Les Imprimés

Morten Martens has lived with music for most of his life, even when his name hasn’t been attached to it. For over 20 years, the Norwegian producer has worked quietly behind the scenes, shaping other people’s records and studying sound with a deep respect for form and craft. So it’s no surprise that his work as Les Imprimés feels fully realised – the result of a sonic dedication to 50s doo-wop and easy listening, 60s and 70s soul, the soft, velvety textures of the 80s, and the alt-rock aesthetic of the 90s and 2000s. Hip-hop is in his DNA too, emerging through airy rhythms, natural imperfections and a soothing aura.

Martens’ second and new album as Les Imprimés, «Fading Forward», feels like a summation: a sun-soaked LP carrying the weight of years spent absorbing grooves, melodies and emotional truth – honest and effective, brought together without preconceived genre boundaries. Deliberately untethered from time, Martens blends his influences into music that feels lived-in – nostalgic, but not too much – still firmly rooted in the present while acknowledging the past. He records with restraint, handling almost all the instruments himself and drawing on older studio practices where consistency creates cohesion. You can hear it in the way the album moves like one continuous melodic thought, rather than a playlist. Just as warm, analogue and human – nothing feels rushed or embellished.

Like many of his generation, Martens found his way back through sampling, tracing rap records back to old gospel, soul, jazz and funk on vinyl – music that once filled his childhood home. This sense of return runs through «Fading Forward», a thoughtful record about life’s complexity and the lessons that come with it.

“It’s a little bit about going into the future and leaving something behind along the way,” he says.

There’s darkness beneath the album’s bright surface too, and its depth only reveals itself when you listen to the lyrics. A good example is the opening chords of «Greatest Mistake», which slowly emerge and evoke the kind of old soul you put on when the clouds are low. Dig into the subject matter and you’ll realise he’s encouraging the listener to move on from past trauma. Another song, «Close My Eyes», uses galloping drums and soaring guitar to create something danceable, but the lyrics are about trying to please others – something that doesn’t work, no matter how hard you try, and sometimes you may be the problem yourself. The song doesn’t just point the finger at others; Martens takes responsibility for his own emotional unavailability. «Maybe I never let you in, my closet full of skeletons,» he reflects. «I expect you to understand the way I am.»

Still, the album isn’t overwhelmingly dark. Songs like «You and I» and «Get Lost» explore the sense of togetherness found in human relationships and in connecting with nature. The former presents romance as survival – a portrait of two people navigating life’s endless obstacles and choosing each other again and again. The latter captures, in part, the mental weight of small-town isolation and the desire to disappear into the landscape, but it’s also about escaping your own reality. The album’s closing track, «Paradise», drifts into a gentle calm – inspired by 50s Hawaiian soul – while also processing grief.

“I like the contrast between happy and sad. The music is very beautiful and lovely, but the lyrics perhaps aren’t,” Martens explains.

This contrast defines much of the album’s emotional power, and ultimately «Fading Forward» reflects both the LP’s emotional arc and Martens’ personal transition. Although Les Imprimés is still relatively new territory, this well-deserved spotlight marks an exciting shift from anonymity to vulnerability. Yet the music never sounds unsure. It moves with patience and clarity, guided by taste, experience and trust in feeling. «Fading Forward» is less about reinvention than arrival – the sound of an artist finally allowing himself to be heard.

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Listen (https://tidal.com/artist/25389696/u)

Sam Eagle is a UK-based songwriter. With his intricate songwriting and warm delivery, it’s easy to draw comparisons to artists such as Lucy Rose, Kings of Convenience and Madison Cunningham.

Eagle has received support from BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, NPR, Far Out Magazine and Mahogany, among others, and was named BBC Introducing Essex’ «Artist of the Year». He has performed at festivals such as SXSW, toured France and the Netherlands with Flyte, and played headline shows and festivals across the UK.

Now he’ll be opening for Les Imprimés at Parkteatret!

A valid form of ID is required at all our events. We only accept physical ID (passport, ID card or driving licence). Photo (Sam Eagle): Jasper Fell-Clark.

Venue: Parkteatret, Olaf Ryes plass 11, 0552 Oslo