Röyksopp "True Electric" takes over the Metro - Chicago

Norwegian spelling: Röyksopp

In 2006, at the height of my pre-teen mind and self-discovery, I was acclimating fully and diving headfirst into early 2000s pop culture. At the time, nothing was more important than keeping up to date with the latest technology…flipping that hot pink Razr for all of the others to gawk at and strapping it to the side of your hot pink Juicy Couture jumpsuit. It was also a time where every single girl had to keep up with the pop princesses of the times…my favorite one after the Olsen twins had announced their official retirement from acting in 2004 was Lindsay Lohan. In 2006, she starred alongside Chris Pine in a romantic comedy, Just My Luck, whose soundtrack introduced me to the likes of Norwegian electronic duo, Röyksopp.

The first song I was acquainted with was “Only This Moment” which had been a single off of their second album “The Understanding” from the year prior.

This past weekend, Röyksopp performed at Chicago’s staple venue, The Metro, located in Wrigleyville. The show was an unbelievable collection of old versions and remastered tracks. Audiences traveled near and far to be able to be a part of this moment…

See what I did there?

Some ventured out hundreds of miles out of the way to dance in the city whose heartbeat continues to beat in electronic waves. Like many people who are out of the loop as it relates to premier electronic music discovery, Royksopp has been around since 1998.

There is a clever reason behind the moniker for it literally translates to a “puffed mushroom” to resemble or imply that listening to Röyksopp could result in an atomic blast, covering the masses under a puffed cloud of smoke…I can’t help but associate this with the smoking caterpillar from Disney's Alice in Wonderland, but I digress.

Their music can be described as an ethereal blend of various subgenres extending from ambient downtempo house to synth-pop indie music.

The set included a good symbiotic tone of somber melodies intertwined with the likes of upbeat, danceable thrashes; most tracks could be easily identified from the likes of “Profound Mysteries” and “The Inevitable End” and only one song from the deep archives of “The Understanding”.

Many people danced and embraced the old flow melodies of the past while bopping rhythmically to the new. Röyksopp set their DJ stage in a way that it circled the audience and it essentially morphed into a giant, strobe-lit bear hug.

Usually before I go see an artist live, I will go down a rabbit hole of recent releases, singles and the full scope of the discography typically losing myself in the ambiance, the nostalgia and the rhythm of the music. This band brings me back to a time where life was not only simple, but it was utterly exciting; the zapping of my pre-teen neurons resurfaced a similar tinge of excitement from the past…reminding me how precious and interesting life can be, how music taste morphs and matures, but still finds its way back to its primary roots. I’d say that cultivating those roots and reviving them from time to time is an essential part of healing and an unnerving form of therapy that I think more people should tap into.

A recent remix of “Like An Old Dog” by Enrico Sangiuliano really intrigued me and Röyksopp actually included this very remix as a part of their set, closing out the show with this beloved banger.

To check more of Röyksopp or discover their music for the very first time, check out their discography below: