YUP Instrumental - Opus 1 (2024)

One of our most important rock bands of the early 1990s and 2000s, YUP, returns as an instrumental band. The prolific rock band made a significant impact on Finland's musical landscape during their active years with their distinctive and versatile sound and the lyrics and vocals of lead singer Jarkko Martikainen. The band took influences from punk, jazz, folk music and progressive rock, among others. YUP Instrumental will release their new single Rähinää, feileniä digitally today on Kaskelotti Records. The song is available on streaming services from today.

YUP went on an indefinite hiatus in 2009, by which time its members had gradually moved on to their own musically diverse projects. YUP Instrumental now continues YUP's artistically ambitious expression by focusing on instrumental music. Bass guitarist Valtteri Tynkkynen has been responsible for the compositions, and he is joined by guitarist Jussi Hyyrynen, drummer Janne Mannonen and keyboardist Petri Tiainen.

The project was inspired by Jussi Hyyrysen's request to Valtteri Tynkkyse to compose new music. Valtteri has spent the last few years concentrating on youth work with Detectives, while Jussi works full-time as an emergency room doctor, but also plays in his own prog band Wöyh!, for which he also composes songs. However, making art together was again, in Valtteri's words, "strangely inspiring", especially as Jussi's commission was to make music that was unstoppably original.

Valtteri explains how the songs came about. "Instrumental music has always been very important to me. Mike Oldfield, Pekka Pohjola and Anssi Tikanmäki have always had a strong influence on my own work and these influences have certainly been heard in all the music I have composed for YUP. Of course, vocal music has always been important to me, but instrumental narration stimulates my imagination in a completely different way. The listener has different freedom to imagine the music in his or her own mind."

He explains the themes of the songs as follows. "The songs have their origins in very different moods, as the world has stirred the composer's soul in many different ways and on many different levels since the early 20th century. Ugly and beautiful." That's what the new single, Ruffles and Feathers, is all about.

Valtteri Tynkkynen, bass
Jussi Hyyrynen, guitar
Janne Mannonen, drums
Petri Tiainen, keyboards

Tracklist
01. Ketjureaktio
02. Rähinää, Höyheniä
03. Pillastunut Toteemi
04. Kykloopit Kuusimetsässä
05. Presto Ma Non Troppo
06. Wrappaa II
07. Kokin Terveiset
08. Hankasalmen Puskaradio