Erlend Øye
Erlend Øye in 2015
Erlend Øye in 2015
Background information
Birth nameErlend Otre Øye[1]
Born (1975-11-21) 21 November 1975
OriginBergen, Norway
GenresAlternative dance, electronic, indie folk, indie pop, synthpop
Occupation(s)Composer, musician, producer, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano
Years active1996–present
Labels!K7, Astralwerks, Bubbles Records, EMI, Service, Virgin

Erlend Øye (born 21 November 1975) is a Norwegian composer, musician, producer, singer and songwriter from Bergen, best known for being one half of the indie folk duo Kings of Convenience, along with Eirik Glambek Bøe. Among other musical projects he is front-man for the band The Whitest Boy Alive, and has contributed to tracks by electronic music artists such as Dntel and Norwegian duo Röyksopp. He is also the co-founder of the independent label Bubbles Records. Since 2012 he has lived in Sicily and played extensively with trio La Comitiva.

In addition to his native Norwegian, he also speaks English and some Italian.[2][3]

Biography

Bergen

Erlend Øye was born on 21 November 1975 in Bergen, his parents met in 1974 in a demonstration in support of the victims of the 1973 Chilean coup d'état against Salvador Allende that took place in Bergen, at which time his father read a poem, which allowed him to meet Øye's mother.[4] Having grown up listening to Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Suzanne Vega and The Smiths, during high school in the early-mid 1990s, he and some of his friends formed the band Skog ("forest" in Norwegian), taking inspiration from the famous song "A Forest" by The Cure. In 1996 he joined the band Peachfuzz as electric guitarist, playing several times in London between 1996 and 1998.

In 2008 he started to collaborate on a project with Mikal Telle of Tellé Records and they created the independent label Opplett with the aim of producing young talent from Bergen and the surrounding area. The label Opplett published three projects: the album Opplett 2008 that contains seven songs by seven different artists (as Lars Vaular, John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen and Razika, 2008); the first single of Indie rock band Razika called Love is All About the Timing; and the first album of the band Fjorden Baby!.

London

In 1998 he moved to London and then in 1999 to Manchester. When he was back home in Bergen for vacations he jammed with Eirik Glambek Bøe, his former high school and Skog mate. The duo formed Kings of Convenience in 1998 and released the debut record, Quiet is the New Loud, in 2001.

Berlin

In the same period, he collaborated with the electronic Norwegian duo Röyksopp, lending his voice for the song "Poor Leno" and "Remind Me" on the record Melody A.M.. As a result, he became interested in electronic music and spent the next years in Berlin from 2002 to 2006 or travelling around the world, recording his solo album Unrest in ten different cities with ten different electronic artists. He toured as a DJ, singing along with the records that he played and released a remix record for the DJ Kicks series in 2004. In the same year, Kings of Convenience released the second record Riot on an Empty Street. Meanwhile, he founded another project in Berlin, The Whitest Boy Alive. The band originally started as an electronic band, but slowly developed into a band with no electronic elements, releasing the debut record Dreams in 2006, while the latest record entitled Rules was released in 2009. Both the records were released by Bubbles Records, the independent label founded by Erlend Øye and Marcin Öz in 2006. In 2006, he appeared in the Italian movie Shooting Silvio acting as DJ during a house party. In 2009, Kings of Convenience released the third record Declaration of Dependence. In 2011 and 2013, he produced the records Hest and Six months is a long time by fellow Bergen band Kakkmaddafakka.

Sicily

In 2012, during a small concert organized in a vernissage in Ortigia in Sicily, he publicly stated that he had bought a house in the city of Syracuse to move there with his mother. In 2013, he released a new single, entitled La Prima Estate, sung in Italian and inspired by his time living in Italy, which is accompanied by a videoclip shot in Syracuse. He is currently working on more songs in Italian, which will be made into an album. In 2014, The Whitest Boy Alive announced the end of the project. On 3 October 2014, he released his second solo album Legao, recorded in Reykjavík with Hjálmar, a reggae group from Iceland, which was anticipated by the single Garota with a videoclip shot in Seoul. Despite currently living in Sicily, he is still involved in the Bergen music scene, promoting local bands and assisting the organization of the annual Traena Music Festival.

