[i:Vibes] Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place [City Centre Offices]

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Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place [City Centre Offices]

16:48 - February 1, 2004

by Jan

With "A Strangely Isolated Place", Ulrich Schnauss gives us a second outing of his studio wizardry. Read on for the full lowdown on downtempo/chillout album of the month for February 2004.

What has come to be City Centre Offices´ biggest "star" (even though you could hardly call him that) released his second album last year. After Nick Warren included the sublime "Nobody´s Home" from his previous album "Far Away Trains Passing By" on Global Underground 24, more people got their eyes up for Ulrich?s supreme mastery of blissful soundscapes. And in my opinion, "A Strangely Isolated Place" is a worthy follow up the to the debut that was "Far Away Trains Passing By", and considering the standard Ulrich set with that one, delivering a worthy follow-up would not be easy. But, the followup turns out to be so good that we've decided to make it downtempo/chillout album of the month for February 2004.

Like already mentioned, Ulrich´s impeccable sense of soundscapes is what makes this album the beautiful journey that it is. From drifting, sundazing vibes ("Gone Forever") over happily bouncing and cheerful harmonies ("On My Own") to what sounds like the soundtrack of a hazy, dreamy vision ("Blumenthal"), Ulrich´s melodies morph and shape shift until the mind is so soothed and relaxed that visual images just seem to pop out of nowhere. Combined with subtle yet clear beats driving the tracks forward, spaced out samples and FX trickery that many a psychedelic artist would give an acknowledging nod towards, the album provides enough mood changes in order to make it suitable for repeated listens. My personal favourite will probably have to be "Monday - Paracetamol", where Ulrich shows all the easy listening Cafe Del Mar-fluff how proper chill out should be done. One layer after another of cascading melodies just wash out of the speakers like infectious waves, all while the smoked-out downbeat rhythms hypnotizes the listener even further.

The only thing I´m missing is a bit more variety materialwise. "On My Way" is a good example of just that, but sadly it is the only track that provides us with some variation from all the melodic extravaganzas. Some evil, dark stuff or perhaps some influences from his earlier drum n bass works would be nice to spice things up with between all the melodic workouts, but I guess Ulrich has decided to leave that to his other projects. However, a bit more diverse material next time, and I´ll happily hand out the top score.

If you have yet to discover Ulrich Schnauss, this album is a perfect opportunity to do so, as it displays even more of his melodic mastery than his last album did. ("Far Away Trains Passing By" was more of a mini album) Nevertheless, what Ulrich does next will undoubtedly be exciting to see, and this album will hopefully make more people aware of his talent.

Conclusion:
"A Strangely Isolated Place" is one of 2003´s strongest releases in terms of downtempo / chill, and a must if you are a supporter of either genre.