Sven Wunder’s new 10-track LP, “Late Again,” is a collection of nocturnal jazz
“But James,” you ask. “If you like this musician so much, why have you never talked about him on your blog.” A very good question that I was asked last week.
Why haven’t I featured Sven Wunder on The New LoFi?
To be honest, I don’t really know why I haven’t. He’s pretty much one of my favorite producers. He’s not only a super talented instrumentalist, but he’s been changing the face of jazz. He has this way of weaving in instruments from places like Turkey and the Far East to an otherwise traditional jazz arrangement that sounds so fresh to my ears. I might be drawn to the fact that his music is very percussive, or perhaps the way it transports you to a different world, or maybe just the low-key swagger it all projects. Take his 2022 single, “Mosaic” for example — that horn section just sounds like confidence itself. Or his track “Easy Going” — a soulful piece of jazz with a whole lot of Turkish funk weaved in. If you told me that track came out in the 70s, I would believe you. And that’s the other thing. Each new Sven Wunder single that you discover… it’s like uncovering a forgotten hit from another time.
Oh, and to add to all of this, the dude is just an all-around nice guy. I mean look at him in this video talking about vinyl. Don’t you just want to be his friend?
Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked. The real reason I’m writing this is to talk about Sven’s new album, Late Again. The third single on the album, “Take a Break,” is an absolute force. The bassline sets you walking, and then the horn section sends you flying. The album is ten tracks of that — some songs more exotic; others more rooted in traditional improvisational jazz.
The concept of the album is to put together a collection of nocturnal jazz pieces that depict shooting stars and scattered beams from the setting sun. If you are into jazz even a little bit, it’s impossible not to like this album.
And if you really like jazz. head over to Sven’s Bandcamp page to pick up Late Again on vinyl.
