TRAUMER | NL 2024 #04

As editor-in-chief of Mixmag Netherlands, I am delighted to take you into the multifaceted realm of Traumer, a virtuoso of sound renowned for his shape-shifting personas.

From Brako to Jinger, each moniker unveils a facet of Traumer’s expansive creativity and dynamic sonic universe. In this exclusive feature, we navigate throu-gh Traumer’s latest endeavours, forthcoming releases,and his relentless pursuit of pushing musical frontiers.

A recent tour through South America showcased not only Traumer’s musical prowess but also his remarkable adaptability. With just hand luggage in tow for an entire month, Traumer embarked on a whirlwind journey, navigating tight schedules and demanding logistics with finesse. From efficient packing strategies to managing back-to-back shows in seven countries, Traumer’s dedication to his craft and his fans knows no bounds.

“Yes, the first challenge was to travel with only hand luggage for a month. Since the schedule was quite tight in terms of logistics, I could not take the risk of having a checked-in suitcase and having it lost or something. I basically had to pack in a super-efficient way, having “resources” for 12 days, as I made sure I could do laundry every 12 days. Another challenge was naturally the schedule itself, especially the 11 days which had 10 shows in 7 countries... which requires a kind of strict behaviour. Meaning, not partying much during each show, and getting the most amount of sleep when possible."

"This can be quite difficult to be honest, since for most of the promoters, that moment would be the only time of the year they would have me, and I understand they kind of want to make the most of it with me. I found that attitude quite lovely as they are so passionate about what they do. They were, however, super understanding, and I appreciate and honour this behaviour (even though I was still giving in a bit of course, haha). since we are talking about promoters, I would like to take the opportunity to thank them, not only the South or North Americans of that tour but all of those who keep inviting me or invite me for the first time. They take a lot of risk when in the end, the DJ is the one taking the least. And besides the promoters, there are the dancers, the ravers, who pay for the tickets, their drinks, and dance to our music all night. Without them, there would be no promoters and therefore no DJs. Thank you all, guys!”

Expanding the reach of his imprint, get—traum, internationally posed its own set of challenges, particularly in the diverse landscape of the United States. However, with unwavering belief in his vision and tireless effort, Traumer broke through barriers, leaving an indelible mark on the American music scene.

“I would say that the fundamental obstacles have pretty much been the lineup. In different parts of the world, the same lineup can have a totally different effect. And therefore, you need to somehow have an accurate study of the market in the area. And some places can appear more challenging than others, like the USA because it’s not the same market as Europe. But when you believe in your proposals and work hard to strengthen the music scene you’re defending, I would say that almost everything is possible.”

As summer approaches, Traumer eagerly anticipates four electrifying shows in Ibiza, where he will bring his signature sound to the world’s ultimate party destination. Organizing these events presents its own set of demands, from curating the perfect lineup to collaborating with partners like Trip to create unforgettable experiences for club-goers.

“After a first successful residency in Ibiza, at Octan, entitled “Traumer Invites” back in 2022, featuring talents like Raresh, Priku, Shonky, Enzo Siragusa, The Ghost & more, I was ready to bring get—traum to the island. Yet one question remained, where? The answer came last summer, after playing at Club Chinois for the first time with Trip. Everything was top-notch in this club, from the sound, the proximity with the audience, the size of the place, to the 360 visuals projected on the walls – it all just felt right! The following morning after this show, I immediately called my agent and said this exact thing “I want to do a get—traum in there!”

"You can imagine how happy and excited I am about this year’s collaboration with Trip, during which I’ll have the pleasure of welcoming Raresh, Shonky, Enzo Siragusa, Georgia and D’julz at Club Chinois.”

Following a triumphant performance at Warehouse Project Manchester in 2023, Traumer prepares to grace the main room once again this year. With meticulous preparation and an unwavering commitment to excellence, he sets the stage for another unforgettable night of music and magic.

“That was definitely a box to check, no doubt. It was a huge pleasure being invited but nevertheless quite stressful. Indeed, both the size of the room and the reputation made this gig challenging as I really wanted to deliver the best I could. In these cases, I would say that I almost prepare my music the same as usual: I check some promotions or new releases and dig up some older songs that usually pass the “edit checkpoint”. I organize my playlist like I would do for a bag of vinyl, I call them “BAG 1 APRIL24” for example. But the difference in my preparation process when"

"it comes to such gigs is that I prepare the first 3 songs I will play, in that specific order. It helps to gain confidence, a technique that I borrowed from my teenage years when I was a goalkeeper in football. My warm-up was never too risky as I didn’t want to fail any of the exercises that my trainer was making me do. It was important to succeed at everything from the very beginning to feel strong and confident for the whole match. That’s basically the same idea applied in the music field.”

