ULRICH SCHNAUSS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: For the final part of his epic reissue series, Ulrich Schnauss has taken the chance to re-master and refresh 2016 set "No Further Ahead Than Today", which is now known as "No Further Ahead Than Tomorrow". As with its predecessors, the freshly polished set sounds gorgeous, with Schnauss adding extra sparkle to such positive and life-affirming downtempo gems as "Melts Into Air", the wall-of-sound shuffle of "The Magic In You", the undulating, morning-fresh ambient techno bliss of "New Day Starts At Dawn" and "Negative Sunrise", where Steve Reich style melodic refrains and Pat Metheny guitars vie for sound space alongside chiming melodies, crunchy beats and grandiose, enveloping synthesizer motifs. Even by Schnauss' standards, it's a big-sounding album, but that's certainly no bad thing.

Review: Over the last 11 years, Ulrich Schnauss and Jonas Munk have periodically got together in the studio to record ear-catching and atmospheric electronic music that frequently prioritises mood and melody over specific sonic traits or stylistic approaches. Eight Fragments of an Illusion, their third album-length collaboration, takes their 'maximal ambient' sound to sun-soaked new places, with Schauss's minimalist melodic movements (think Terry Riley's synthesizer works) and sparkling electronic sounds being overlaid with gorgeous, effects-laden electric guitar textures courtesy of Munk. It's a gorgeous, life-affirming combination that guarantees blissful brilliance throughout. To our ears, there's no doubt that it's the duo's best joint work to date.

Review: Ulrich Schnauss and Jonas Munk first got together in the studio at the tail end of the noughties, subsequently releasing the well-received album, Epic. This belated follow-up continues in a similar vein, fusing Schnauss's ethereal electronics and ambient soundscapes with Munk's evocative, shoegaze style guitar passages. It's a combination that works well. Munk's guitars add a loose, raw feel to Schnauss's impeccable but occasionally overbearing compositions, while the latter does a bang up job melding the two things into a perfectly pitched whole. If My Bloody Valentine collaborated with James Holden or Trentemoller, it would probably sound something like this.