Interview: Ulrich Schnauss

Ulrich Schnauss' third studio album, Goodbye, has just arrived. In the wake of its release Filter27 contributor Florian Wizorek caught up with the man from Kiel, Germany, who now lives in London to talk music, inspiration, and philosophy of life.

Hello Ulrich. We had to wait for your new album for quite a while. Why did it take so long?

I had to deal with some extraordinary difficulties. On one hand I started working on this album later than expected as there had been too many interesting gigs and remix opportunities I wanted to accept. On the other hand I had a very clear and precise vision what the new record should sound like. Finally I made it though and I am quite happy and satisfied with the results.

An appropriate record label always plays a major role. Which label-related aspects are important to you?

It is important to have at least one person always at your fingertips; a close label contact, who can understand you and follow your train of thoughts. For a year Dave Boyd has been leading the Independiente label. Before, in the 1990s, he started the great Hut label, which is the home of Moose, Revolver as well as Verve. From the beginning I had a good feeling as we understand each other well in content related and conceptual matters. I left City Centre Offices due to my relocation to London; I wanted to release my next record on a British label either way. Furthermore leaving CCO was an additional opportunity to break out from the electronica & IDM ghetto.

An album title often expresses something more. Why "Goodbye"?

Emotions related to urge and longing for the faraway always played an essential role in my music. In situations like saying good-bye those emotions come to the fore. Even if not all pieces of my album are about to reflect such situations, the title "Goodbye" integrally illustrates those certain emotions I am talking about. It can be seen as a departure, ending, or new beginning. You can perceive this ambivalent moment with grievousness or hope.

Are you expressing something more in your songs; maybe a period of your own life or even political statements?

I do not see my music as an instrument or tool to adress a direct political message. At the extreme ends though, in music’s escapism, you can often find a kind of indirect criticism though. This surely applies to my music as well. If I would agree with the world’s situation and would be consistent with myself and all other things, then I would not produce music which is continuously articulating the wish to escape from daily madness.

When appearing live, do you prefer to do a live act or to play a DJ set?

Live appearances and DJ gigs are definitely two different things. I am seeing my DJ gigs more or less as a semi-serious leisure time activity; it's in fact a good opportunity to accept invitations to have some beers together. To me solo live appearances are a bit unpleasant as I haven't yet figure out a convincing way to reproduce all studio sounds without depending too much on backing tracks coming from a hard drive. Right now I am experimenting though; just to try out more spontaneous and free live act alternatives. Well, surely the gigs I use to play are having more a underground/indy character than being rave like. This reminds me of my most difficult gig which took place in L.A. two years ago. I had really big problems to "survive" that appearance as I was ill and had a fever. The best gig I had was maybe London one-and-a-half years ago. It has been the second gig with Judith Beck and the first gig of the constellation Ulrich & Judith, which surprisingly worked very well.

Could you give us a glance at your process of music production?

In the beginning there is actually always a song originating from a piano. Then on the computer I am putting together an arrangement of bass line, rhythm and melody components track by track, structure by structure. The basic sounds I am invariably creating with hardware synthesizers. There's an exception though as on the new album there are three tracks featuring a classic guitar. I record those tracks with the computer and apply different hardware or plug-in effects. When comparing A Strangely Isolated Place and Far Away Trains Passing By with the new album, I would say that working with audio tracks provided me a lot of new possibilities as the old work bases on hardware effects and Atari sequencing only.

Your tracks often appear on chill-out and down-tempo compilations. What do you do if you want to relax and escape from everyday life?

I bet you know the answer already: I can relax and escape from reality when creating and listening to music. To me music has always been the ultimate refuge, an anchor as well as a kind of self-therapy.

Speaking of daily life... What do you do when you’re not producing? Do you have a "real" job?

For several years I have manage to earn my livelihood by being active in a musical manner. That is truly an exceptional situation, which I greatly appreciate.

How do you think about the gaining influence of compilations such as the widely known Global Underground mix-CDs? For example GU024, Nick Warren's "Reykjavik" album, featured "Nobody's Home" and presumably extended your listenership.

Well, finally it is hardly reproducible to get an idea of who, on whatever ways, came across my music. On the other hand I know that for example Nick Warren and those Global Underground compilations you're referring played an important role here as two genres and their fans are melting.

In so far your listenership can be geographically categorized, where is your music most in demand?

I think my primary listenership is living in England as well as in the USA. Though, again and again I am amazed about feedback coming from less obvious regions such as Estonia or Israel. Also it’s amazing to see how many people are attending my gigs when playing in such areas.

What has been important on your way so far?

Throughout the 1990s, and without further success, I tried to sell my musical perception by merging my music with then hip musical embellishments. Personally I think leaving this way of chumming up was a very important decision. It was an essential ingredient to enable me to translate my ideas in an undiluted way. That is what Far Away Trains Passing By emerged from.

Where do you see chances and traps of current music market?

That is a pretty tensed discussion which became threadbare in the meantime. I won’t be able to contribute something new and constructive to that topic. Of course the changing situation and a disappearing traditional record market and developing internet and download sales involves a lot of chances. Such a phenomenal big offer of music and artists is also connected to major difficulties though, when trying to silhouette against others. That could turn out as a large barrier. We will see...

There are many problems on earth, reaching from environmental and climate issues to politics and war. What do you see as a key problem in the future?

Some years ago I would have seen abolishing capitalism as main requirement to solve the key problems. Indeed I would still adhere to that demand as a matter of principle, but unfortunately right now I consider more humble goals to be more appropriate. Due to still gaining attempts to replace the capitalistic “philosophy of life” by more barbarian ways of regency, only one goal remains: to defend the few still existing liberties from getting slid back to medieval ages. I hope that this defense will support or even cause a discussion about an alternative life philosophy in the near future.

What does the future holds for Ulrich Schnauss?

I think I don’t have much in common with the electronica scene anymore. I see and feel close proximity with American underground bands, who are similar to me, who feel committed to shoe-gazing culture and bands like My Bloody Valentine or Cocteau Twins, from Spiritualized to Chapterhouse. Right in the moment in that scene there’s an inexhaustible opulence of good music which just waits to become discovered; by which I mean bands like Mahogany, Elika, Airiel, Lovesliescrushing, Soundpool, Francis7, Daysleepers, High Violets - it’s an endless list.

Regarding my next album there is just one thing on my mind: getting rid of trend and topicality lags still existing in my music. I have got a well-defined imagination of my next record, which I want to take to a more traditional level/structure of electronic music. This could finally enable me to combine my different music interests with other influences and to merge them beyond recognition.