Dance Hall: Röyksopp (DJ Set)

With their warm, organic take on downbeat, Norwegian duo Röyksopp survived the electronica boom of the early 2000s to become one of the most enduring electronic acts of their time. On early tracks like "Eple" and "Poor Leno," and their 2001 breakthrough debut album Melody A.M., they blended house, R&B, indie, and the atmospheres of IDM into more traditional downtempo sounds, and their use of multiple guest vocalists – including Robyn, Lykke Li, Alison Goldfrapp, Astrid S, Jamie Irrepressible, Karen Harding, Susanne Sundfør and more – further added to their versatility.  

The pair – Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge – both grew up in Tromsø and met through a mutual friend when they were in their early teens. Their shared love of electronic music led them to begin began recording in the early '90s. A major success in their homeland, where their first four albums topped the charts, Röyksopp were also an international success, hitting a mainstream peak in the late 2000s with 2009's guest-packed Junior and its introspective instrumental counterpart, 2010's Senior. Though they shied away from typical album-based releases after 2014's majestically melancholy supposed farewell The Inevitable End, Röyksopp continued to issue music in the form of singles, mixes, and collections such as 2021's Lost Tapes.  

In 2022, Röyksopp marked their return to the album format in a grand way. Released in April, Profound Mysteries introduced an expansive new project that comprised a full-length album with an accompanying short film and music visualizer. It turned out to be only the first in a three-album project with Profound Mysteries II and III following.