The Bergen Wave (in Norwegian: ''Bergensbølgen'') is an expression often used by Norwegian media regarding the city of

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

as a platform for the development of modern music, illustrating a period in time of a new generation of artists from Bergen "taking over" the musical landscape in Norway.

About

The expression was initially used in the early 1990s then re-emerged several times throughout the 2000s. The "Bergen Wave" is most definitely a name coined by the mass media (the artists themselves are normally not too fond of the term, and it has become somewhat of a cliché) but at least the frequent use of the expression during the last 20+ years says something about the strength of the music scene in the city. Several artists from the "Bergen Wave" gained international breakthroughs, which was uncommon for Norwegian music at that time. Much of this success came from the focus that particularly British music press put on bands such as

Röyksopp Röyksopp (), a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø formed in 1998. The duo consists of Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland. Berge and Brundtland were introduced to each other through a mutual friend in Tromsø, Norway. They enjoye ...

and

Kings of Convenience Kings of Convenience is an indie folk-pop duo from Bergen, Norway, consisting of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe. History Øye and Bøe were both born in 1975 (Øye on 21 November and Bøe on 25 October) and have known each other since they ...

and on the small record label Tellé Records. Many of the artists were connected to this label, owned by prominent Bergen Wave figure Mikal Telle. Common denominators between the artists are the independent approach - relying more on networking and word-of-mouth reputation than on the aid of major music labels for their breakthrough. Many of the bands also share a low-key melancholic tone, regardless if it is electronic dance music or conventional guitar based pop.Ham, Anthony, et al
Norway
p. 52 (Lonely Planet 2008) Towards the end of the 1990s, Tellé Records and its sub-labels started releasing singles by then unknown artists such as

, Annie, Ralph Myers & The Jack Herren Band, Erot and

. Intriguingly, a majority of the singles were picked up by music press and bigger labels abroad, and within a couple of years all of the names mentioned above were international stars on the underground scene. Röyksopp and King of Convenience broke into the mainstream. Suddenly the "Bergen Scene" was a recognized term among music lovers all over the world. Throughout the nineties, most of these artists continued their successful careers, but another important thing happened too: the success of these artists gave the whole scene a huge confidence boost and, as a result, a new wave of great artists and labels quickly emerged. There are so many names that all of them can't be mentioned here but artists and bands like Sondre Lerche, Datarock, Magnet, Ane Brun (who relocated to Sweden early in her career) and eventually Casiokids, Matias Tellez and Ungdomskulen all represented "the second wave" of talent from this small scene.Ketil Mosnes on behalf of Brak, "An introduction to the music scene in Bergen" http://www.brak.no/bergenmusic/

Artists connected to Tellé

Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band is a Norwegian electronica/hip-hop group/producer. Career The band was formed in 1997. They released a 7" and a 12" on Telle Records. In 2002, they were signed by the U.S. label Emperor Norton Records and ...

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

* Bjørn Torske *

Erlend Øye Erlend Øye (born 21 November 1975) is a Norwegian composer, musician, producer, singer and songwriter from Bergen, best known for being one half of the indie folk duo Kings of Convenience, along with Eirik Glambek Bøe. Among other musical pro ...

* Rubies *

Familjen Johan Tommy Karlsson (born April 10, 1976 in Hässleholm) is a Swedish techno/ electropop artist who uses the alias Familjen (, "The Family"). Biography Karlsson grew up in Hässleholm, Skåne (the same town as fellow electronica producers Andre ...

King Midas Midas (; grc-gre, Μίδας) was the name of a king in Phrygia with whom several myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for his ...

* Evil Tordivel * Razika

Other artists

Pogo Pops Pogo Pops (established in 1987 under the name of The Doomsville Boys) is a pop rock band from Bergen, Norway. The band split up in 1996 after four albums, but reformed in 2006. Biography The Doomsville Boys were a trio and released an EP in 19 ...

Poor Rich Ones Poor Rich Ones (1989-2003) was a pop and rock band from Bergen, Norway, comprised by lead singer, songwriter and guitarist William Hut, keyboardist Bjørn Bunes, bassist Tor Sørensen, guitarists Eivind Kvamme, Espen Mellingen, and drummer ...

Ephemera Ephemera are transitory creations which are not meant to be retained or preserved. Its etymological origins extends to Ancient Greece, with the common definition of the word being: "the minor transient documents of everyday life". Ambiguous in ...

Sondre Lerche Sondre Lerche (; born 5 September 1982) is a Norwegian singer, songwriter and guitarist, now based in Los Angeles, California. He has released nine studio albums. Early life Growing up in a suburb of Bergen, Lerche was heavily influenced by 1980s ...

Magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...

Nathalie Nordnes Nathalie Nordnes (born 22 November 1984, in Bergen) is a Norwegian singer. She released her first album on Virgin Records in 2003, and her fourth album in November 2011. Most of her recorded output is sung in English. Her debut album ''Hush Hush' ...

Kakkmaddafakka Kakkmaddafakka (KMF) is a Norwegian indie rock band formed and based in Bergen. They are known for their high energy live performances. The band is one of many artists who emerged from Bergen, which the Norwegian press has called the "New Bergen ...

Casiokids Casiokids are a Norwegian synthpop ensemble from Bergen, and Stavanger formed in 2005. The band consists of Ketil Kinden Endresen, Fredrik Øgreid Vogsborg, Omar Johnsen and Kjetil Bjøreid Aabø. Associated musicians are Joachim Amundsen Trana, ...

* Fjorden Baby! *

John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen (translated as ''John Olav Nilsen & Company'') was a Norwegian rock-pop band from Loddefjord, Bergen, Norway. It was fronted by singer-songwriter and main vocalist John Olav Nilsen (born 20 December 1982). The lyrics a ...

* Lars Vaular * Young Dreams * Real Ones * popium *

Sister sonny A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Interview with Mikal Telle
Music in Bergen

About

Artists connected to Tellé

Other artists

See also

References

External links