Artist Profile, Around the World in Eighty Ways with Sven Wunder

Take a pinch of David Axelrod, several enticing library music compilations from yesteryear and a handful of rare seven-inch records picked up from a Turkish market, mix them together with an innovative brand of Scandinavian studio magic and what do you get? The answer is Swedish multi-instrumentalist and composer, Sven Wunder: a global jukebox of fascinating musical ideas!

Having emerged out of the blue in the midst of the pandemic (and with a promising subsidy via the Swedish Arts Council), Wunder's arrival on the musical map came as an almost overnight success. With evocative artwork, exotic-sounding track names all the while being produced under the guise of an pseudonymous persona, it was a winning formula which sparked mystery and intrigue from the very beginning. The adoption of the Sven Wunder-alias is a technique picked up from the days of library music in which composers would frequently record under various nom-de-plumes in order to inject a dose of originality into their otherwise tired and dusty fodder. Years later, this musical tradition has rapidly become a crate digger's delight — and it's the revived interest in this once-forgotten world of auditory adventurism (along with general Western impressions of other musical cultures) that Wunder taps into. 

For the Stockholm-based musician who writes on such a vast scale, his background is mainly in jazz as well as scoring works for film and television. Described by Mr Bongo as "refreshing as an ice-cold Limoncello after an Italian meal", there's no denying that this prolific polymath is worth his sonic weight in gold; all killer, zero filler. As a composer, Wunder finds himself getting into his creative headspace by commencing with aspects of groove and the mood he wishes to convey. Often turning to his own eclectic record collection for inspiration, the result is a plethora of globe-trotting sounds, all reinforced by his unique vision and personal flair. Whilst his debut, Doğu Çiçekleri/Eastern Flowers (2020), showed us psychedelic scenes from a Middle-Eastern disco, its follow-up offered a more expansive take on the 19th century concept of 'Japonisme' in the form of Wabi Sabi (2021) — even going as far as to include an immersive string section amongst its ethereal lineup. His third album, the cinematic Natura Morta (2021), is a sun-kissed soundtrack to a romantic Italian thriller still yet to exist. 

Sticking to his roots, Wunder routinely chooses to lay down his recordings in his hometown of the Swedish capital. Having jointly serving as chief producer over the course of his four LP releases, he has made a habit of using a mixture of analogue and digital equipment, both vintage and modern gear. And, much like fabled producers of the golden era to which he subscribes, Wunder is more interested in spending time in the studio than heading out on the road as he seeks inspiration for his next project with one ear to the ground like a latter-day Brian Wilson or Eno.

A budding double bassist from a young age, it's no surprise that the maestro's first love was hip-hop — primarily, the brand of sample-heavy rhythms and beats of the Wu-Tang Clan. In light of this, his wide-ranging tastes and attention to detail begin to make more sense as they merge under the umbrella of open-minded listening and concentrated groove. His newest release is Late Again — an inspired tribute that manages to capture the late night moods of the after-dark airwaves. It is at once an amalgamation of all the things he does best. Paying homage to his cultural forebears in a way only he knows how, Wunder makes it look (or should that be sound) easy. 

In addition to his new album, Late Again, you can check out the rest of Sven's discography here.