Norwegian producer Bjørn Torske will mark the 20-year anniversary of his solo career with Byen, his fifth solo album and first in eight years, out July 6 via Smalltown Supersound. 

The album was recorded over the past year at Torske’s home and studio in Bergen and finds the veteran musician fusing two distinct sides of his catalog: clubby, inviting house music, and side-long pastoral ambiance. 

Since the release of his last solo album, 2010’s elegant Kokning, Torske has kept busy with a steady drip of single and EP releases as well as reissues of his first two albums, 1998’s Nedi Myra and 2001’s Trøbbel, and last year’s collaboration with Prins Thomas, Square One. 

“Apart from having made this album entirely by myself, this was also more planned,” Torske states regarding the differences between Byen and Square One. “My collaboration with Thomas was pretty ad-hoc and messy in its conception, but this album is cleaner and more straightforward—more primed for the dancefloor.” 

Whereas much of Torske’s previous work (including 2007’s Feil Knapp) featured tracks that had been in gestation for years, Byen’s songs were recorded entirely within the confines of 2017.

Tracklisting

01. First Movement

02. Clean Air

03. Fanfatas

04. Chord Control

05. Gata

6. Night Call

07. Natta

Byen LP will land on July 6 via Smalltown Supersound with “Clean Air” streaming in full via the player below.