Chile

On numerous occasions Øye has visited Chile. His first presentation was in 2006, during his tour in South America. In 2017 he traveled to Chile to spend a season at the home of a close friend who lived in Santiago, where he mainly dedicated himself to composing songs on the ukulele. After playing at the "En Orbita" Festival, he met Tiare Galaz (a member of the Chilean band Niña Tormenta), who also played the ukulele. After talking with Tiare backstage, they agreed to meet another day to share their experiences on the instrument. After being invited to dinner the next day by Tiare, he met Diego Lorenzini, who brought him a chord notebook. Some time later, he was invited to a series of concerts of the Matiné Uva Robot, where he met musicians Rosario Alfonso and Javier Bobbert. In an interview with CNN Chile, he said "from that moment on we started to play regularly while I was in Chile. It was very surprising to see how the musical search of these four Chileans was very similar to what I was doing with the support band that I had formed with three Sicilian friends - called La Comitiva -, so I finally decided to invite them to open my tour of Germany together".[4] Chilean artists were invited to a tour with Øye through Europe, where he established a great friendship with Chilean musicians. During the summer of 2018, he returned to Chile to accompany the Swedish-Argentine singer-songwriter José González, and later accompanied Niña Tormenta, Diego Lorenizi and the band Salanca Selector at an outdoor concert in the Chilean town of Pirque. [5] In 2019 Øye collaborated with Diego Lorenzini in his song Me voy a Valparaíso from his album De algo hay que morir (UVA Robot, 2019). In late 2019, The Whitest Boy Alive announced a new series of performances in Chile and Argentina and in 2020 released the non-album single Serious, the project's first new material since 2009's Rules.[6]

Mexico

In the beginning of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Øye found himself stranded in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. In a hotel that came equipped with a recording studio, Øye and Sebastian Maschat, the drummer of Whitest Boy Alive, recorded the album Quarantine At El Ganzo.[7][8]

Discography

Albums

Year Album Artist Notes
2000 Kings Of Convenience Kings Of Convenience Duo with Eirik Glambek Bøe; limited release (North America only); many tracks reappear on Quiet Is The New Loud
2001 Quiet Is The New Loud
Versus Compilation of remixes, collaborations, and alternate versions
2003 Unrest Erlend Øye
2004 DJ-KiCKS: Erlend Øye Compilation in the style of a DJ mix; for the series by !K7 Records
Riot On An Empty Street Kings Of Convenience
2006 Dreams The Whitest Boy Alive Four-piece band, with Marcin Öz, Sebastian Maschat, and Daniel Nentwig
2009 Rules
Declaration Of Dependence Kings Of Convenience
2014 Legao Erlend Øye Recorded in collaboration with the Icelandic band Hjálmar
2020 Quarantine At El Ganzo Sebastian Maschat and Erlend Øye Recorded at a hotel in Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Peace Or Love Kings Of Convenience

