Röyksopp () a Norwegian
electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
duo from
Tromsø
Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...
formed in 1998. The duo consists of childhood friends Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland who formed Röyksopp during the
Bergen Wave. After experimenting with different
genres of electronic music, the band solidified their place in the electronica scene with their 2001 debut album, ''
Melody A.M.'', released on the
Wall of Sound record label.
Röyksopp has consistently experimented with various genres pertaining to electronic music. Stylistically, the band makes use of various genres, including
ambient,
house music
House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...
and
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
. The band is also known for its elaborate concert performances, which often feature
eccentric outfits.
Since their 1998 debut, the duo has gained critical acclaim and popular success around the world. To date, Röyksopp has been nominated for two
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
s, won seven
Spellemannprisen
The Spellemannprisen (also referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) is a Norwegian music award ceremony presented by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry#Local associations, IFPI Norge and :no:FONO, FONO. It was first awarded i ...
awards, performed worldwide tours, and
produced albums that have topped the charts in several countries, including four consecutive number-one albums in their
native country.
Band name
''
Røyksopp'' literally means "smoke mushroom". It is the
Norwegian word for the class of
mushroom
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom.
The standard for the n ...
s known as
puffball
Puffballs are a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that (when mature) bursts on contact or impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores into the surrounding area. Puffballs belong to the division Basidiomycota and encompass sever ...
. The band's name replaces the second letter (
ø) with
ö, which is non-existent in the
Norwegian alphabet
The Danish and Norwegian alphabet is the set of symbols, forming a variant of the Latin alphabet, used for writing the Danish and Norwegian languages. It has consisted of the following 29 letters since 1917 (Norwegian) and 1948 (Danish):
The ...
but corresponds to the same sound in the
Swedish alphabet
The Swedish alphabet () is a basic element of the Latin writing system used for the Swedish language. The 29 letters of this alphabet are the modern 26-letter basic Latin alphabet ( to ) plus , , and , in that order. It contains 20 consonants a ...
.
History
1990–1997: Origins
Berge and Brundtland were introduced to each other through a mutual friend in Tromsø, Norway, when Berge was 12 years old and Brundtland was 13. They enjoyed the same films and music, and shared an interest in electronics. The two began playing music together due to a shared interest in electronica, experimented with various forms of electronic music.
They bought a drum machine together part of the
Tromsø techno scene of the early 1990s.
Their childhood in Tromsø and the natural scenery of
Northern Norway
Northern Norway (, , ; ) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the three northernmost counties Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the largest towns in Northern Norway (from south to no ...
have often been mentioned as some of their most important inspirations.
[l][Alt URL]
The pair separated before obtaining any popular success with their music, but reunited with each other in 1998 in Bergen, Norway.
Bergen, a city of 212,944 people in 1990,
had overtaken Tromsø's position as the most vital scene for underground electronic music in Norway, and Röyksopp worked with other Norwegian musicians like
Frost
Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...
, Those Norwegians,
Drum Island, and
Kings of Convenience's guitarist and singer
Erlend Øye in what was called the
Bergen Wave.
During this time, the duo befriended
Geir Jenssen.
Under the tutelage of Jenssen, the duo started a band called Aedena Cycle with Gaute Barlindhaug and Kolbjørn Lyslo.
In 1994 Aedena Cycle recorded a
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
EP called ''Traveler's Dreams''.
The EP was released under the
R&S Records
R&S Records is an independent record label founded in 1983 in Ghent, Belgium. R&S represents the initials of Renaat Vandepapeliere and Sabine Maes, the couple that created the label. R&S Records has had several subsidiaries, most notably Apollo R ...
sublabel
Apollo
Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
.
Following the release of the EP, Jenssen almost convinced the band to sign a full record deal with Apollo Records.
1998–2000: Early years
After recording as part of Aedena Cycle, Berge and Brundtland left the group to form their own band, Röyksopp.
