Ulrich Schnauss & Mark Peters – Underrated Silence

There’s little point in expecting the unexpected from German electronic pioneer Ulrich Schnauss. His shtick is a synthesised swoon from which he rarely strays. But a penchant for consistency isn’t necessarily a bad thing, particularly when it bleeds through the quality of his work. This collaboration with Engineers vanguard Mark Peters, perfectly entitled Underrated Silence, once again finds Schnauss exploring ethereal soundscapes that air out like the slow undulations of a feather-filled quilt.

For the most part, numbers like the coruscating Long Distance Call and the piano-strewn wash of The Child Or The Pigeon are dreamy, uplifting affairs. Yet a surprising bite can be found amidst these softened layers: Rosen Im Asphalt is a Peleton-riding blur of starry effects, while Gift Horse’s Mouth jaywalks to a synthesised funk. It’s not quite an unfettered masterpiece, but Underrated Silence still retains Schnauss’s unmistakable seal of approval.