Röyksopp’s ‘Melody A.M.’ is one of the most expensive vinyl sold in history
The debut album by Röyksopp, Melody A.M., has been revealed to be one of the most expensive vinyl records ever sold. The album was released in 2001 by the Norwegian ambient electronic duo, reaching number one in the album charts in Norway and number nine in the UK.
According to WeRaveYou, Melody A.M. is among the most expensive vinyl records ever sold on Discogs. The album is considered a seminal work in ambient electronica, leading to widespread popularity and culminating in a famous remix of Coldplay’s ‘Clocks’ in 2003.
A 2002 copy of the duo’s record with a cover drawn by Banksy sold for £8,477.25 on Discogs in 2019. That specific album version was a limited run of 100 pressed copies, hence its eye-watering price. Svein Berge told DJ Mag (via Stereogum) upon the album’s release: “The way we’ve always thought we should make music is to allow ourselves to be inspired by musical genres that are not necessarily related to electronic music.” Indeed there are several influences across the album which help to create its unique sound.
Berge added: “We are just as inspired by progressive rock and country music and R&B as we are by Detroit techno and deep house. For us, it’s a matter of landing all these things together, without making the references so obvious that they stick out to make a very unpleasant mix. It’s just a matter of finding the balance.”
Interestingly, Röyksopp used lots of equipment that they already owned rather than blowing the budget on high-tech gear. Berge said at the time: “The way that we have always worked is that we have a very limited amount of equipment – a lot of outboard analogue stuff. Stuff that we bought when we were kids, we still use that – we know it and love it. It was quite a lo-fi thing for us in that respect. It was recorded on the same equipment that we still use.”
