On Langeleik, two pioneers of alternative pedal-steel meet across oceans, time, and temperament. Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Geir Sundstøl and London-based pedal-steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte merge the instrument’s 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. Geir and Joe got in touch in 2016 when Joe, exploring beyond his usual listening habits, stumbled upon Geir’s debut Furulund. Struck by its hypnotic slide melodies, he reached out.

A musical friendship grew through years of conversation, sharing curiosities and visiting each other’s studios in Oslo and London.In August 2024, during a break from touring with Susanne Sundfør, Joe travelled to Oslo. What began as “five days to do something with two pedal-steel guitars” at Studio Intim became a full-length record. “We decided almost nothing in advance,” says Joe. “We just started playing.” For Geir, who usually spends eighteen months on an album, this fast and intuitive process was a revelation. “Joe 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.” Most of the music was written in the studio, born out of improvisation and mutual listening. “I think when you play with a musician who is as good a listener as Geir then magical things can happen. It’s 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” says Joe.

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. “It encourages the same deep listening which was necessary for its creation,” Joe says. “This is not an album of instant gratification - it’s an album to do nothing with. A companion for reverie.”

Featuring guest appearances by Erland Dahlen, Jo Berger Myhre, Anders Engen, and poet Ivar Orvedal, Langeleik 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.

Tracklisting:
1. Tana
2. Otra Mantra
3. Lea Dub
4. Ribbes
5. Rørvikelva
6. Bleikstranda
7. The Tyburn
8. Tista lengter
9. Der elvene møtes

Hubro

Geir Sundstøl & Joe Harvey-Whyte 'Langeleik'