SW.: The Album Vinyl 2LP

Stefan Wust’s remarkable run of 12”s on the highly collectable SUED imprint (operated by Wust alongside Sven Rieger aka SVN) culminated in a perfectly distilled full-length, originally issued as an unmarked double LP in late 2016. The elusive SUED015 is given new life here as The Album, sporting new full-color sleeve artwork (citrus intact) courtesy of Apollo, the glossy arm of R&S that originally gave us Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 85-92 and more recently, Mr. YT’s stunning Brand New Day collection. SW.'s inventive and refined production is right at home with the aforementioned producers, and on The Album, he rolls out 11 untitled club constructions channeling the dubwise soundsystem pressure of broken beat & jungle, laced with the euphoria of classic 90s house and executed with minimal techno’s cold precision. With spliff in one hand, his other hand is heavy on FM synthscapes, sub bass and tropical percussion throughout; immediately apparent on a matching pair of laidback jungle rollers bookending the album, but perhaps best exemplified on the diamond-cut forest floor rumbling of B1 or the glassy underwater dub of C2. C1 weaves urgent bass guitar licks and deep pads into a fluid polyrhythmic groove invoking classic Prescription Records 12”s, and C3 sets out some blissful kosmische atmosphere to cleanse the palate… Honestly, we’ve had the whole C side on repeat for weeks now. Wust even conjures some vintage heady MoWax vibes on blunted downtempo creeper B2, reiterating that there really is something for everyone on this LP. Recommended.

• double vinyl pressing
• music label: Apollo 2017

reviewed by hannibal chew 01/2018