Dick in Weird Places – Sunday Feature

(Editor’s note:  Obviously our focus here is on the music review side of things, but we’ve also been bouncing around some ideas for regular features.  James has his TGIF hodgepodge, Brian has his lazy Saturdays, and up to this point in the game, I’ve been featureless.  We’re going to attempt to throw some things against the wall and see what sticks. Our “Dick in Weird Places” feature will cover exactly what you think it will. We’ve established a strong readership in some unique and quirky places around the globe. Weekly, we’ll feature some of these culturally relevant specks on the map. We just want our readership to know that we notice and appreciate the support. Whether you’re in the arctic circle or making pasta in southern Italy, Citizen Dick is proud to have you on board. This feature is all about you.)

Tromso, Norway

The next time you rally the troops and load up the mini van for a weekend jaunt, be sure to let the kids see the quaintly beautiful Tromso, Norway. Located fifteen miles into the arctic circle, Tromso is nestled perfectly on the island of Tromsoya in Troms county (the northern Norwegians are all about keeping it simple and real and real and simple). It’s been inhabited since the ice age, and the staying power, no doubt, is in direct correlation to the carpentry industry. I bet you didn’t know that Tromso is the home of the largest collection of wooden framed houses in all of northern Norway, did you? When King Christian VII chartered Tromso as a honest-to-goodness town in 1794, dude was way ahead of the curve. While London was dealing with poverty and fires, Tromso’s inhabitants were building houses and braving the weather hardships in the North Pole to see things through. What started off initially as 80 cold-blooded folk has blossomed into a bustling 50,000 people, holding the fort down as Norway’s ninth most populous municipality.

Here in the Midwestern United States, I’m always awestruck when people talk about places of the globe that spend half the year with the lights turned off.  Tromso is one of those mythical places. From May to July, due to the close proximity to the North Pole, the town is blanketed in darkness and the sun goes away. The silver lining here is that there is also a huge period where the sun never sets. I’d imagine this is when the carpenters went to work back in the day and most of the Arctic hunting and trade brought the town to its modern day prominence. As far as weather patterns, it seems Tromso gets a little snow way up there in the arctic circle. Hell fell from the sky in late April of 1997 when 95 inches of the white stuff dusted the town, and while this was the highest on record, we sneakily suspect some of the old-school Tromsonians remember some of the slushy days before doppler radar. Climate and sunshine patterns aside, be sure to grab a beer somewhere near The University of Tromso (chicks galore), and catch a Tromso I.L. football game, as the team is the largest in the entire city.

Believe it or not, there’s more. Musically, Tromso holds its own well, all kidding aside. Some of the city’s most famous residents include musicians (we knew that because we’re adept and like to ski. Did you know this?) Although the great polar bear trapper and hunter, Henry Rudi, called Tromso home, more weight is traditionally given to the musical talent the town dishes out. For brevity’s sake, we won’t list all of the rock, black metal, and electronica artists of the Tromso past, but instead focus on one current rage in:  Royksopp.

All satire and journalistic schtick aside, Royksopp is a big deal in Europe and the US, and the duo has created albums of immense success. Their most recent release, Junior/Senior has predictably garnered plenty of hype and has been flying off record store shelves. The electronic duo  of Torbjorn Brundtland and Svein Berge grew up together in Tromso, and as most music fans are aware of, the Norwegian region has always been an excellent breeding ground for brilliant electronic experimentation. Royksopp has amassed plenty of praise and award nominations for their experimental sound and image. Our hope is that they’re good sports, and understand that much of the cultural importance of their hometown is present in their work. Tromso seems like an interesting place to write tunes.

When we woke up and saw our two eager readers in Tromso, we got a little excited. It’s good to know, first of all, that the internet is working way up there, and secondly that our arms are reaching outward across the globe.  To our two Tromso fans (could it actually be Royksopp?), thanks for the support. We’ll keep trying to crank out the goods for you.  If you would, please tell Santa Claus that we need a more dedicated server.

Enjoy Holy Fuck’s remix of Royksopp’s single, Happy Up Here:

Royksopp – “Happy Up Here (Holy Fuck Remix)”