Åyusp Varmelodi

The title of Varmelodi translates from the Swedish word for ‘spring melody’. It’s the kind of soundtrack you’d want to hear while spending a few hours embracing the rise of the summer sun over Birchover’s Nine Ladies stone circle to herald the summer solstice. The album comes in radio and full-fat versions, but it’s the ten-minute-plus excursions that bring the greatest joy.

It’s a skill to make a track that exceeds ten minutes without becoming repetitive, boorish or self-indulgent, but Åyusp have succeeded once again to steer clear of such pitfalls. Varmelodi has the classic influences of German icons Harmonia and Neu!, but manages to add an unobtrusive four-to-the-floor beat to make this as comfortable at a rave as it would be at home.

The production is warm and rich, gilded by the mastering talents of Dean Honer (I Monster and Moonlandingz). The Sheffield collaborations continue with the artwork – Cobalt Chapel maestro and the other half of I Monster, Jarrod Gosling, created the sleeve.

The third track sees the duo of Paul Mills and Graham McElearney revisit their ‘Strange Pathways’ track with Animat on remix duty. Animat take the original and turn it into a new and beautiful dubbed-out lounge masterpiece.

The release is dedicated to Paul and Graham’s friend and fellow musician Michael Harding, who passed away at the start of 2021. This is a wonderful tribute and with any luck live dates will be announced soon, as these tracks deserve to be played out across fields and venues, over the solstice and beyond.