There was only ever going to be one person to help break the ASIP Q&A virginity. I was lucky enough to get the chance to put a few questions Ulrich’s way and here’s what he had to say:
ASIP: Many of your tracks are featured on chillout/ambient mixes. What would be your ideal setting for a chillout mix?
ULRICH: I quite like “industrial romantic” settings – maybe having a good PA set up somewhere in Hamburg’s harbour area?
ASIP: Your music sounds like it’s produced on a balcony overlooking the most beautiful sea soundscape. Is this far from the truth then?!
ULRICH: I do realize that many people seem to think that my music’s very positive or even optimistic – personally i don’t really see it that way though. I try to create tracks that are beautiful as a reaction against reality – certainly not as a reflection of it. The “beautiful sea soundscape” might be the imagery or feeling I’m trying to evoke with my music – the actual source of inspiration might actually be the opposite of that.
ASIP: Your latest album had much more vocals than the last two. Is this the direction you are heading?
ULRICH: I really enjoyed working with Judith’s vocals while recording “Isolated Place” – something we definitely wanted to explore a bit further on “Goodbye” – however, the new record I started working on this summer will be mainly instrumental.
ASIP: My favourite part of your music is the amount of layers which you combine to work together perfectly. How long does a regular Ulrich Schnauss track take to produce?
ULRICH: The songs on “Goodbye” took the longest time to construct – probably an average of 1 or 2 months per song – with mixing being the most time consuming part of it.
ASIP: One of my favourite remixes of yours is Justin Robertson’s Love Movement. This seems an odd collaboration, did he approach you? How did this remix evolve?!
ULRICH: It’s not a particularly exciting story – his management approached me and asked if I’d be interested in doing a mix – I like the early Lionrock stuff and a lot of the remixes he did in the early 90s, so I was happy to have the opportunity to work on that project.
ASIP: Many people first heard your releases on one of Nick Warrens GU compilation and he seems to be one of your biggest supporters. Are you friends at all?
ULRICH: Yes, we met a couple of times at parties in Bristol – he’s a good guy and I certainly appreciate his support.
ASIP: You have previously stated that you are looking to bring more into your live shows. How is your live act progressing so far?
ULRICH: I was unhappy in the past because what I was doing was only “live” to a very limited degree – mainly I have been playing backing tracks from the hard drive and adding some keyboard on top – Summer last year I started exploring Ableton Live which has become a very valuable tool. I’ve taken little loops from all parts of the respective songs and improvise with them nowadays – bit like doing a live remix or re-arrangement.
ASIP: Would you ever consider DJing as well as producing?
ULRICH: I was really excited about DJing in the 90s – i DJ’d drum and bass for a couple of years back then. A lot of people are trying to become producers so it’s not an easy field to enter – however, I’ve done a few things in that direction and hope there’ll be more in the future. Just recently I’ve mixed a single for British band Exit Calm and another single for Manchester singer/songwriter Daniel Land, together with a friend (Mark Peters of The Engineers).
ASIP: Are there any plans to revisit your Ethereal days in the near future?
ULRICH: I’ve been thinking about that a lot recently – drum and bass seems to be enjoying a bit of a (well deserved) revival and there’s tons of great new records being released at the moment – I’m particularly into the so called “liquid” stuff. If I have the time I’d love to start producing some dnb again.
ASIP: Bars, clubs, festivals or other…where do you most like playing?
ULRICH: Generally I enjoy playing with friends and like-minded bands the most – one of the best ones was a show at the Bowery Ballroom last year which also had Mahogany, Elika and Soundpool on the bill.
ASIP: You have played quite a few festivals in the UK now. What has been your best festival experience so far?!
ULRICH: Bestival was a good experience this year – though it was cold and extremely muddy somehow there seemed to be special energy at this gig. Festivals are always a good opportunity to check out bands and artists that you otherwise probably wouldn’t get to see – I played the Big Chill once and Andreas Vollenweider was on the bill – it was a wonderful moment to have an opportunity to attend his concert.
ASIP: What would you say to any aspiring Ulrich fans out there who wanted to start producing music like yours?
ULRICH: My “advice” would be: don’t try to produce music “like mine” – do what you want to do. For a long period of time (basically throughout the entire 90s) I’ve made the mistake of trying to fit into certain genres and cliques because I felt that was the only way I’d get anywhere – ironically I only started receiving some positive responses to my music when I gave up on that strategy and made the music I wanted to make.
ASIP: So many people (me included!) want to explore more music similar to yours. Which artists or bands would you recommend?
ULRICH: There seem to be quite a few bands and projects in the U.S that consist of people who probably grew up listening to the same artists and work in a similar direction – it’s not an attempt at coming up with a complete list but i’d like to mention Mahogany, Auburn Lull, Lovesliescrushing, Elika, The Meeting Places, Sway, Airiel, Soundpool, A Shoreline Dream, The High Violets, Experimental Aircraft, Landing, Asobi Seksu, Francis7, The Daysleepers, Fleeting Joys, Skyward, The Turn-ons, Film school, Alcian Blue, Casino vs Japan… apologies to everyone i might have forgotten.
ASIP: If you could have been the man behind any track ever produced, which would it be?
ULRICH: I don’t necessarily feel that way – when I hear a great piece of music i’m happy for the person who’s made it and hope that they’ll be respected for it – it’s not about competition or thinking “what would it be like if I had done that”.
ASIP: What’s on the horizon for Ulrich Schnauss?
ULRICH: The two main projects are the next solo record and the new album I’m recording with the band that I’m playing keys in: Longview. Besides that I’m hoping to do more production hopefully a soundtrack at some point next year.
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Big thank you to Ulrich and his management Rocketgirl. For more info check Ulrich’s myspace page, and of course keep checking back here! Now spend the rest of your day checking out the bands mentioned in this interview:
Longview, Mahogany, Auburn Lull, Lovesliescrushing, Elika, The Meeting Places, Airiel, Soundpool, A Shoreline Dream, The High Violets, Experimental Aircraft, Landing, Asobi Seksu, Francis7, The Daysleepers, Fleeting Joys, Skyward, The Turn-ons, Film school, Alcian Blue, Casino vs Japan.
