Ulrich Schnauss- Far Away Trains Passing By - 2001

Ulrich Schnauss
Far Away Trains Passing By
City Centre Offices Music
2001


Dreamy synthesised electro beats pulsate like many joining rivers in a bath of reverb. Tiny steps forward in echo, warmth from slight variable distortions give the final layer, and the drive is underway. The music doesn't stop at the distant trains, the passive and abstract psychology of each track hits home in our very core, like the wheels crushing the steel railings, wavering the earth in slow but meaningful micro-quakes, harmless to the sturdiness of architecture, but chaotic to the stillness on the waters.


The first album from the German sound engineering magician sets the scene for all later work, and as a foundation, the stone is perfectly set. The shimmering flesh of the abstract and moving pieces become gently washed with sampled vocal lines and effected poetry.  It all slides into our ears and lays itself in our mind like little lost loving memories.


With an absoluteness to the music sitting within clouds of imaginings, it can be taken in as a whole, or listened with other things, and most importantly, we can move from one listening phase to another. There's no real story telling involved, and the album doesn't need to be absorbed like a theatrical performance, but if we choose to give ourselves its full attention, there will be no disappointments. So many electro albums need us to really dig our heels in and listen in order to appreciate the work involved, but the pleasantness of Schnauss is instantly rewarding and once we know it, we can recognise his music anywhere.