Singles

Year Song Artist Album Notes
1999 "Brave New World" Kings Of Convenience Kings Of Convenience
"Failure"
"Toxic Girl"
2001 "Winning A Battle, Losing The War" Quiet Is The New Loud
"Toxic Girl" (alternate version) Re-issue; different tracklisting and artwork
"Failure" (alternate version) Re-issue; different tracklisting and artwork
2002 "Ghost Trains"[9] Erlend Øye Unrest
"Symptom Of Disease"[10]
2003 "Sudden Rush" Music video directed by Jarvis Cocker[11]
"Sheltered Life"
2004 "The Black Keys Work" DJ-KiCKS: Erlend Øye
"Misread" Kings Of Convenience Riot On An Empty Street
"Inflation" / "Dance With Me" The Whitest Boy Alive / Cosmo Vitelli Kitsuné Midnight Split 10" vinyl single promoting a compilation album by the label Kitsuné Music; early version of 'Inflation'
"I'd Rather Dance With You" Kings Of Convenience Riot On An Empty Street
"Know-How" Featuring Feist
2006 "Burning" / "Inflation" The Whitest Boy Alive Dreams Double A-side single; album version of 'Inflation'; 'Inflation' music video directed by Marcin Öz[12]
2007 "Burning"
2008 "Golden Cage" Music video directed by Mauro Vecchi[13]
2009 "1517" Rules
"Mrs. Cold" Kings Of Convenience Declaration Of Dependence
"Boat Behind"
2013 "La Prima Estate" Erlend Øye Non-album single Music video directed by Gabriele Galanti and Marcin Öz[14]
2014 "Garota" Legao Music video directed by Mike Beech (as 'Michael Beech')[15] ft. Lee Ha-na
"Fence Me In" Live studio session video filmed by Magnus Atli Magnusson
"Rainman" Music video directed by Clara Cebrian[16]
2015 "Estate" Onde Nostre: Guarda Dove Ti Ho Portato Originally by Bruno Martino; from the soundtrack for the documentary 'Peninsula', directed by Luca Merli[17]
2019 "Paradiso" Erlend Øye and La Comitiva Non-album singles Featuring Stargaze;[18] music video directed by Mike Beech[19]
"For The Time Being" Originally by Phonique
2020 "Valdivia" Featuring Stargaze; music video directed by Abril Shaw
"Serious" The Whitest Boy Alive

EPs

Year EP Artist Notes
1996 Tom Tids Tale Skog Four-piece band, with Anders Waage Nilsen, Øystein Gjærder Bruvik, and Eirik Glambek Bøe
2000 Playing Live In A Room Kings Of Convenience Limited release (France only); live session
2001 Magic In The Air
2010 Kings of Convenience's Live Acoustic Sessions – Milan 2009 Live session
2023 Winter Companion Erlend Øye Recorded in Mexico City January 2023

Collaborations and Guest appearances

Year Song Artist Release Notes
1997 "The Eternal" Skog Balance. From The Joy Division Reservoir Compilation album; originally by Joy Division
2001 "Talco Uno" Jollymusic Jolly Bar Featured vocalist, lyrics credit; music video directed by Scott Lyon[20]
"Poor Leno" Röyksopp Melody A.M. Featured vocalist, lyrics credit
"Remind Me" Featured vocalist, lyrics credit
2002 "No Train To Stockholm" Erlend Øye Total Lee! The Songs of Lee Hazlewood Compilation album; originally by Lee Hazlewood
"(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan (Safety Scissors Spilled My Drink Mix)" Dntel (This Is) The Dream Of Evan And Chan (EP, 12") Featured vocalist, lyrics credit
"I Shall Not Die" Ash Envy (Single, CD2) Guitar
"Last Christmas" Erlend Øye Seasonal Greetings Compilation album; originally by Wham!
2003 "Keep On Waiting" DJ Hell NY Muscle Featured vocalist
"The Partner" Ragazzi Friday Choir vocals; music video directed by Jeff Benefit[21]
2004 "A Place In My Heart" Star You Star Me Simple Things Featured vocalist, lyrics credit
"For The Time Being" Phonique Identification Featured vocalist; music video directed by Casper W. Rasmussen[22]
2005 "Lessons In Love" Kaos Hello Stranger Featured vocalist, lyrics credit
"Criticize" Marco Passarani Sullen Look Featured vocalist; credited as Orlando Occhio
"I've Been Waiting So Long" Korsakow Ears Featured vocalist and lyrics credit; credited as Orlando Occhio
"Friends And Lovers" Erlend Øye Friends And Lovers: Songs of Bread Compilation album; originally by Bread
"Cool My Fire" Ada Blondix 2 (Single, 12") Featured vocalist, guitar
"Sunlight's On The Other Side (Long Distance Love Affair)" Safety Scissors Sunlight's On The Other Side (Single, 7") Featured vocalist, guitar
"Breastbone" (alternate version) Featured vocalist, guitar
"Sunlight's On The Other Side" Tainted Lunch Featured vocalist, lyrics credit
2006 "S'kcorratiug" Schneider TM Škoda Mluvit Guitar
"All The Way To China" James Figurine Mistake Mistake Mistake Featured vocalist
"All Ears" Kompis Non-album single Featured vocalist, lyrics credit; uses elements of the song from Dreams
2007 "Casualties" Phonique Good Idea Featured vocalist, lyrics credit
2011 "Crush" Palmy 5 Featured vocalist
2014 "Flashed" Dena Flash Guitar, producer; music video directed by Chardchakaj Waikawee[23]
2019 "Me Voy A Valparaíso" Diego Lorenzini De Algo Hay Que Morir Co-vocalist[24]
2022 "Poesía Conspirativa" Diego Lorenzini Palabritas y Palabrotas Featured vocalist[24]

