Robert Solheim is an

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

composer from

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 ...

. His styles are

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

and deep/tech-house,

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

with a strong emphasis on Nordic sound. Influenced by all kinds of electronic music, he has developed his characteristic style from his first ambient and ambient-techno releases in the 1990s, through down tempo and deep/tech-house and techno for clubs and home entertainment.

Biography

Solheim was born on

Averøy Averøy is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the region of Nordmøre. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bruhagen. Other villages in the municipality include Bremsnes, Kornstad, Kvernes, ...

, a small island on the west coast of Norway. He grew up between the sea, the mountains, and the music (his parents love the same art). He started to play the organ at a very young age. Later, Solheim played drums in a band until he discovered a synthesizer with the name

Jupiter-8 The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in early 1981. The Jupiter-8 was Roland's flagship synthesizer for the first half of the 1980s. Approximately 3300 units have ...

and started to compose. Under the name CURRENT he has released several downtempo and ambient-techno albums on labels

Origo Sound Origo Sound is a Norwegian independent record label formed in 1990 in Norway by Harald Lervik. The initiative to start the label was taken after Tormod Opedal, an employee in Lervik's software company, in 1989 had decided to close his own label ...

, a Norwegian label which also had

Biosphere The biosphere (from Greek βίος ''bíos'' "life" and σφαῖρα ''sphaira'' "sphere"), also known as the ecosphere (from Greek οἶκος ''oîkos'' "environment" and σφαῖρα), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be ...

, Circular Circular and

Erik Wøllo Erik Wøllo (born 1961) is a Norwegian composer and musician, guitarist and synthesist. He has a background in various genres in music. As a solo recording artist, he is most known for his electronic and ambient musical soundscapes. Music that ca ...

. In 2005 he started releasing his material on his own label CURRENTMUSIK. All his releases have been called extraordinary creative works by the critics. Lately his creativity has turned more towards electronic music for clubs and dance-floors with several deep/tech-house and dubby techno EPs release the last years. Solheim has been participating in musical projects with other musicians. With the American composer Michael Snyder (Eidetaker) they formed AQUAVIT, a musical project who works on finding the harmonies between electronic and acoustic sounds. Their first and much anticipated work together, ''Telapatia'', was released in 2008 applauded by critics and the public. Critics have said. “This is electronic music for the well travelled”. AQUAVIT later serves as a foundation for the Norwegian label AQUAVIT RECORDS, aimed to release quality electronic music without restrictions. He has composed and produced the music for another musical project very different from all of the others, THE OPIATES, with the German singer Billie Ray Martin. An advance of the work was presented in a concert in the mythical shop Rough Trade in London in March 2008. With the event, they released a 10 inch vinyl with the title ''Anatomy of a plastic girl''. An electronic concept on the darker side of Chicago-house and retro. The first single from the album, "Rainy Days and Remixes" was released in September 2011, including remixes by Kim Ann Foxman from Hercules and Love Affair, Chris & Cosey and XHK Stepford. The album ''Hollywood Under The Knife'' was released with a show at HMV in London October 17. The single and album had artwork from Turner Prize winner Wolfgang Tillmanns.

Comments

Within Robert Solheim releases as CURRENT, the track 'Ghost Trip' from the album ''Communion'' (2003) was voted by the readers of the magazine ''E-dition'', number 7 of the 100 best electronic tracks through time (amongst tracks by artists like

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

, New Order,

Biosphere (musician) Geir Jenssen (born 30 May 1962)Thompson, Dave (2000) ''Alternative Rock'', Miller Freeman, , p.197-198 is a Norwegian electronic musician and composer who records as Biosphere. A resident of Tromsø within the Arctic Circle, Jenssen is well know ...

and

David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan. The band's androgynous look and increasingly ...

). In 2006 his album ''underCURRENTs'' (released 2005) was voted “Best ambient album” and the track 'Waking up slowly', “Best ambient track” by Just Plain Folks Music Awards 2006. About the album ''Musik'' (2001) Bill Binkelman from the magazine Wind & Wire said “Musik is a veritable glossary/textbook of any number of current-day executions of electronica/EM”. ''Anatomy of a plastic girl'' (The Opiates) was album of the month in countries like Sweden, Denmark and Norway. In March 2009, ''Candy Coated Crime'' (The Opiates), from the same album, has been released on Dj Hells ( Gigolo Records) compilation ''Eleven''.

