Ulrich Schnauss
Far Away Trains Passing By

The human face of electronics: it is what one encounters along the tracks of this work by Ulrich Schnauss, the first released under his own name after a long apprenticeship filled with releases under various pseudonyms. As harsh and full of consonants as the German musician’s name is, so clean, affable, and communicative is the sound of this album released in 2001, with such an intimate title.

Six tracks, all programmatically lasting between 6-7 minutes and sharing a common structure: a melodic cue of good singability entrusted to the digital piano or keyboards, plus a rhythmic texture that supports the framework of the piece; gradual layering of parts until reaching a decent internal articulation.

All quite simple, one might say, except that sometimes simplicity is a very difficult goal to achieve: Ulrich Schnauss succeeds in this album, which has in its lightness (not in superficiality, mind you) one of its strengths.

Launch "Knuddelmaus", the opening track: positive and optimistic, it makes you want to turn up the volume! Move on to the next "Between Us and Them": more relaxed and almost epic, with a sustained rhythm. Next is "...Passing By", with delicate melodic lines grafted onto an almost retro percussive weave in its sounds. And so on.

43 minutes that glide away with pleasure, so much so that in 2005 the album was reissued for the American edition with a second bonus CD. But even in its original version, "Far Away Trains Passing By" is a pleasant collection of sonic sketches, an ambient techno electronic album that works just as well in a crowded lounge bar as during an attentive home listening.