The Bergen Wave (Norwegian: ''Bergensbølgen'') is an expression often used by Norwegian media regarding the city of

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, as a platform for the development of modern music, illustrating a period in time where a new generation of artists from Bergen "took over" the musical landscape in Norway.

History

The expression was initially used in the early 1990s and would later re-emerge several times throughout the 2000s. The "Bergen Wave" is mostly a name coined by the mass media, while the artists themselves have expressed distaste for the term and consider it a cliché. Several artists from the "Bergen Wave" gained international breakthroughs, an uncommon feat for Norwegian music at that time. Much of this success came from the focus that particularly British music press put on bands such as

Röyksopp Röyksopp () a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø formed in 1998. The duo consists of childhood friends Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland who formed Röyksopp during the Bergen Wave. After experimenting with different Electronic Mu ...

and Kings of Convenience, and on the small Bergen-based record label Tellé Records. Many of the artists shared an independent approach to promoting their music, often relying on networking and word-of-mouth reputation rather than the aid of major music labels to help with their breakthrough. Musically, several of the bands shared a low-key melancholic tone, regardless of genre.Ham, Anthony, et al
Norway
p. 52 (Lonely Planet 2008) Towards the end of the 1990s, Tellé Records and its sub-labels started releasing singles by then-unknown artists such as

, Annie, Ralph Myers & The Jack Herren Band, Erot and Kings of Convenience. A majority of the singles were picked up by music press and major labels abroad, leading to the international recognition of Bergen's music scene. The success of the Bergen-based artists of the nineties gave the scene a confidence boost and, as a result, a new wave of artists and labels quickly emerged. The "second wave" of artists were notably represented by

Sondre Lerche Sondre Lerche (; born 5 September 1982) is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. His discography includes ten studio albums and multiple EPs. Early life Growing up in a suburb of Bergen, Lerche was heavily influenced by 1980s pop. ...

Datarock Datarock is a Norwegian electronic rock band. The band, known for wearing red jumpsuits, formed in 2000. Original personnel were Fredrik Saroea, Ketil Mosnes and Kevin O'Brien, who soon hired Tom Mæland. O'Brien and Mæland later left the band, ...

Magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...

, Ane Brun, Casiokids, Matias Tellez and Ungdomskulen.Ketil Mosnes on behalf of Brak, "An introduction to the music scene in Bergen" http://www.brak.no/bergenmusic/

Notable artists

* Kings of Convenience *

* Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band * Annie * Bjørn Torske * Erlend Øye * Rubies * Familjen *

King Midas Midas (; ) was a king of Phrygia with whom many myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house. His father was Gordias, and his mother was Cybele. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek m ...

* Evil Tordivel * Razika * Pogo Pops * Poor Rich Ones *

Ephemera Ephemera are items which were not originally designed to be retained or preserved, but have been collected or retained. The word is etymologically derived from the Greek ephēmeros 'lasting only a day'. The word is both plural and singular. On ...

Nathalie Nordnes Nathalie Nordnes (born 22 November 1984, in Bergen) is a Norwegian singer. She released her first album on Virgin Records in 2003, and her fourth album in November 2011. Most of her recorded output is sung in English. Her debut album ''Hush Hush ...

* Kakkmaddafakka * Casiokids * Fjorden Baby! * John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen * Lars Vaular * Young Dreams * Real Ones * Popium * Sister Sonny

References

{{reflist

External links

Interview with Mikal Telle
Music in Bergen

History

Notable artists

See also

References

External links