Norwegian duo
R÷yksopp compensated for the cold climes of their native Troms° by making some of the warmest, most inviting downbeat electronica of the new millennium, exemplified by early singles like
Eple and
Poor Leno. The pair,
Torbj°rn Brundtland and
Svein Berge, both grew up in Troms° and began recording in the early '90s. Local-made-good
Geir Jenssen (aka
Biosphere) provided tutelage and almost convinced the duo to record for R&S sublabel Apollo. After a few years apart,
Brundtland and
Berge met up again in Bergen and re-formed
R÷yksopp in 1998.
The group released a few singles on TellT, then signed up to the big beat label Wall of Sound. The
R÷yksopp debut was 2001's
Eple single; both "Eple" and another track ("Poor Leno") earned slots on over a dozen chillout compilations that year or the next. Their first full-length,
Melody A.M., appeared in late 2001. After spending a few years performing live and remixing artists including
Beck and
Annie,
R÷yksopp returned with new material in 2005; the single
Only This Moment heralded the summer release of the duo's second album,
The Understanding, which featured more traditionally structured songs than their earlier work. The live EP
R÷yksopp's Night Out appeared a year later, and the third album --
Junior, their most upbeat set -- came in March 2009. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide