<\/p>\n
On\u00a0Langeleik<\/em>, two pioneers of alternative pedal-steel meet across oceans, time, and temperament. Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Geir Sundst\u00f8l\u00a0and London-based pedal-steel player\u00a0Joe Harvey-Whyte\u00a0merge the instrument\u2019s ghostly resonance with field recordings, ambient drones and vintage synths to create a sound that feels as fluid and alive as the rivers that inspired it.<\/strong><\/p>\n Geir and Joe got in touch in 2016 when Joe, exploring beyond his usual listening habits, stumbled upon Geir\u2019s debut\u00a0Furulund<\/em>. Struck by its hypnotic slide melodies, he reached out. A musical friendship grew through years of conversation, sharing curiosities and visiting each other\u2019s studios in Oslo and London.<\/p>\n In August 2024, during a break from touring with Susanne Sundf\u00f8r, Joe travelled to Oslo. What began as \u201cfive days to do something with two pedal-steel guitars\u201d at\u00a0Studio Intim<\/strong>\u00a0became a full-length record. \u201cWe decided almost nothing in advance,\u201d says Joe. \u201cWe just started playing.\u201d<\/p>\n For Geir, who usually spends eighteen months on an album, this fast and intuitive process was a revelation. \u201cJoe works spontaneously. I usually tinker with tiny detail for days. The two different work forms are equally good, I guess. You gain some, and you loose some by spending months on a song.\u201d<\/p>\n Most of the music was written in the studio, born out of improvisation and mutual listening. \u201cI think when you play with a musician who is as good a listener as Geir then magical things can happen. It\u2019s that kind of listening which makes you so deeply present in what is happening in the moment that you can unlock the mysteries of the music which is coming out of you\u201d\u00a0 says Joe.<\/p>\n The pair used Geir\u2019s treasure-trove of instruments: Moog synthesizers, vintage amps, drum machines, an antique Optigan organ \u2014 and countless left-handed guitars. Their dialogue flowed freely, alternating between cinematic drones, fragile folk motifs and subtle rhythmic pulses.<\/p>\n Many of the compositions are named after rivers, places where sound and movement merge. Joe\u2019s travels in Lofoten and along East London\u2019s Lea River informed the record\u2019s atmosphere. \u201cWhen I listen to the album I hear the ocean and rivers,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a deep love of Norway. From hitchhiking from London to Troms\u00f8 in search of the Northern Lights when I was 18, to touring the length of the country with Susanne Sundf\u00f8r, adventuring in Lofoten and now making this record in Oslo with Geir.\u00a0I have spent a lot of time getting to know the country and forging emotional connections with the people and the landscape.\u00a0 \u00a0Sonically this record is less typically \u201cambient\u201d or \u201camericana\u201d than other records in my recent catalogue.<\/p>\n It feels Norwegian to me.\u201d<\/p>\n The track \u201cr\u00f8rvikelva\u201d stands out to them both. Joe had a melody that he played on the optigan (an optical keyboard), and Geir added a steel guitar intro when they felt the song needed something more.Geir then remembered he had an unused track by the poet Ivar Orvedal, that would fit perfectly to their song. \u201cThe words are about things can be art even if it\u2019s not discovered, and that books are a great hiding place for things that doesn\u2019t want to be found. I think.\u201d\u00a0Says Geir. \u201cIvar\u2019s spoken word piece on R\u00f8rvikelva is a deeply moving piece for me.\u201d Says Joe \u201cHis intonation and words feel appropriate for the cutting room floor reality of how this piece came to be.\u00a0Suddenly this piece which was ready for the trash came back to life.\u201d<\/p>\n From the sound of dark alleyways and urban meanders to blissfully serene waters and oceanic drones; throughout the album there remains a unity in its sense of movement. \u201cIt encourages the same deep listening which was necessary for its creation,\u201d Joe says. \u201cThis is not an album of instant gratification – it\u2019s an album to do nothing with. A companion for reverie.\u201d<\/p>\n Featuring guest appearances by\u00a0Erland Dahlen<\/strong>,\u00a0Jo Berger Myhre<\/strong>,\u00a0Anders Engen<\/strong>, and poet\u00a0Ivar Orvedal<\/strong>,\u00a0Langeleik <\/em>captures the rare chemistry between two musicians who has created an album that sounds more like nature: we slow down the tempo and let the instruments mirror the wind and the river flowing by.<\/p>\n The album will be released on CD, LP and digitally on January 31, 2026. And the release concert will be on Victoria Nasjonaje Jazzcene on January 30th.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On\u00a0Langeleik<\/em>, two pioneers of alternative pedal-steel meet across oceans, time, and temperament. Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Geir Sundst\u00f8l\u00a0and London-based pedal-steel player\u00a0Joe Harvey-Whyte\u00a0merge the instrument\u2019s ghostly resonance with field recordings, ambient drones and vintage synths to create a sound that feels as fluid and alive as the rivers that inspired it.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":42478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[36],"product_tag":[8110,8136],"class_list":{"0":"post-42476","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-hubro","7":"product_tag-geir-sundstol","8":"product_tag-joe-harvey-whyte","9":"uni_artist_tag-geir-sundstol","10":"uni_artist_tag-joe-harvey-whyte","11":"uni_main_artist_tag-joe-harvey-whyte-geir-sundstol","12":"uni_artist_genre-ambient","13":"uni_artist_genre-americana","14":"uni_artist_genre-jazz","16":"first","17":"instock","18":"taxable","19":"shipping-taxable","20":"purchasable","21":"product-type-variable"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grappa.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/42476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grappa.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grappa.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grappa.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grappa.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grappa.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grappa.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=42476"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grappa.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=42476"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grappa.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=42476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}