The word ''röyksopp'' is a stylized version of the Norwegian word for the
puffball
Puffballs are a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that (when mature) bursts on contact or impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores into the surrounding area. Puffballs belong to the division Basidiomycota and encompass sever ...
mushroom, "røyksopp".
The band has stated that the word could also evoke the
mushroom cloud
A mushroom cloud is a distinctive mushroom-shaped flammagenitus cloud of debris, smoke, and usually condensed water vapour resulting from a large explosion. The effect is most commonly associated with a nuclear explosion, but any sufficiently e ...
resulting from an
atomic blast.
Röyksopp's debut single was released by local Bergen Wave-era independent label Tellé.
Röyksopp's first single "
So Easy", which was later re-released on their first album, was the second record released by Tellé.
After being used in a UK
T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand of telecommunications by Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG (, ; often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a partially state-owned German telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn and the largest telec ...
advertisement, "So Easy" became popular in the UK market
and was later re-released, combined with their later single "
Remind Me".
2001–2004: ''Melody A.M.'' and early success
After leaving Tellé, the band signed with British label
Wall of Sound
The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...
and released ''
Melody A.M.'', which became certified platinum in the band's native Norway
and sold over a million copies worldwide.
The album peaked at number one in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
,
[ and produced the UK ]Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
singles " Eple", " Poor Leno", and "Remind Me". A final single, " Sparks", was also released. Eple () meaning "apple" in Norwegian was licensed by Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...
for use as the welcome music to the company's Mac OS X
macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
Panther operating system, playing the first time a user booted a new Apple-brand computer.
The band's popularity was boosted by several graphically experimental music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
s, many of which were put into heavy rotation by MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. The music video for "Remind Me", featuring an infographic
Infographics (a clipped compound of "information" and "graphics") are graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly.Doug Newsom and Jim Haynes (2004). ''Public Relations Wr ...
-style video by French company H5, won the 2002 MTV Europe Music Award for best music video. In this same event the duo was nominated in three more categories: "Best Nordic Act", "Best New Artist" and "Best Dance Act". The duo performed the song "Poor Leno" at the event. One year later they received a nomination for "Best Group" at the Brit Awards.
During this period Röyksopp slowly gained popularity in the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. "Remind Me", one of the two Röyksopp and Erlend Øye collaborations found on '' Melody A.M.'', was featured in a Geico
The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO ) is an American vehicle insurance company headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland. In addition to auto insurance, GEICO provides motorcycle, ATV, RV, boat, snowmobile, travel, pet, event, hom ...
car insurance commercial, the fourth of the " It's so easy a caveman could do it" ads.
During this time, Röyksopp were approached to compose the soundtrack for ''The Matrix Reloaded
''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, L ...
'', although they declined the offer.[Kafka feat. Röyksopp at the Bergen International Festival]
". Bergen International Festival. 2015
2005–2008: ''The Understanding''
Röyksopp's second studio album, '' The Understanding'', was released on 12 July 2005, preceded by the single " Only This Moment" on 27 June 2005. The single managed to peak at number 33 in the United Kingdom. The video for "Only This Moment" is closely based on the events of the Paris 1968 riots, and elements of propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
are found throughout the video clip.[
] The album's second single, " 49 Percent", with the vocals of Chelonis R. Jones was released on 26 September 2005. A third single, " What Else Is There?", including vocals from Swedish singer Karin Dreijer of The Knife, became the album's biggest single, peaking at number 32 in the United Kingdom, and at number four in Norway.[Alt URL]
" Beautiful Day Without You" was the album's fourth single, and a non-album track, "Curves
A curve is a geometrical object in mathematics.
Curve(s) may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Curve (band), an English alternative rock music group
* Curve (album), ''Curve'' (album), a 2012 album by Our Lady Peace
* Curve ( ...
", was also released.
