09/06/03

Ulrich Schnauss makes lush summertime electronic music which isn't ashamed to mine both pop and indie back-catalogues for influences. On the Berlin/Manchester-based City Centre Offices label in the UK (also home to Arovane and Christian Kleine) elsewhere he is also released through Morr Music, where his sound fits in between the abstract warmth of ISAN and the song-based Lali Puna and Barbara Morgenstern. Like ISAN and artists such as Dntel, Múm or Pulseprogramming, Ulrich Schnauss finds a home in the loosely growing network of electronic music sometimes known as `indietronica', which uses electronic sounds as part of a warmer, more heartfelt music. City Centre Offices founder Thaddi Herrmann (also of Herrmann and Kleine) has even said he prefers to think of the label's (largely electronic) output as `pop' rather than `electronica'.

So maybe it's not so surprising that Ulrich Schnauss is keen to acknowledge the influence of UK guitar bands (from the early 90s in particular) rather than the more technical side of the German electronic scene, citing in particular My Bloody Valentine, Neil Halstead/Mojave 3 and Cocteau Twins, as well as the likes of Biosphere and Locust. After spending several years producing commercial electronica under many names and on some surprising labels, in 2001 he created a sound which he finally felt he wanted to put his own name to, building on his wider influences and actively trying to avoid electronica cliches.

With his debut LP Far Away Trains Passing By receiving warm praise from critics and public alike, the highly anticpated followup A Strangely Isolated Place, released in June 2003, pushes his sound further into the territory of the blissed-out guitar music he grew up loving. The new material explores more song-like structures with the addition of subliminal vocal harmonies and scuzzy guitar-like sweeps reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine, whilst losing none of the deceptive simplicity, pace and precision of the previous material. Possible comparisons could include dreamily harmonic American post-rockers Bowery Electric or Seely as well as Christian Kleine/Herrmann and Kleine.

Previous live appearances have included The Big Chill 2002 (also featuring Plaid and ISAN) and supporting Warp's Brothomstates in the UK. This date is part of a short UK tour.

> www.city-centre-offices.de
> www.morrmusic.com

Live PA/mix from Andrew Coleman (aka Animals on Wheels).

> www.animalsonwheels.co.uk
> www.everythingwasbeautifulandnothinghurt.com
> www.ninjatune.net
> www.thrilljockey.com
> www.tripelrecords.com

Damo from Cambridge's Charlie Don't Surf plays a warm electronica set with CCO, Morr +++

> www.charliedontsurf.info

Photograph courtesy Philip Greenspun.