Erot

Tore Andreas "Erot" Kroknes, who passed away in 2001 at the age of just 23, was one of the house scene's most promising artists in the late 90's and early 00's. His pioneering deep, dubby sound was well documented on releases such as "Song For Annie" and remixes for artists like Bertine Zetlitz, DK, Kings of Convenience and Mental Overdrive, and he also produced the classic pop single "The Greatest Hit" for his girlfriend Annie. Erot was also an important figure in the music scene in his home town Bergen, DJing alongside Bjørn Torske on clubs such as Agora and Kennel and contributing extensively to the renowned Tellé label; among other things, he was their in-house designer, and the Tellé logo and all the early sleeves were done by him (as well as loads of logos and posters for other Norwegian artists). Tore suffered from heart problems from birth, and tragically, this eventually demanded his life; in April 2001, he passed away after a prolonged illness. Stephan Grieder of the Svek label said to burntblue.com: "Tore was the only guy I ever asked to do remixes for Svek. He was so original in the way he did things and with his sound. He had such a big future, and we were all very shocked. He was just starting to produce his own music rather than just doing remixes, and it was just the beginning for him. It was very sad". His friend and colleague Bjørn Torske said this in an interview: "Tore wasn't only a close friend, but also a tremendous resource, both design-wise and musically. The process of making the sleeves, for example, has become so much more demanding now. All the knowledge and courage Tore had was an asset we don't have anymore. Without him, Tellé would never have existed".