“‘Profound Mysteries II’ is a direct continuation of the first instalment.
Reoccurring themes such as love & loss, despair & reconciliation, is
wrapped up in an esoteric nod to those artists and genres that
shaped us in our formative years.” - Röyksopp (Svein Berge &
Torbjørn Brundtland) Electronic pop trailblazers Röyksopp announce the second part to
their expansive ‘Profound Mysteries’ project, ‘Profound Mysteries II’.  Berge and Brundtland describe ‘Profound Mysteries’ as the biggest
undertaking of Röyksopp’s career. It both encapsulates the unique
sound they’ve spent decades honing and expands on it. It’s a bold
look to the future, and an homage to the artists, genres and musical
movements that first inspired them. It’s a project they’ve spent their
whole lives making (the oldest ideas date back to the early days of
Röyksopp, literally using MIDI data first composed by the band when
they were teenagers in the 1990s), and it’s brand new. Back in those early days, pioneers Berge and Brundtland immersed
themselves in the Tromsø techno scene, a pivotal era in Norway’s
electronic music history, and later formed Röyksopp during another
fertile creative period known as the Bergen Wave; many of the artists
who emerged in both scenes became vital creative partners
throughout Röyksopp’s career. Their debut album, ‘Melody A.M.’
(released in 2001), would become a breakout success from the scene
and led to an influential career that has taken in five studio albums,
dozens of international hit singles, and numerous GRAMMY, BRIT
nominations and Spellemannprisen awards. This is all without
mentioning a raft of acclaimed remixes for artists including Depeche
Mode, Beck, Lady Gaga and Coldplay, and their production and
songwriting work, or their timeless collaborations with the likes of
Robyn, Lykke Li, and The Knife/Fever Ray’s Karin Dreijer Andersson. ‘Profound Mysteries’ is characterised by its wealth of collaborations.
As always, Berge and Brundtland wrote, performed, and engineered
the majority of the record together in Norway, though their
collaborations span the world. On ‘Profound Mysteries’ Röyksopp
recorded string and woodwind in New York, Berlin, and Paris, while guest vocals come from both familiar artists in the Röyksopp universe (Susanne Sundfør) as well as new additions (Allison Goldfrapp, Beki Mari, Astrid S, Karen Harding, Pixx and Jamie Irrepressible).