Building upon the success of ''Melody A.M.'', ''The Understanding'' was very successful in Europe. The album peaked at number one in Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
,[ and at number 13 in the UK.] During this time, Röyksopp's popularity continued to increase in the United States. The album charted on many ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' charts, and peaked at number two on the Top Electronic Albums chart, number 22 on the Top Heatseekers
The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...
chart, and number 32 on the Top Independent Albums
The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' mag ...
.
After the release of ''The Understanding'', some of Röyksopp's singles were licensed for movie appearances. " What Else Is There?" was featured during a scene in the 2007 American film ''Meet Bill
''Meet Bill'' (formerly known as ''Bill'') is a 2007 American comedy film written and directed by Bernie Goldmann and Melisa Wallack, and stars Aaron Eckhart as the title character, with supporting performances by Logan Lerman, Jessica Alba, ...
'' and during the end credits of the 2006 British film '' Cashback'', and "Circuit Breaker" was used in the 2007 snowboard film ''Picture This''.
On 19 June 2006, Röyksopp released a nine-track live album called '' Röyksopp's Night Out''. Notably, the album contains a reinterpretation of the song "Go with the Flow
"Go with the Flow" is a song by Queens of the Stone Age from the album ''Songs for the Deaf'', released as a single (music), single in 2003. It is the only single from the album to not feature Dave Grohl on drums, instead featuring Gene Trautmann ...
", originally by Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated as QOTSA or QotSA) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1996. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme shortly before he returned to his native Palm Desert, California. ...
.
On 5 March 2007, Röyksopp compiled their favourite tracks by other artists for the ''Back to Mine'' series. Called '' Back to Mine: Röyksopp'', the album was released in the US on 5 March 2007, and in the UK on 27 April 2007. The album also includes their own track "Meatball", released under the pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
"Emmanuel Splice". Svein Berge also contributed as a board member for the celebration of the ''Grieg year'', as Norway celebrated their famous composer Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic music, Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwid ...
.[Alt URL]
On the tenth anniversary of Röyksopp's formation—15 December 2008—the band released a new track, "Happy Birthday", free of charge to celebrate the event. The song was released via free streaming
Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
on the band's website.
2009–2012: ''Junior'' and ''Senior''
Röyksopp's third studio album, '' Junior'', was released on 23 March 2009, featuring the single " Happy Up Here". The song debuted on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
's Pete Tong
Peter Michael Tong (born 30 July 1960) is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as '' Essential Mix'' and '' Essential Selection'' on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for ...
show on 9 January 2009. It was officially released digitally on 16 March 2009. The music video for "Happy Up Here", made by Reuben Sutherland, features elements from the arcade game ''Space Invaders
is a 1978 shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Taito for Arcade video game, arcades. It was released in Japan in April 1978, with the game being released by Midway Manufacturing overseas. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed s ...
''. Both the single and the video were met with positive reactions from the press and fans.
" The Girl and the Robot", the second single from the album ''Junior'', featuring vocals from Swedish singer Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson (; born 12 June 1979), known professionally as Robyn (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Her 1995 debut album ''Robyn Is Here'' produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 single ...
, was released on 15 June 2009. The vinyl and digital versions of the single included remixes of the song by Kris Menace, Chateau Marmont
The Chateau Marmont is a hotel located at 8221 Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The hotel was designed by architects Arnold A. Weitzman and William Douglas Lee and completed in 1929. It was modeled loosely after the Château d'Ambois ...
and Spencer & Hill. At the 52nd Grammy Awards, the Jean Elan remix of "The Girl and the Robot" was nominated for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical. "This Must Be It
"This Must Be It" is the third single (music), single from the Norway, Norwegian duo Röyksopp's third album ''Junior (Röyksopp album), Junior''. It features the vocals of Karin Dreijer (Fever Ray, The Knife). The single was released on 2 Novembe ...
" is the third single from the album, including vocals from Swedish singer Karin Dreijer of The Knife and Fever Ray. The single also featuring remixes by Thin White Duke, LehtMoJoe, Rex the Dog
Jake Williams (born 1974) is a British electronic music producer and remixer, who currently records as Rex the Dog. Rex the Dog currently releases on Kompakt Records. As Rex the Dog, Williams is a proponent of DIY electronics and performs live ...
and Apparat, among others. The band later released the stems for the song "Tricky Tricky" as part of a remix competition and the winning entries were released on 27 October 2009.
