There was a time when I was hunting down every single release on this label. ‘T’ for techno. ‘Minimal’. ‘German Techno’. ‘Kompakt & similar’. ‘Electronic’… Find the box, find Traum. Find the LP’s. Find the EP’s. Find them all.
Beginning with some of the first outputs from Phillipe Cam, Miss Dinky and Process, Traum Schallplatten went on to introduce me to Fairmont, Jesse Somfay, Nathan Fake, Minilogue and Dominik Eulberg. Responsible for the introduction of many of these artists to a wider audience, Traum still stays true to it’s original ethos today and continues to deliver hypnotic, melodic and defining techno.
Looking through Traum’s extensive ten year catalogue, you’ll find big hitters such as Minilogue’s ‘Certain Things’, Nathan Fake’s ‘Dinamo’,and Dominik Eulberg’s ‘Der Buchdrucker’, to name just a few of my favourites. Dig a little further and you’ll also stumble across a more gentle side of melodic techno tucked away in the Traum vaults.
For this mix, i’ve put the dance-floor orientated tracks to one side and focused on some of the more ambient outputs in a hope to reflect a treasured yet sometimes overlooked side of Cologne’s finest export. I’ve included releases that reflect the deep, atmospheric, gentle but unexpected sounds I’ve come to associate with this great label; from 1999’s Fantasias Animadas, to Max Coopers ‘Sea of Sound’, set to be released this month.
Here’s my own little dedication to a defining techno label.
01. Iquinn – Fall [TRAUMCD08]
02. Broker-Dealer – Stormy [TRAUMCD07]
03. Miss Dinky – Nora [TRAUMV11]
04. Fantasias Animadas – Mike’s Road [TRAUMCD01]
05. Waki – Baikamo [TRAUMCD06]
06. Kubikov & Milutenko – Structure [TRAUM13]
07. Process – Room [TRAUMCD13]
08. Kubikov & Milutenko – Special Communication [TRAUM13]
09. Gustavo Lamas – Dulces [TRAUMCD02]
10. Leandro Fresco – Recordable [TRAUMCD01]
11. Yuxtapose – Sciex Elan [TRAUMCD01]
12. Oxtongue – Elba Life [TRAUMCD07]
13. Darmush – Rarpa [TRAUMCD11]
14. Max Cooper – Sea Of Sound (Ambient rework) [TRAUMV131]