Other work

  • 2004 – Bart Davenport – Live at the Chabot House (A&R, artwork, recording)
  • 2006 – Berardo Carboni – Shooting Silvio (film) (Cameo role as DJ)
  • 2008 – Various Artists – Opplett 2008 (Producer)
  • 2011 – KakkmaddafakkaHest (Producer)
  • 2013 – KakkmaddafakkaSix months is a long time (Producer)
  • 2013 – KakkmaddafakkaSomeone New (Music video co-directed with Marcin Öz)[25]

Covers

Erlend Øye often performs significantly reworked versions of other bands' songs during his concerts, which is reflected in the vocal interludes on his mixtape album DJ-KiCKS: Erlend Øye. Among his most-played covers are:

Bands

References

  1. <Tore Ødegård> (ed.). "Erlend Otre Øye". www.proff.no. Proff Forvalt. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  2. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Erlend Øye • The Therapy Interviewz". YouTube.
  3. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Kings of Convenience on Store Studio". YouTube.
  4. 1 2 CNN Chile, Diego Lorenzini lanza single junto a Erlend Øye: Nos unen las ganas de mantener las cosas en escala pequeña e íntima Archived 30 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Erlend Øye suma otra fecha en Chile (sí, otra más)" [Erlend Øye added another date in Chile (yes, another one)] (in Spanish). 1 February 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  6. "The Whitest Boy Alive Reunite & Share "Serious," Their First New Song In 11 Years: Listen". Stereogum. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  7. "Stream Whitest Boy Alive Members' Album Quarantine At El Ganzo". Stereogum. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  8. "Erlend Øye On Kings Of Convenience's First New Album In 12 Years: "Will People Kill Us?"". Stereogum. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  9. "Erlend Øye - Ghost Trains". Discogs. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  10. "Erlend Øye - Symptom Of Disease". Discogs. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  11. Erlend Øye – Sudden Rush on YouTube
  12. The Whitest Boy Alive – Inflation on YouTube
  13. The Whitest Boy Alive – Golden Cage on YouTube
  14. Erlend Øye – La Prima Estate on YouTube
  15. Erlend Øye – Garota on YouTube
  16. Erlend Øye – Rainman on YouTube
  17. Erlend Øye – Estate on YouTube
  18. "Erlend Øye". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  19. Erlend Øye – Paradiso on YouTube
  20. Jolly Music feat. Erlend Øye – Talco Uno on YouTube
  21. Ragazzi feat. Erlend Øye – The Partner on YouTube
  22. Phonique feat. Erlend Øye – For the Time Being on YouTube
  23. Palmy feat. Erlend Øye – Crush on YouTube
  24. 1 2 Carrasco, María Paz (10 October 2022). "Palabritas y Palabrotas: Diego Lorenzini estrena su cuarto disco". La Rata (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  25. Kakkmaddafakka – Someone New on YouTube
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