«OUR MUSIC IS A PLACE YOU CAN GO TO…»
Torbjørn Brundtland parked his car at Last Gas Station (the girl and the robot were sitting in the back seat) and talked about the fantasy world of Röyksopp.
Now, we are “happy up here”!
Is it true that you often tell lies during interviews?
Lies is a very harsh word. I think that sometimes we feel that reality is too boring. So we add some colour to reality. Because when somebody asks us how we meet up with Robyn I think it’s more romantic or interesting to say that we met while flying on an air balloon over the Ural mountains than to say we sent an e-mail to each other.
Is this your goal in your music too: to colour reality with electronic sounds?
Yes, it’s a bit like that. Because there is something which is called escapism and there is kind of a negative thing to it, like trying to escape from reality. But I think it is really important to escape reality. Because reality is not what it should be. There are so many problems in the world. I think to take a rest is natural like eating or sleeping.
What makes you angry in the real world?
There are many real things that make me angry but I will leave it to someone else to discuss. So, I would say something funny: It makes me angry when I listen to rock music that uses auto-tune in the vocals. It makes sense sometimes in electronic music, but when it comes to rock-punk bands that makes me really angry…
After “Junior” you are planning to release a second new album. Why did you decide to release 2 albums in one year?
It’s because we have such a feeling of creativity these days and we just make so much music. At the beginning we had the idea of having a double album but finally we decided that in 2009 people don’t have the time to listen to a whole double record. That was happening back in the ‘70s when people had more time. Now, things have changed. “Junior” reveals the pop side of Royksopp with lots of vocals. The second album “Senior” (it will be released next winter) is more instrumental and shows a different side of us. It’s a bit darker and more experimental, but it’s still catchy.
What’s your opinion about Internet?
I think it is reflected in how we made “Junior”. Because every track on the album is like a little world of its own and it works really well separately. So, you can pick up any track you like and download it. Nowadays people are more interested in single tracks than they are in albums.
Why is this happening?
There’s so much music out there that it’s impossible to be heard. People only pay attention to the tracks. That’s why most of the new albums fail to succeed.
Do you bother when people download your music illegally?
No. Just let me say that I can understand. But also, there’s a lot of hypocrisy when people buy expensive shoes just to be cool and they just won’t give 1 euro to buy a single track and support the artist. That’s hypocrisy.
What is your source of inspiration?
I think this is a cliché answer. But everything inspires us. Not just listening to music, but talking about ideas and sharing our fantasies. Anything can inspire us: a beautiful day, being with people we love or drinking good wine. It’s important for us to feel that we are in harmony, that we are in the right place. This is where we want to be and that’s when we’re making good music.
Why did you name your group after a mushroom species?
It’s a long story. I will try to make it shorter. We were playing years ago with a bass guitarist. We had a bass line which I still remember to this day. And we were saving the recordings on the computer. When you work too fast, sometimes you give stupid names to the files you save. We just chose Royksopp because the sound was dirty and… mushroomy. Later, when we were going to sign with Wall of Sound, I asked the guys “What do you think about our name?”, because we were a bit worried that such a difficult name might discourage people from getting to know our music. And they answered us: “Don’t worry. People in England are not going to understand the word, but the word sounds like the name of a distant place somewhere up in the North”. I thought that was kind of poetic: that our music is a place you can go to…
What does commercially successful mean to you?
It means that we can continue, that we are in a position where we can devote ourselves in making music. Because we know we’re not gonna starve, so we can concentrate on our mission. I think it’s the best thing that could happen to us.
What makes you feel bored?
I’m not so bored these days. When you are bored it’s your own fault. Sometimes when I feel that I want something and at the same time I don’t want anything, that’s when I’m feeling bored.
Now you have to choose: the Girl or the Robot?
Can I have both, please?
What makes you happy?
Love and money!
Röyksopp will perform live this Friday June 19th at Ejekt Festival in Athens.