The launch of get—traum in Europe marked a major milestone for Traumer, as he navigated the complexities of event organization and promotion. Despite initial hurdles, the label’s meteoric rise speaks to Traumer’s unwavering determination and passion for pushing musical boundaries.

“The main objective for us was to have a strong start. So, we had to convince a lot of clubs and promoters all at once, with almost no background as promoters. But to be honest, this hasn’t been that difficult. We were happy by the number of clubs that were excited about hosting a get-traum showcase, which increased our confidence in the project even more!”

As Traumer prepares for festivals like the Monegros Desert Festival in 2024, he embraces the challenge of adapting his performance to expansive settings. Balancing artistic integrity with crowd engagement, he seeks to captivate audiences on the grandest of stages.

“I cannot say that I have been a “festival act” in my career. I have not played a lot of big stage festivals. Not because I do not like them, but I don’t know, I just haven’t played them a lot. Although I do like intimate or semi-intimate parties, I started to appreciate these larger-scale festivals. It’s a totally different approach with the crowd. First, you’re somehow quite disconnected from them because of the distance between the dance floor and the stage, so you have to try to reconnect with them through the music. That implies not playing the same tracks as if you were in a 200-capacity room, but still without compromising your artistic values. It all comes down to the music, once again, you need to catch people’s attention more efficiently and accurately because at big festivals there are multiple stages, and the audience can come and go.”

Venturing into uncharted territory, Traumer preparesfor his inaugural live performance as Antraum, a collaboration with fellow artist Anton. With a blend of technical innovation and creative experimentation, they set the stage for a mesmerizing debut.

“We first needed to find a technical structure: What role will we both play? What gear should we use in order to showcase our vision of this project in the best way possible and make it a memorable experience for our dear crowd who will see the show for the first time?"

"Numerous questions are still in the process of being answered. I think it’s good that everything can still evolve and to not be too strict at first with the exact roles and equipment. Obviously, the main guideline ofour technical implication will remain, but some details might change up to the last 2 weeks before the show."

"We are also faced with this dilemma of absolutely recomposing everything live, which could have been tricky, or accepting to keep the “almost” original arrangement for some of our “flagship” songs. In the end, we decided that most of the tracks will be jammed, and our most popular songs will kind of keep a more strict rule of arrangement for the original spirit of the song to persist.”

Renowned for his multitude of aliases, Traumer’s creative journey knows no bounds. From Brako to Jinger, each persona offers a unique window into Traumer’s musical psyche, reflecting his diverse inspirations and boundless creativity.

“I do love creating aliases, and somehow I have to as well. Sometimes I only create aliases because I simply cannot release everything under one single moniker. It would be overexposing people to too much music and information, flooding them basically. So sometimes, these new aliases permit me to not only release more music but are also a fun way to “experiment” and see how the feedback is (positive or negative) when the music isn’t attached to the “Traumer” name. This is especially true for the various projects I still keep as a “secret”. But I also invented some new ones with a specific idea and concept in mind, like Brako or Jinger."

"Brako was born during the pandemic, I had this appetite for breaks and I tried to put some well-known samples on it. I really wanted to have this obvious sample over a higgledy-piggledy breakbeat, the “Bandit” mix, and then on the flip side a 4/4 beat with a more subtle use of the sample, a short “rights clearance”, that’s why the second mix is called “Police”. I wanted to have this little imaginary story of two little characters chasing each other."

"Jinger also came out as an idea during the pande-mic. Since we were quite distant from the dance floor and its pure application, I wanted to still do danceable music but infused with a more organic and melodic touch. I wanted a less “full efficiency” version of Traumer. The tones and the arrangement are less “obvious” than my main moniker."

"Still, during the lockdown (which was such a productive time - I loved that moment for that reason), I also explored a lot of completely different music genres. Like this project called ‘Amine Laje’, which lands between Trip-Hop, Jazz and Hip-Hop instrumental. My best friend Alex asked me to create a soundtrack for his brand new restaurant « Datsha » in Paris. The challenge was creating a significant amount of music to avoid it being played in a loop during the service, so I needed at least 5 hours... of pure creation. I ended up doing 120 tracks for him, and I recently compiled some of those to make an album that would be released later this year."