''Junior'' was a success around the world. The album peaked at number one in Norway, the band's third consecutive release to do so. ''Junior'' also peaked at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
and charted on many ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' charts, including the ''Billboard'' 200–the first Röyksopp release to do so–where it peaked at number 126. The album also peaked at number four on the Top Electronic Albums chart and number two on the Top Heatseekers
The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...
chart.
''Junior'' was followed by ''Senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
'', which is more quiet, "withdrawn and introspective" and "create an atmosphere and an ambiance". ''Senior'' is the duo's first album to consist solely of instrumental tracks. The first single from the album, "The Drug", was released on 9 August 2010. The album itself was released on 13 September 2010, and was successful in the band's native Norway, peaking at number one, the band's fourth consecutive release to do so.[
]
2013–2018: ''Do It Again'', ''The Inevitable End'' and ''Star Wars Headspace''
In January 2013, Röyksopp released a song called "Running to the Sea", a collaboration with Norwegian artist Susanne Sundfør. According to the band, the song was written and recorded in two days for a televised performance. The single was released on 16 December 2013, with a B-side containing a song called "Something in My Heart", featuring Jamie McDermott from The Irrepressibles. Röyksopp and Sundfør also collaborated in creating a cover version of Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
's " Ice Machine" for their Late Night Tales compilation album, '' Late Night Tales: Röyksopp''.
On 14 April 2014, Röyksopp announced a collaborative EP with Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson (; born 12 June 1979), known professionally as Robyn (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Her 1995 debut album ''Robyn Is Here'' produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 single ...
titled '' Do It Again'' to coincide with their joint tour. A snippet of one of the five tracks set to be released on the album, "Monument", was released the same day. The album was released on 26 May through Dog Triumph, Wall of Sound
The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...
, and Cooking Vinyl
Cooking Vinyl is a British independent record label, based in Acton, London, England. It was founded in 1986 by former manager and booking agent Martin Goldschmidt and his business partner Pete Lawrence. Goldschmidt remains the current owner an ...
. The duo stated that a re-worked version of "Monument" would form a part of their next album. On 29 September 2014, Röyksopp announced that their next album, titled '' The Inevitable End'', would explore "darker subject matter with emphasis on the lyrical content", and would be their last LP, though they will not stop making music. The album was released on 7 November 2014 by Dog Triumph. The special edition of the album includes new versions of the previously released tracks "Running to the Sea", "Do It Again" and "Monument" as well as the original version of "Something in My Heart". Some singles did precede the release of the album: "Skulls", "Sordid Affair" and the new version of "Monument". "Skulls" and "Monument" were accompanied by two new video clips. The video for "I Had This Thing" was shared on 11 May 2015.
In early 2015, it was announced that the band had composed a musical accompaniment to a comedic work based upon the novels of Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...
. The project debuted at the Bergen International Festival in the same year. Also in 2015, the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company.
The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...
introduced a series of new jingles by Röyksopp for the TV output of the ''NRK Nyheter'' news division, as part of a comprehensive redesign of the sub-brand. The same year, they won the award for "Best Cinematography" at the Berlin Music Video Awards for their "Skulls" music video.
On 8 February 2016, Röyksopp announced that a new track titled "Bounty Hunters" would be included on the '' Star Wars Headspace'' compilation. The album was released on 19 February 2016. On 9 September 2016, Röyksopp released a new song, in collaboration with Susanne Sundfør, called "Never Ever". Additional remixes of the song have been released between February and April 2017, including Röyksopp's own club mix.
