Started in 1997, Troum is a project of two Bremen-based musicians: Stefan Knappe and Martin Gitschel, the former members of an influential ambient-industrial bandMaëror Tri. The word they have chosen to be the group's name means 'a dream' in old German, and it is a dream – considered as a central manifestation of unconsciousness – that symbolises the musicians' aim, which is to bring the listener into a trance state of mind similar to dreaming, to a pre-verbal and primal sphere of consciousness. Troum uses music as a direct path to the Unknown, pointing at the archaic essence of the deepest layers of the human psyche. The project's compositions are inspired by post-industrial aesthetics, minimalist electronica and drones. It is not electronic music though – both group members use a guitar, bass, vocals, accordion, balalaika, flutes, harmonica, melodica and gongs. There is no place for synthesizers, samplers or computer-generated sounds here – the whole sound is created in an organic and natural way. The sonic panorama composed of synthetic sounds enriched with elements of field recordings, prepared tapes and all kinds of sound objects creates a specific background music of a dream-like atmosphere.
The project's logo is a spiral – a symbol of trance potential of Troum's music and of attempts to reach the inner, deeply hidden spheres of mind. This music is the door to unknown and strange dimensions, an expression of the mystery of existence itself.
