But for those who don't, let's provide a simple summary...

Stuart Sweeney the performer surfaced in the late 1980s. A technically talented player, he was lucky enough to work alongside the likes of Eddy 'Knock On Wood' Floyd. Later, work in specialist music retail involved inviting Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith, and Steve White (Paul Weller's drummer) to jam in-store. And then there are also numerous songwriting credits, film, television and advert work, not to mention performances with the South Bank Centre's London Philarmonia.

So by now you appreciate there's depth, diversity and experience. Which means it makes sense there's such depth and experience evident in the results of his solo project. The fact that, prior to this, Sweeney has scarcely ventured past the point of fandom when it comes to symphony hall soundtracks, makes it all the more impressive. As does the time he spends, MiniDisc Recorder in hand, scouring the surrounding landscape for appealing, interesting, and often abstract noises, thus widening the scope of this aural vision.

When Oomff Records was set up, this passion and dedication to a life surrounded by notation paper was finally cemented, as was an outlet for Sweeney's own work, realised by a brave move to self release.

The decision to engineer his first long-player is mirrored in the welding course he took, with the aim of being able to produce his own percussion instruments. In short, it's a DIY ethic rare in a many professionals, though evident in the greatest musicians of our time.

Made his own way, in his own time, the debut, 16:9, is a spellbinding collection, and the product of some 16 months in the studio. Mastered by Denis Blackham, the Master of Masterers whose career name-checks The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Kraftwerk to name but a few, those first 12 tracks from contemporary-classical's newest beacon of light reflected this analogy. The opening strings ushered in some glorious sunrise, and from there on in, we were given a soundscape littered with fascinating details, like the days that account for Sweeney's last three decades. A film soundtrack, played by an orchestra of one, it's only when people can see from both sides that they achieve something so complete.

16-9