The band SOYUZ, cult artist Asha Puthli and Swedish maestro Sven Wunder have joined forces for an exclusive production made especially for the Mr Bongo Record Club 7 compilation, which has now been shared as a stand-alone single too.

At the age of 79, Asha has embarked on her first-ever world tour, returning to the stage after over 40 years. The track that would go on to become this collaborative piece, started out in Minsk just a month before the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine and SOYUZ’s emigration to Poland. Spending time in the studio playing around with different instruments and recording ideas, SOYUZ’s Alex Chumak wrote the initially piano-driven track, influenced by Azerbaijani pianist and composer Vagif Mustafazadeh, with hints of Holger Czukay weaved within.

As longtime fans of Asha’s music, SOYUZ were incredibly excited about the prospect of a collaboration. Asha loved the demo, so the band recorded a proper studio session, sending it to her in Miami where she returned it with her mystical vocals, that as Alex explains “were like a revelation – strange and beautiful at the same time!”.

To conclude, Alex met the producer and composer Sven Wunder from Stockholm, whilst playing Sessa’s live band. After playing him the Asha track, Sven wrote a string arrangement that was recorded with the Stockholm Studio Orchestra and conducted by Erik Arvinder.

Lifting the track even further, subtle percussion by Anders Scherp and Anders af Klintberg delicately dusts the grooves. At just over two minutes it’s short, but oh-so-sweet, beautifully encapsulating Asha’s character and personality – playful, wise and serene, whilst also perfectly capturing SOYUZ’s cinematic, song-writing prowess and Sven Wunder’s distinctive style.

Listen to “Spring Has Sprung” here

Press Release courtesy of Only Good Stuff