Dj Hell Helmut Josef Geier (born 6 September 1962), known professionally as DJ Hell, is a German DJ. Biography 1970s and 1980s DJ Hell described his musical beginnings in an interview with '' The European'', telling them “I was socialized with ...

said about ''Candy Coated Crime'': "it´s the bomb".

Discography

Robert Solheim: ''Slow Bender Remixes'' digital EP (2013) Aquavit Records/Aquavit BEAT Robert Solheim: ''Heretics Plus'' LP + remixes and bonus track (2012) Aquavit Records Robert Solheim: ''Heretics'' LP (June 2012) Aquavit Records Robert Solheim: ''Taking The Challenge Again'' VA Aquavit Records presents BlåRød 2 (May 2012) Aquavit Records Robert Solheim: ''Syv & O Portiño'' digital EP (2012) Aquavit Records Robert Solheim: ''Syv & O Portiño'' vinyl EP (2011) Aquavit Records The Opiates : ''Hollywood Under The Knife / Hollywood Cuts (the remixes) double CD and digital (2012) Disco Activisto The Opiates : Hollywood Under The Knife '' CD and digital (2011) Disco Activisto The Opiates : Rainy Days and Remixes EP digital(2011) Disco Activisto The Opiates : Anatomy of a plastic girl EP 10” vinyl + digital(2008) Opiates Music/Kudos Records Robert Solheim: ''Field Tripping'' EP digital (2011) Aquavit Records Robert Solheim: ''Raveing Hangover'' EP digital (2010) Aquavit Records Robert Solheim: ''Love & Vinyls'' EP (2010) Aquavit Records Robert Solheim: ''Candle Flame'' digital (2010) V/A The Family Grows: Overflow Records Baldo & Robert Solheim - ''The 12 hour'' EP digital (2010) Aquavit Records Robert Solheim: ''Around 4'' EP digital (2009) Aquavit Records Aquavit: ''Telepatia'' CD and digital (2008) Eidetic Response Publishing/CurrentMusik Current: ''The Dream Cabinet'' CD and digital (2006) CurrentMusik Current: ''underCURRENTs'' CD and digital (2005) CurrentMusik Current: ''Ghost Trip'' . CD and digital Single (2003)

Current: ''Communion'' CD and digital (2003) Origo Sound Current: ''Musik'' CD and digital (2001) Origo Sound Current: ''Enter the Dream'' CD and digital (1997) Origo Sound

Compilations

Robert Solheim: ''Candle Flame'' (2010) The Family Grows, Overflow Records ''Love & Vinyls'' (2010) Minimal Tech Femmes vol. 3. Club Femme ''Love & Vinyls'' (2010) Disco Babes From Another Space vol. 2. Baccara France ''Love & Vinyls'' (2010) Strange Clubbers vol. 1. Tokyo Women Aquavit: ''Vigor'' – ''Duende Mix'' (2008) Eden 2.

Six Degrees Records Six Degrees Records is an independent record label noted for its catalog of recordings from international musicians and vocalists. History In 1996, former Windham Hill employees Pat Berry and Bob Duskis founded Six Degrees Records with the in ...

''Granular Sea'' (2009) Canapes Lounge
Feiyr
''Granular Sea'' (2010) Precious Lounge.

Feiyr Feiyr is a digital music distribution service founded in 2005. Feiyr offers bands, musicians, record labels and Djs the ability to sell their music through the main international Online distribution, digital retailers. Feiyr functions as an inter ...

''Granular Sea'' (2009) Ibiza Bar Grooves vol. 5. San Trincha ''Granular Sea'' (2009) Easy Listening vol. 4. San Trincha The Opiates: ''Candy Coated Crime'' (2009) Dj Hell’s Compilation Eleven. Gigolo Records ''Anatomy of a Plastic Girl''. (2008) Press R for Galaxy Bar. Klick Records

Current

''Ghost Trip'' (radio edit) (2007) Planet Origo. Origo Sound ''Stellar'' (2007) Planet Origo. Origo Sound ''Intoxicated Dream'' (1994) Unsigned1. MP Records

External links

* http://www.myspace.com/robertsolheim *http://www.currentmusik.com *http://www.myspace.com/currentmusik *http://www.myspace.com/theaquavit *http://www.myspace.com/opiatesmusic
Interview from 2003
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solheim, Robert Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Norwegian electronic musicians