Royksopp
Melody A.M.

THE REVIEW

Grand debut for the then still underestimated Norwegian duo (hailing from the Arctic Tromso) composed of keyboardists Svein Berge and Torbjorn Brundtland. Right from the start, their sound, which ranges between sophisticated downtempo and relaxing ambient, appears refined and complete. The first track, So Easy, is an excellently executed sample with a hypnotic groove (perhaps the most significant of the album), well in line with the subsequent track Eple, even more elaborate and compelling than the previous one, which it follows with a suggestive magnetic rhythm. Then comes Sparks, a melodic and catchy approach to trip hop, followed by the calm and relaxing In Space with its clear ambient derivation, leading to Poor Leno, a dance experiment with echoes of '80s disco music. A Higher Place and Royksopp's Night Out blend, on one hand, ambient, Nordic hues nodding to fellow citizen Biosphere, and on the other, a powerful dance dynamism. Remind Me is probably the group's biggest commercial success up to that point, with multiple versions, all united by the warm voice of Erlend Oye. To conclude this bounty, She's So and 40 Years Back/Come, the first is a sampling of Love in Space, while the second is actually composed of two tracks in one, separated by a long interval of silence. The debut album of one of the most commendable electronic music bands is a triumph of sounds and experiments that has nothing to envy from the genre's pioneers. Let us not forget that the two Scandinavian prodigies use exclusively analog instruments, precisely because only in this way can they draw not only greater satisfaction from mastering sound manipulation but also additional versatility, a fundamental ingredient that gives vital energy to a genre, like electronic music, that more than ever needs to innovate.