When SW. AKA, Stefan Wust, first established SUED in 2011, their compelling, cosmic and anonymous material struck a rare chord, emanating far beyond the freeform Berlin underground in which it was written. Unknowingly, Los Angelean Oliver Bristow had established a parallel musical universe, founding the hyper-specific label Acid Test, inviting pioneering artists such as Donato Dozzy, Tin Man and Pepe Bradock to indulge in glorious interpretations of 303 control. Without compromise, these were records that quietly reinvigorated electronic music.
Some years later, a new label, SWOB, unites Wust and Bristow in a very different landscape. And while it would be easy to transform the purity and integrity of this special alchemy into something like nostalgia, yearning for an alternative culture before influencers and against algorithms, SWOB endeavors to find inspiration in arguably tougher truths. Inspired by the "Outside Tekno" or "Outkast Techno" that emerged to subvert even back in the day, SWOB introduce the tekkNOthing trilogy, a new project from SW.
Some years in development, tekkNOthing first began to take shape during the 2020 global pandemic, when "the underground" quickly began to mean something radically different once again. While hardly capitulating to the contemporary hammering of techno's most recent developments, tekkNOthing's first chapter quickly establishes a frenetic pace; tracks like "nuclearFALLoutX" and "paslolESmess" interlock and unfold at a tempo removed from that typically associated with SW. while "euroBSS" and "viscousHEAT" successfully experiment with a more guttural palette, veering far into a rejuvenating and previously uncharted leftfield. A resolutely human endeavor, the music of SW. is nonetheless written and recorded in the looming shadow of AI, whose free-form adoption of pop culture, hip-hop and techno reminds Wust of "when photography emerged in the 19th century." If not in competition, than taking inspiration from this landscape of new opportunity, tekkNOthing diversifies further with eight unpredictable tracks across Part II, taking in stuttering machine-funk on "crAMPDUNK," a freeform organ jam via "sonicENdo" and the inexplicable piston-percussive, post-punk exotica heard on "poorTENOOR#a#01" DJs with dual cassette decks skills might even find function in the more overtly floor-focused "DU ̈NEhowSE#1takeÄ" or "lookLOOK." The times may have changed, but the promise remains simple; more music, more freedom.
| TekkNOthing I |
| A1 | ds8bachSACHx1 |
| A2 | nuclearFALLoutX |
| A3 | ORIgame |
| A4 | paslølESsmess |
| A5 | kinu94ATAR!8 |
| A6 | euroBSS |
| A7 | viscousHEAT |
| TekkNOthing II |
| B1 | daREALDEal |
| B2 | poorTENOOR#a#01 |
| B3 | lookLOOK |
| B4 | sonicENdo |
| B5 | craMPDUNK |
| B6 | 6oneSOUL |
| B7 | madSMART |
| B8 | DU"NEhowSE#1takeÄ |
