- Euphoric ambient house.
- SUED, the well-loved German left-field squad, had a remarkably prolific 2020. SVN and PG Sounds dropped excellent albums, but it was SW., the so-called "techno side of SUED," who set the pace, with four full-lengths last year. Viole{n}t, a ~30 minute 12-inch for Kimochi, is the strangest and best of the bunch.
Thematically, Viole{n}t is of a piece with the Reminder series, a look back at '90s UK rave and IDM shot through with SW.'s idiosyncratic percussion. On Viole{n}t, the tracks are weirder and more wistful than ever. "herbperp," the five-minute opener, is little more than filter sweeps and random synth burbles, but still manages to be extraordinarily compelling. Elsewhere, SW. strikes a fascinating balance between murky drums textures and billowing rave chords that emerge like the first rays of sunlight over the fields.
SW.'s keen melodic ear is on full display on tracks like "inCOMPlete to 90s hrdcr supreme," an abstract breakbeat and pads anthem, and "aTomTake jAZZ haunt," a chunky beat track that resolves in a sublime organ theme. With compilations like Virtual Dreams, there is an unprecedented focus on gems from the original ambient house era. On Viole{n}t, SW. proves the sound is still vital, far more than a mere nostalgia trip.
Tracklist01. herbperp
02. inCOMPlete to 90s hrdcr supreme
03. THX liars FlyASSes
04. tswifBIGDATA-ghost
05. aTomTake jAZZ haunt
06. rOAch rOAd 0.1 X-LOOSE