2019–2021: ''Lost Tapes''
In February 2019, the band announced that they would be releasing B-sides, exclusives and previously unreleased tracks through the ''Lost Tapes'' playlist, starting with "I Wanna Know" and "Rising Urge". The tracks have been released for free on music streaming services, including Spotify and YouTube, but are also sold in digital stores like Amazon and the iTunes Store. In August 2019, Röyksopp released a collaborative single with Lars Vaular, called "To minutter". The band kept releasing new ''Lost Tapes'' until 25 January 2021, when they announced the project has come to a halt for the time being. In August 2021, the physical edition of ''Lost Tapes'' was announced for release on 17 September 2021. It contains the first 10 tracks from the series and is available on vinyl, CD and cassette.
2022–present: ''Profound Mysteries I'', ''II'' and ''III''
At the end of 2021, the band launched a new Instagram account which led to speculation of new music. Through a series of teasers with the tagline
In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...
"Press R" on social media and snippets of new material on the redesigned official website, the band confirmed a new project would be released in 2022, titled '' Profound Mysteries''.
Röyksopp described the "conceptual project" as an "expanded creative universe" and a "continuous, holistic experience", suggesting the release of three albums in 2022 (listed on the website as red, yellow and green). Each release in the series was accompanied by a series of short-films from multiple directors and AI-generated "artefacts" and visualisers by an Australian artist Jonathan Zawada.
The two new songs were officially released in January 2022, "(Nothing But) Ashes..." and "The Ladder", followed by "Impossible" (featuring Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp (born 13 May 1966) is an English musician and record producer, known as the vocalist of English electronic music duo Goldfrapp.
Early life and education
Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp was born on 13 Ma ...
) in February. The ''Profound Mysteries'' album was released on 29 April 2022, with the band hosting a livestream of the album, followed by a tease of the next album and snippets of new music on the official website.
On 14 June 2022, the band released "Sorry", featuring Jamie Irrepressible as a lead single for '' Profound Mysteries II''. At the same time the album became available for pre-order with "Unity", featuring Karen Harding
Karen Harding (born 18 November 1991) is an English singer and songwriter from Consett, County Durham. Her first single, " Say Something", released in February 2015, entered the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.
Early life
Born to an English fat ...
available alongside it. A collection of remixes was also released. The second album was released on 19 August 2022, with the band once again hosting a YouTube event and teasing the next album, officially confirming the trilogy.
A number of individual songs were released in a run-up to the third and final album, starting with "Speed King" and "The Night" in August 2022. '' Profound Mysteries III'' was released on 18 November 2022 and features collaborations with Jamie Irrepressible, Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp (born 13 May 1966) is an English musician and record producer, known as the vocalist of English electronic music duo Goldfrapp.
Early life and education
Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp was born on 13 Ma ...
, Susanne Sundfør and Astrid S
Astrid Smeplass (born 29 October 1996), known professionally as Astrid S, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. In 2013, she placed fifth in the Norwegian version of '' Pop Idol'', entitled '' Idol – Jakten på en superstjerne''. In 2020, she ...
, among other artists. The series has been also released on vinyl for the first time, as 6LP boxset featuring all three albums and individual 2LP releases.
In 2023, the duo embarked on a headline tour and continued to release new remixes of the tracks from the ''Profound Mysteries'' series. The True Electric tour began in February 2023, with shows in European cities, including Stockholm, London and Berlin. The band described the tour as "energetic beats meet vast, transcending soundscapes" and explained their wish to bring "the pure and immersive Röyksopp experience" of studio productions to the stage. The shows were followed by appearances at various summer festivals in Europe including Bilbao BBK Live and Rock Werchter
Rock Werchter is an annual music festival held in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, Belgium, since 1976 and is a large sized rock music festival. The 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012 and 2014 festivals received the Arthur award for ''best festiva ...
. The band continued their headline tour in autumn 2023 with 16 concerts in North America and Europe.
In December 2024, the duo surprise released ''Nebulous Nights (An Ambient Excursion into Profound Mysteries)'', a 30-track ambient reinterpretation of their ''Profound Mysteries'' project, on streaming services. Each one of the thirty tracks is a reimagining of its counterpart on ''Profound Mysteries'' Parts I-III.
Style
Musical style
Röyksopp's music is often referred to as "warm", a reference to the band's downbeat electronica that combines elements of house music and Afro-American sounds. Röyksopp prefer to use analogue synthesizers over digital ones, with Svein Berge noting in an interview that "it's fairly limited, the fun you can have with the use of a mouse. We like to mix." In terms of specific instruments, the band generally favor vintage synthesizers and instruments from the 1970s and early 1980s, such as the Yamaha CS-80
The Yamaha CS-80 is an analog synthesizer introduced by Yamaha Corporation in 1977. It supports true 8-voice polyphony, with two independent synthesizer layers per voice each with its own set of front panel controls, in addition to a number of ha ...
, the Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes a length of magnetic tape to contact a Capstan (tape recorder), capstan, which pulls i ...
Mk2, the Korg PS-3100, the monophonic Korg MS-20
The Korg MS-20 is a patchable semi-modular monophonic analog synthesizer which Korg released in 1978 and which was in production until 1983. It was part of Korg's MS series of instruments, which also included the single oscillator MS-10, the ke ...
, the polyphonic Roland Juno-106, and the Synthe Korg 100 mono bass synth. When producing their earlier albums, the band also made heavy use of Akai samplers. To further create their unique sound, the band makes use of the Roland Space Echo, "an old Danish tube compressor that doesn’t really have a name," and a reverb unit taken from an old radio station.
A notable component of Röyksopp's repertoire is their use of multiple lead vocalists. For instance, ''Melody A.M.'' features the vocal talents of Anneli Drecker and Erlend Øye, ''The Understanding'' features Kate Havnevik, Chelonis R. Jones, and Karin Dreijer, and ''Junior'' features Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson (; born 12 June 1979), known professionally as Robyn (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Her 1995 debut album ''Robyn Is Here'' produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 single ...
, Anneli Drecker, Karin Dreijer, and Lykke Li
Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson (born 18 March 1986), known as Lykke Li (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, model and actress. Her music often blends elements of indie pop, dream pop and Electronic music, electronic. Her debut studio album, ''Youth ...
.
In addition to writing their own music, the duo enjoy remixing songs. Berge said, "It's obviously fun remixing people like Coldplay
Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...
, artists of such a big calibre. Whenever people approach us for a remix it's very nice; being approached by Roots Manuva
Rodney Hylton Smith, better known by his stage name Roots Manuva (born 9 September 1972), is a British rapper and producer. Since his debut in 1994, he has produced numerous albums and singles on the label Big Dada, achieving commercial succ ...
, The Streets
The Streets is an English musical project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner (musician), Mike Skinner. The project was founded in the early 90s, while Skinner was still a teenager; however, no music would formally eventuat ...
, and even Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...
is quite fun." The band was also asked by Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
for a remix, but had to turn down the offer due to scheduling conflicts.
Influences
As they grew up in Tromsø
Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...
in northern Norway, Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland listened to local artists like Bel Canto
, )—with several similar constructions (, , , pronounced in English as )—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing, and whose definitions have often been misunderstood. ''Bel canto'' was not only seen as a vocal technique ...
and former Bel Canto member Biosphere
The biosphere (), also called the ecosphere (), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on the Earth. The biosphere (which is technically a spherical shell) is virtually a closed system with regard to mat ...
(whom, coincidentally, Berge and Brundtland would remix in 1997 while they were part of Alanïa). The band has also expressed their interest in the music of Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...
, Brian Eno
Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...
, Giorgio Moroder
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...
, Art of Noise
Art of Noise (also the Art of Noise) were a British avant-garde synth-rock group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and ...
, Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (, ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; , ), was a Greek musician, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music. He composed ...
, Erik Satie
Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (born 17 May 18661 July 1925), better known as Erik Satie, was a French composer and pianist. The son of a French father and a British mother, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conservatoire but was an undi ...
