finetune artist: Ulrich Schnauss

b. 1977, Kiel, Schleswig Holstein, Germany. Reclusive German sound engineer Schnauss finds virtue in prettiness and early 90s dream pop. With track titles like "Gone Forever" and "On My Own", his elegant and refined ambient techno is presumably intended to tug at the heartstrings rather than the feet (although Schnauss appears to be inspired by artists such as Orbital and B12, beats provide his songs with momentum rather than rendering them "floor-friendly"). His recordings kindle particular emotional responses, specifically a sense of loss, longing and loneliness. Explains Schnauss: "Obviously, I'm aware that music has a melancholy feel. But to me, making music is like disappearing into some kind of anti-reality, something that's quite the opposite of everything that you experience in daily life.' Schnauss has an overt affinity for the neo-ambient soundscapes from the early 90s UK indie music scene and notably appeared on Morr Music's Blue Skied An" Clear tribute to "shoegazers" Slowdive (performing a version of "Crazy For You'). Yet, like many of the artists to whom the Berlin-based producer can be justly compared (Slowdive, Chapterhouse, Bang Bang Machine), Schnauss creates pleasant music that is curiously blank and weirdly un-evocative. The musician appears to love the melancholy of treated guitar without having anything specific to be upset about, thus inspiring the title of his 2001 debut album Far Away Trains Passing By. Rather, Schnauss" pretty music is a palimpsest on which to impose your own personal circumstance. Schnauss has previously released music under the Hexaquart, Ethereal 77 and View To The Future monikers.

Listen to Ulrich Schnauss at Finetune.

...Passing By
On My Own
Knuddelmaus
In All the Wrong Places
A Strangely Isolated Places