Trentemøller

Danish electronic rock musician Anders Trentemøller has continually expanded his sound with his ambitious full-lengths as well as his live shows, which often incorporate a full band. Initially known for releasing deep house and minimal techno 12″s, he made his full-length debut with the 2006 double-album The Last Resort, which spanned styles such as trip-hop, dub techno, and post-rock. Subsequent albums such as 2013′s Lost and 2019′s Obverse leaned heavily toward dark new wave and dream pop, and the artist’s compilations, such as the Harbour Boat Trips series, shone a spotlight on these influences. The psychedelic-leaning Dreamweaver appeared in 2024. Based in Copenhagen, Trentemøller made his debut in 1997, DJ’ing the local club circuit and occasionally performing live. After a self-imposed hiatus spanning several years, he returned with his own productions, which quickly grabbed the ear of the then-red-hot house label Naked Music. His self-titled debut EP (released in 2003) was well received and won praise from DJs and clubgoers. This led to a series of 12″ singles on such labels as Audiomatique and Tic Tac Toe before Trentemøller found a home on Germany’s esteemed Poker Flat, where he released a series of critically acclaimed singles. His ambitious, moody double-disc album The Last Resort was released in 2006 on Poker Flat. The album featured an increased usage of non-electronic instruments, as well as many downtempo and ambient tracks, and it received much praise. In 2007, Audiomatique issued The Trentemøller Chronicles, a double-CD retrospective of his non-album work up to that point, including tracks from singles and EPs as well as remixes for Robyn, Moby, and the Knife. Also in 2007, Trentemøller assembled his first live band and performed in the United States for the first time, as well as at several European festivals. In 2009, HFN released Trentemøller’s Harbour Boat Trips 01: Copenhagen, a mix that primarily contained indie rock and folk rather than electronic music. Into the Great Wide Yonder, issued on Trentemøller’s In My Room label, followed in 2010 and was even more removed from the dancefloor than his first full-length. He continued his successful touring schedule, with his live band that featured up to seven members. Reworked/Remixed, a double-CD collecting further remixes released since The Trentemøller Chronicles, arrived in 2011, as did Trentemøller’s installment of the LateNightTales compilation series. These were followed by 2013′s Lost, a song-oriented indie rock-influenced effort that featured guest appearances from Jana Hunter, Marie Fisker, and slowcore group Low. A remixed version of the album, Lost Reworks, appeared in 2014. Fixion, Trentemøller’s fourth studio album, followed in 2016 and continued in a similar vein, with its heavily post-punk-influenced lead single “River in Me” featuring vocals from Savages’ Jehnny Beth. 2019′s Obverse saw him move even farther away from the club. Recorded first and foremost as a studio project, utilizing all the resources of that environment without any thought of having to perform it live, the album combined elements of dream pop, shoegaze, synthwave, and Krautrock and featured several guest vocalists including Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell and Warpaint’s Jenny Lee Lindberg. The trend of moving toward shoegaze and darkwave continued on his sixth album, 2022′s Memoria, which was inspired by the dissolution of a difficult relationship. Dreamweaver, another dark, wintry synth rock effort, appeared in 2024. ~ Rob Theakston & Paul Simpson