If you’ve heard one of Ulrich Schnauss’s albums before, you’ll have something of an idea of what to expect here – and ‘Missing Deadlines’ doesn’t disappoint. The producer’s sound might be influenced by the Cocteau Twins, but there’s plenty more here too, turning some of the ‘shoegaze’ principles into electronic music. The result is waves of widescreen sound, the effect on headphones like jumping headfirst into a waterfall. This works equally well on energetic high tempo numbers (A Sunny Day In Glasgow’s ‘Ghost On The Underground’) or on more blissful times out (Aus’ ‘Halo’). Throughout Schnauss stamps his distinctive sonic imprint on the music, with throbbing bass lines, busy drum tracks and massive whooshes of sound at climactic points. Each track benefits from this approach, especially those by Howling Bells, Asobi Seksu and Dragons, whose ‘Remembrance’ remix sounds uncannily like a New Order outtake. Even the unexpectedly funky ‘Make Sense And Loose’ by I’m Not A Gun is a plus. Proof positive, then, that Schnauss is a distinctive voice, able to turn his magic to pretty much anything where source material is concerned.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Ben Hogwood
