year, Toy will begin We 12 Queens. Musicians are already sending him demos.

This is a sublime Christmas album but with a different spin. The eclectic We 12 Kings draws you in through its phenomenal arrangements, masterful musicians and the memories that will play in your mind’s eye as you take it in. Listeners need not be religious to truly appreciate it.

We 12 Kings is available in Los Angeles at Amoeba Records (to be played on loop at the store), Pinky Rose and Titanic Hats.

Terence Toy hosts “By Any Jazz Necessary” Tuesdays 7 p.m. on www.m4gradio.com

Details: www.terencetoy.com