Utilizing snapshots from the sonic landscapes of genre pioneers like Brian Eno, Wendy Carlos, Harold Budd, and Kid A-era Radiohead, Swift also culls from Krautrock, dub, Motown, and hip-hop for his primarily instrumental pieces.

His eponymous debut under the pseudonym was released in 2005 on the Otaku Disc label, followed by Music from the Films of R/Swift in 2007 on Secretly Canadian. After releasing two albums and an EP for Secretly Canadian under the name Richard Swift, he returned in 2010 to his Instruments of Science & Technology moniker for an installment in the Library Catalog Music series on Sufjan Stevens' label Asthmatic Kitty. Swift has also produced or played for many indie bands, including the Shins, the Black Keys, Foxygen, and Starflyer 59. ~ James Christopher Monger