Bleep

Of all the ground-breaking releases of the early 2000s, few come as seismic – and ironically underrated – as Norwegian duo Röyksopp’s 2001 debut, Melody AM. You’ll naturally have heard its lead single ‘Eple’, a gorgeous track of intricate synth-n-sample interplay, measured by a gloriously laid back downtempo rhythm. It’s a handy introduction to the beautifully languid character of most of the album, with the likes of ‘Sparks’ and ‘She’s So’ ranking among chill-out’s most horizontal essentials. But that’s only one side of the coin; the cheeky self-reflexivity of ‘Röyksopp’s Night Out’ and the bouncy shadowplay of ‘A Higher Place’ traces out a noir-ish B-movie atmosphere.