, and Francis Lai
Francis Albert Lai (; 26 April 19327 November 2018) was a French composer, noted for his film scores. He won the 1970 Oscar for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film '' Love Story''. The ...
. Svein Berge has also stated that he is very fond of the production and programming skills of Datassette, who produced a remix of the Röyksopp single "Happy Up Here".
Röyksopp often include references and homages to their musical influences. For instance, "Röyksopp Forever" pays homage to famous electronica musicians from the 1970s, including, "the likes of Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (, ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; , ), was a Greek musician, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music. He composed ...
and these people, and Krautrock
Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...
, like Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup of the grou ...
and even Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
and King Crimson
King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...
."
Live performances
Röyksopp is known for its elaborate concert performances. Marc Hogan of Pitchfork Media said that "Those who have heard Röyksopp's two albums ... won't be surprised to learn the Norwegian duo's live set is much better and more raucuous than hunching next to the speakers at yer local Crate & Barrel". When performing live, the duo often appear in eccentric outfits. Ari Stein, of Electronic Beats, said, that during one particular live set, "Röyksopp returned with two separate encores, one which included Berge playing "Eple" with a space suit capsule on his head".
Discography
Studio albums
* '' Melody A.M.'' (2001)
* '' The Understanding'' (2005)
* '' Junior'' (2009)
* ''Senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
'' (2010)
* '' The Inevitable End'' (2014)
* '' Profound Mysteries'' (2022)
* '' Profound Mysteries II'' (2022)
* '' Profound Mysteries III'' (2022)
* '' Nebulous Nights (An Ambient Excursion into Profound Mysteries)'' (2024)
* '' True Electric'' (2025)
Reception and awards
Critical reception
In addition to sales success, Röyksopp has garnered generally positive reception from many music critics. The band has also been nominated for many prestigious awards, including multiple Spellemannprisen
The Spellemannprisen (also referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) is a Norwegian music award ceremony presented by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry#Local associations, IFPI Norge and :no:FONO, FONO. It was first awarded i ...
s and a Grammy
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
.
The tracks " What Else Is There?" and " Eple" were chosen among the top 500 tracks of the decade by Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...
and placed in 375th and 336th place respectively. Another track written by Röyksopp, Annie's " Heartbeat", was placed 17th on the same list. On 24 November 2009, '' Melody A.M.'' was named the best Norwegian album of the decade by Norway's largest newspaper, ''Verdens Gang
(), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norway, Norwegian Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, declining from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. Nevertheless, ''VG'' is ...
''.[Alt URL]
''The Understanding'' came 5th on the same list. In a ranking of the top 10 Norwegian tracks of the decade by VG, " Eple" and " What Else Is There?" were placed 3rd and 6th respectively.[Alt URL]
However, some criticism has been aimed at the repetitive nature of the band and the trip hop genre in general. Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
said that, "chill-out tends toward waiting-room music for plastic surgeons who really want you to order that butt implant. Where once öyksoppwere extolled for their subtle melodicism, here their schlock candidly attacks the jugular. If they're Air
An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
, Goldie
Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is an English music producer, DJ, and actor.
Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musi ...
was Tricky." Pitchfork Media, in their review of ''Senior'', said that "the kind of downtempo stuff that makes up the majority of Röyksopp's vocal-less compositions just doesn't hold up to concentrated, repeated listens like many other forms of instrumental electronic music."
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
Röyksopp
at Astralwerks
Astralwerks (or Astralwerks Records) is an American record label primarily focused on electronic music that is now owned by Universal Music Group. Its material is distributed via Capitol Music Group in the United States. The label was founded in ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royksopp
1998 establishments in Norway
Astralwerks artists
Electronic music duos
Norwegian ambient music groups
Norwegian dance music groups
Norwegian electronic music groups
Musical groups established in 1998
Musical groups from Tromsø
Norwegian remixers
Spellemannprisen winners
Norwegian synth-pop groups
Trip hop groups
Chill-out musicians
Downtempo groups
MTV Europe Music Award winners