Nightshift review 28th Feb Peepshow.
The highlight of the second Peepshow night, Berliner Ulrich Schnauss immediately inspires adjectives like beautiful, elegant, simple, refined, delicate, euphoric, anthemic ...
Having released drum & bass under pseudonyms, 2001's 'Far Away Trains Passing By' was Ulrich's first release under his own name. Combining the emotional intensity of classical music with the warmth of electronic ambience, he simply sits on stage with a Powerbook and old Siel synth.
His melodies swirl and embrace, ebbing and flowing without glitches; reminiscent of Vangelis and Boards of Canada. He's all curves – an antidote to Matmos' cut-up angles. The whole act is a mental soundscape, working well with the VJing; if you could see music, his melodies would form beautifully elegant and colourful mathematical patterns.
Taking on a life of its own, it's much more organic than mechanical; composed rather than tweaked. Most tracks are from 2003's A Strangely Isolated Place', but 'Nobody's Home' and 'Passing By' from his first album stand out for their lush orchestrations.
Though often using skipping breakbeats, he's not a dance act – the beats are for momentum. Closer to indie than techno, despite the electronic medium, he's obviously influenced by guitar bands like Ride. His unrelenting rhythmic patterns don't really build up to anything, but that's their charm.
Relaxing to listen to, his live act is a presentation of things to contemplate and appreciate, like the simplicity of his arrangements and the attention to detail in his engineering. It's quite formulaic, but as he releases music under different names, he doesn't have to marry all his influences in one project.
Luckily for us and his growing fanbase, he's confident in his style, and lovely it is too.
Kirsten Etheridge
View Nightshift messageboard here
Having released drum & bass under pseudonyms, 2001's 'Far Away Trains Passing By' was Ulrich's first release under his own name. Combining the emotional intensity of classical music with the warmth of electronic ambience, he simply sits on stage with a Powerbook and old Siel synth.
His melodies swirl and embrace, ebbing and flowing without glitches; reminiscent of Vangelis and Boards of Canada. He's all curves – an antidote to Matmos' cut-up angles. The whole act is a mental soundscape, working well with the VJing; if you could see music, his melodies would form beautifully elegant and colourful mathematical patterns.
Taking on a life of its own, it's much more organic than mechanical; composed rather than tweaked. Most tracks are from 2003's A Strangely Isolated Place', but 'Nobody's Home' and 'Passing By' from his first album stand out for their lush orchestrations.
Though often using skipping breakbeats, he's not a dance act – the beats are for momentum. Closer to indie than techno, despite the electronic medium, he's obviously influenced by guitar bands like Ride. His unrelenting rhythmic patterns don't really build up to anything, but that's their charm.
Relaxing to listen to, his live act is a presentation of things to contemplate and appreciate, like the simplicity of his arrangements and the attention to detail in his engineering. It's quite formulaic, but as he releases music under different names, he doesn't have to marry all his influences in one project.
Luckily for us and his growing fanbase, he's confident in his style, and lovely it is too.
Kirsten Etheridge
View Nightshift messageboard here
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