Royksopp

Photos and Review by Jennie Book
@jenniebookphotography

The Warfield in San Francisco was the epicenter of a capacity-crowd experience on September 21, 2023, as the acclaimed electronic duo Royksopp took the stage. Ready with a setlist boasting 17 tracks, including standout collaborations with Robyn and Alison Goldfrapp, the night quickly turned into a theatrical and sonic journey.

The stage entrance alone was a spectacle. Five mysterious figures, cloaked in vivid orange attire that evoked a sci-fi dystopia, moved onto and around the stage like futuristic enigmas. Soon the cloaks fell on two of the figures, revealing the heart of the operation—Royksopp’s own Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland, who took their spots behind laptops and turntables. The remaining three dancers, identities hidden behind masks and the orange cloaks, maintained a mystical presence, gazing out onto the crowd.

Royksopp’s signature tracks, including the hypnotic “Impossible,” “Monument,” and the ethereal “What Else Is There?,” sent the crowd into a dance frenzy, doing what the duo does best and getting their fans hyped and happy.

Soon the orange cloaks came off and the figures underneath were revealed to be contemporary dancers, and they continued the show moving together and individually, adding drama and interest to the DJ set. The lighting design, matched to the music’s ebb and flow, transformed the stage into an evolving tapestry of colors and shadows and strobes, and along with the dancers added depth to what could have been an undynamic DJ set and turned it into a multisensory experience.

The happy dancing in the Warfield gave testament to Royksopp’s enduring relevance in the electronic music realm. And Berge and Brundtland’s catalog of timeless hits will continue being a beacon, drawing in new fans with every performance, which is a testament to their ability to craft music that is both introspective and danceable.