Far Away Trains Passing By

The first album from German producer, composer and musician Ulrich Schnaus was a relatively short — made up of only six tracks and the total length was only 43 mins and 21 seconds — but highly likeable debut. The music on Far Away Trains… is lush, contemplative, downtempo melodic electronica, made up of layers of rich pads and billowy synths. The mood is generally bright and optimistic with a sweetness to the melodies that only occasionally tips over into wistfulness or a slight melancholy. The beats, often a defining feature of electronic music, are effective but unassuming here, crisp beatbox loops that hold down the rhythm and place the album adjacent to, rather than on, the dance floor, providing a rhythmic structure for Schnauss to hang his cascades of creamy, dreamy synths on. 

Far Away Trains… is a beguiling introduction to Schnauss’s introspective, dreamlike, semi-ambient, melodic electronica, and a gentle, warm, inviting debut.