Overview
Torbjørn Bruntland and Svein Berge began experimenting with electronic music in 1993 in their hometown of Tromsø, Norway. As schoolchildren, they would test out different devices from the local electronics shop, using them to make sounds and music and returning them when they felt they had exhausted the possibilities.
After finishing school the pair parted ways, but during a reunion a few years later, the old friends got to talking and the ideas behind their eventual moniker, Royksopp—and their first album under this name, Melody A.M. —were born. In 2001, Melody A.M. was released to critical acclaim, becoming both the No. 1 album in Norway and topping several top 40 charts in the UK.
Bruntland and Berge released three subsequent albums, The Understanding, Junior, and Senior, in 2005, 2009, and 2010, respectively. But, riding the coattails of a Grammy nomination for their EP, Do It Again, Royksopp announced that their fifth album, The Inevitable End, would be their last.
And for awhile, it was. In 2022, though, Bruntland and Berge revived Royksopp’s Instagram account and began teasing fans with elusive works of visual art, later announcing their return and two new projects, Profound Mysteries I and II.
The group’s eclectic, not quite pin-down-able sound, which vacillates between ambient, synth-pop, and house, has made them darlings of fans, critics, and music media alike. Unsurprisingly, their music is lauded in their home country, where they’ve earned four No 1 albums, as well as seven Spellemannprisen Awards, which are the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy Awards. Worldwide, they’re notable and recognized for their numerous tracks that join forces with various Swedish musicians, like Lykke Li, Astrid S., and Robyn, and after announcing their comeback, they’ve been featured in Billboard and have announced tour dates across Norway, Spain, and Greece.
