By the time of their graduation from underground scenesters to the talk of the European music press in 2006, it was multi-instrumentalists Fredrik Saroea (b. Bergen, Vestkysten, Norway) and Ketil Mosnes (b. Bergen, Vestkysten, Norway) that comprised this Norwegian funk and disco-inspired electro punk duo. They had conceived the band in 2000 during a rainy Bergen music festival with the help of former members Kevin O'Brien (b. USA) and Tom Mæland who joined soon afterwards. An obsession with primitive 80s computer technology, a unique and camp sense of humour and a number of stunning live shows in their trademark red hooded tops helped to establish Datarock as a name on the European club scene. Saroea's popular Bergen club night, "Fredrik's Wonderful Evening", also reinforced their reputation as purveyors of irony rich dancefloor-orientated pop. Although critics often mentioned the band in the same sentence as fellow Bergen exports Röyksopp and Kings Of Convenience, their sound was more immediate and much less subdued. They garnered increased press coverage in the UK when they were associated with the NME-created "new rave" scene, and a prestigious tour with London, England's Klaxons and Glasgow, Scotland's Shitdisco followed.
Mosnes and Saroea claimed to draw influence from Manchester, England's baggy pioneers the Happy Mondays as well as other acts that had successfully fused synths and guitars, such as Talking Heads and Devo. Their 2005 album debut was a direct, party-focused record that contained an interesting DIY ethos but sadly lacked the lyrical depth that had been prevalent in the music of their main influences. "I Used To Dance With My Daddy" was tied to a funky Happy Mondays groove, and "Fa-Fa-Fa" featured a fantastic African-influenced guitar break. However, the album was let down by the tongue-in-cheek, call-and-response disco of "Computer Camp Love" and the pun-filled "Nightflight To Uranus".
