Getting into the ambient sound of Ulrich Schnauss

Posted on February 4th, 2008 by Mark.
Categories: Music.

My mind is like an attic.  There are lots of dusty boxes that have not been touched in years, stacked all over the place.  Lately I’ve been doing some reflecting.  It’s probably a symptom of the writing… or maybe the writing is a symptom of the reflection… hmmm.  Anyway, I’ve been getting into a lot of ambient electronic music as of late.  I’ve always enjoyed it but in the recent past I have gone out of my way to find some quality stuff to transport me to times and to places.  Ambient music allows me to think, to focus and to work things out.  I could fall back on some of the old stuff that I have, but I wanted to turn a page and find something new. 

Lucky me, I stumbled across Ulrich Schnauss on Youtube.  He’s a German producer/musician and his music is very ethereal and melodic.  My dad had a Kawai organ when I was a kid and when nobody was around I would put the headphones on, turn that sucker up and mess around with the appregio and the various beats doing one finger chord changes just to play with the sound.  When I listen to Schnauss I can’t help but think that had I had that organ to mess around with when I got a little older, I might have headed into music making like this (or some horrendous facsimile thereof).

It’s nice to go back in time and to blow the dust off of some of those old boxes in my head and to have such a melodic backdrop.  Sure some people hate this kind of stuff, the repetition and all… but me, it suits me just fine.  Here are a couple of samples of his stuff.  It is the kind of music that builds up and grows over time.  I like that kind of music, where it takes two and a half minutes before you have a clear idea of where the tune is going.  That’s what gives it that transportive quality I enjoy.

 Goodbye - a nice track with some vocals that have been run through a voice machine.  Builds up over time until somewhere around minute 4 when all elements are finally incorporated.

Between Us and Them - probably the most traditional sounding of the tracks I put up here.  Really nice beat, that strays just far enough to keep it interesting.  Lots of pieces coming together to make one song… it’s fun discerning the various elements.  Hits the stride around 4:30. 

Clear Day - just the kind of trippy electronic track that the doctor ordered.  Grab your Lithium and come ride the weirdo train… come on you know you want to!

Note to brother Paul… this guy is a big shoegazing fan… could you tell?

Happy listening.

 

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Writing and listening to music

Posted on January 22nd, 2008 by Mark.
Categories: Music, Writing.

This is a conversation that seems to come up a lot.  People that write always seem to be curious about whether or not you listen to music while working.  For me the answer is yes, but with a caveat.  The music that I listen to has to be instrumental, and has to take me somewhere… hopefully away from the noise and commotions that seem to be around all the time.  Soundtracks and ambient techno music are my preferred types of music when it comes to writing.  They have an ability to transport the mind while not bogging it down.  Often these types of music are repetetive which means there won’t be any surprises that take me out of what I’m doing.

Here are a couple of things that I’ve been listening to while writing recently.  Click on the audio box to have a listen. 

 

Moby ft. Kronos Quartet, God Moving Over the Face of the Waters, it’s the theme from Heat, (one of the best flicks ever) played at the end of the film.  Always loved this tune and it really has that ability to transport me into what it is that I am doing.

 

Never before have scales with a rocking guitar and some ominous electronic vocals sounded so good as in the 28 Weeks Later soundtrack.  John Murphy really took the super simplistic and turned it into a haunting bit of music that sets a great mood for writing.

 

I couldn’t just ignore the ambient techno, now could I?  Here is some old school techno that fits the bill.  Halcyon+On+On by Orbital is a nice repetetive bit of escapism with enough subtle changes to make for interesting background noise.  It really doesn’t even start until around the 2:30 mark.  Music like this can drive people nuts, but I like it and it serves the purpose well.

When it comes to writing, music can be a tool.  That’s how I utilize it.  I don’t want anything deep or thought provoking.  It can simply set a mood, that’s cool with me and actually preferable.  It’s just too bad that the readers don’t also have the benefit of the “soundtrack” I use to write this stuff!

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