WEST
HOLLYWOOD, CA - Röyksopp was written in big bold white letters above
the back of the stage. It looked more than a little like a Volkswagen logo.
But this band is a Norwegian import, not a German one. And though
krauty at times, Röyksopp is all about dance floor movement, not practical,
efficient transportation. All those accented ones waiting in line outside
the club before tonight's show provided clear evidence that Röyksopp
attracted more than a few transplanted Norse to this LA venue. And up until
that moment when two wannabe actresses started talking shop next to me
in line, I was beginning to feel like I was the real outlander.
 Röyksopp
is the electronica dance duo of Svein Berg and Torbjorn Brundtland, but
instead of taking on the appearance of two mad scientists (like, say, The
Chemical Brothers), these two musician/composers dress in casual T-shirts
and jeans, and jump around like two caffeine-fueled lab rats. Berg alternated
between banging on percussion instruments and playing various keys, while
Brundtland stuck to his synth stack along with contributing the occasional
altered vocal. Brundtland's singing sounded like "Trans" era Neil
Young. Berg only rarely addressed the audience, and sometimes when he did
this his voice was altered. Wet with affects, he chose to make himself
sound like low-frequency Barry White, rather than imitating high-pitched
Neil Young.
Obviously,
vocals are merely just one more aural element in the mix, as this outfit
is hardly at all focused on singing. They've been dubbed downbeat electronica
in some quarters, but there was nothing at all depressive about the music.
Through enthusiastic dance grooves, one could pick up on Bo Diddley-inspired
beats in a few places, and more than a couple of New Order influenced arrangements
sprinkled here and there. At one point, the morphing Röyksopp even
sounded like robot Bossa nova. They brought on live bassist Ole Vegard
Skauge a few times throughout their set, but since he only played rudimentary
lines, his appearance seemed questionable at best. Especially since this
outfit's hi-tech setup was already doing a much better job of cloning the
funk accurately.
Royksopp
appears to be one sturdy vehicle. Who knows, maybe it will even achieve
the same staying power as those eternally young Volkswagens already have.
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