Ulrich Schnauss

Ulrich Schnauss

Ulrich Schnauss is a German electronic musician and producer from Kiel, born in 1977 and based in London, England. His work spans ambient, berlin school, downtempo, electronic, electronica and IDM, and he is also associated with chillout. He begins recording under a range of pseudonyms before releasing music under his own name, and his early catalogue includes material issued as View to the Future and Ethereal 77.

Early career

Schnauss grows up with a wide range of influences, including My Bloody Valentine, Tangerine Dream, Chapterhouse, early bleep and breakbeat music. In 1996 he moves from Kiel to Berlin, where he is already active as a prolific musician in ambient and drum and bass. His early work attracts the attention of the Berlin label City Centre Offices, which releases his first recordings.

Albums and style

His first album under his own name, Far Away Trains Passing By, develops from his submissions to City Centre Offices. It becomes known for its lush instrumentation and emotional impact. His second album, A Strangely Isolated Place, comes together in 2001 and is described as establishing him as a strong electronic composer, shaped by indie influences and a retro-futurist sound that draws on My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and the Blade Runner soundtrack. His third album, Goodbye, is released in 2007.

Collaborations and related work

After these albums, Schnauss is asked to work with and remix several artists, including Mojave 3, Longview, Johannes Schmoelling, The Zephyrs, Robin Guthrie, A Shoreline Dream, Engineers and Lunz (Rodelius). He is also associated with the acts Tangerine Dream, Tinkabell, Airdrops, Longview and Measured, and releases music on Ulrich Schnauss Limited.