Album Notes

ABOUT NORTHERN ROOMS:

Northern rooms can be described as Scandinavian
chillout and ambient. One usually associates ambient
with Sunsets in Ibiza – Northern Rooms sets itself apart
by having a melancholia unexpected in the ambient genre.
You sense the winter, a yearning for summer and the
introspective– all of which put together gives the album a unique Scandinavian vibe.

The album has taken 3 years in the making and creates a series og different moods and moodsettnings. Analog synths, peculiar distinctive guitar and dusty hip hop beats create the sound base of the tracks.
The sound is “classic electronic”: Würlitzer, Moog and Arp combined with acoustic and electric guitar. Samples from old vinyl records creates a warm and melodious soundscape,- that allow you to dream and drift away.

A calm and soothing album that takes you on a journey into the sounds of Scandinavian ambient and chillout. The words warm, soft and thoughtful sum up the feel of “Northern Rooms”.


ABOUT MINDTRAP:

Comedian + fusion guitarist + pop enthusiast = Instrumental ambient

It all started in 1996 when Jan Elhøj, Steen Grøntved and Troels Dalgård began producing Rn’B in a small studio in Copenhagen. Jan programmed drum samples from old records and Troels and Steen joined in with keyboard and guitar.

The three of them had different backgrounds as musicians and producers. Before they started the collaboration – Mindtrap – Jan had got the idea for the hit “No Tengo de Nero” by Los Umbrellos. He also produced tracks for a number of (international) hip hop artists during this time. Steen and Troels had just sold a track to Danser med Drenge – and were both active on the Danish music scene playing in several bands.

Jan, Troels and Steen joined forces because of their love for analog vintage instrument samplers - their starting point was a combination of hip hop beats and melodic elements. After a year of working together they moved the studio to rented office spaces in Los Angeles where they worked with rappers and song writers,- this is where they developed their unique sound whilst writing songs for Karen and Søren Sko (amongst others). When they returned to Copenhagen Jan got his breakthrough doing satire on tv and radio and Steen and Troels kept on working with music – also expanding their style and genre into house and electro.

In 2003 the 3 of them met up again and decided to go back to their roots and original sound focusing exclusively on instrumental ambient and chillout. Thus their common passion for dusty beats, analougue synth and simple melodic themes founded the basis for the sound of their new release: “Northern Rooms”.