"To sum up, I do not always make music with a pre-existing goal or application in mind, I just do it and then “place” it into one of these imaginary little boxes I created over the years. It’s kind of a trick to sort and organize a fairly musical schizophrenia. But I also do like to challenge myself with a musical concept even before playing the first note or programming a beat.”

“Yes, there is a new Brako on the way, set to be released in May,” Traumer shared eagerly. “The Jinger project will also have three new releases, forming a triptych of musical expression.” Collaborating with Antoine Quesnel (Anton) on their label Omakase, Traumer teased two new releases under their project called Antraum. However, Traumer emphasized that his focus this year won’t be solely on side projects. “There will be a lot of Traumer’s releases this year, starting with the get—traum HORS SERIE, which will be released early May. Later the same month there will be an EP on Enzo Siragusa’s Label Fuse." he declared confidently.

The trajectory of Roman Poncet, another of Traumer’s personas, also sparks curiosity. Traumer shed light on the resurgence of Roman Poncet, acknowledging it as his “second love” that momentarily eclipsed Traumer’s prominence. Reflecting on his decision to prioritize one persona over the other, Traumer admitted to feeling a greater sense of authenticity with Traumer.

Nevertheless, he revealed that new materials, as well as a new imprint, for Roman Poncet are in the works and should be ready for release around September. Traumer expressed a desire to tour with the project but clarified that it would be exclusively as a live performance, not succumbing to trendy conventions of Hard Techno. Instead, the resurgence of Roman Poncet is driven purely by the pleasure of experimentation and a desire to explore new sonic territories.

As the founder of get—traum, Traumer seeks to innovate not only in his music but also in its distribution. Balancing the allure of vinyl with the accessibility of digital formats, he strives to meet the evolving needs of his community while staying true to his artistic vision.

“Releasing only vinyl has become a pain in the ass, to be fair. Long delays, rising production costs, etc. And not everyone is listening/consuming the music through that format. I definitely had a different opinion back in the day, but I can tell that now I’d like my music to be accessible as much as possible. It does not mean that I do not respect the vinyl and their aficionados, on the contrary, I try to please both sides. Some songs are remaining vinyl only, some are digital only, and some are both. I am listening to my community a lot, I owe them so much, it’s thanks to them that I’m even able to release and play the music we’re talking about. So that’s how, through social media, we decided to start asking my dear fans what they would love to see being available next, to make it accessible faster, and make us both happy! (haha)”

Looking ahead, Traumer envisions a future where get—traum continues to evolve and expand its musical horizons. With plans to release new artists and explore diverse genres, he remains committed to fostering a vibrant and inclusive music community.

“Last year, the main turn of the label was to open it to other artists and stop using it as a structure for self-releasing. I first started to release artists who had played my parties, in order to fully connect the label and the events. But now I’m planning to release some other talented producers, sometimes not connected to my events at all, but who could be involved in the near future. I also want to expand the musical spectrum of the label, not to be focused on that so-called “Rominimal” which no longer really matches my desire for the imprint. I want to explore new horizons with the label, like the get—traum 012 produced by my dear friend DJ Deep, which is a deeper example of the music I appreciate. However, the label will remain dancefloor-oriented, only with a wider vision of it.”

From legendary clubs like Fabric to intimate gatherings at Rex Club, get—traum parties are a celebration of sound and spirit. With upcoming events spanning the globe, Traumer invites music lovers to join him on a journey of sonic exploration and discovery.

“I proudly can say that we had get—traum at Fabric (London), Rex Club (Paris), Input (Barcelona), Shelter (Amsterdam), Floyd (Miami), and Jolene (Miami). And I am very excited to have the brand coming back to Rex Club (Paris) on May 10th, Fuse (Brussels) on May 24th, Les Enfants Brillants (Barcelona) on June 14th for Sonar Off, Beirut for the first time on June 21st and a huge warehouse event in collaboration with Kumquat & pieces (my booking agency) in Paris on July 5th where we’ll perform as “Antraum Live” for the first time. Added to that, get-traum will return to Ibiza with 4 shows in collaboration with Trip at Club Chinois on May 18th, June 29th, August 3rd, and September 7th. See you around!”

As we wrap up our exploration of Traumer’s musical journey, one thing is abundantly clear: the dedication to his craft and mind-boggling creative output knows no bounds.

From electrifying performances on the global stage to groundbreaking releases under an array of aliases, Traumer continues to captivate audiences with his innovative sound and limitless expansion of musical expression.

As he sets his sights on uncharted musical territories, one thing remains certain: the future holds endless possibilities for this visionary artist.

Here’s to Traumer, a true pioneer in the ever-evolving landscape of electronic music. Cheers to the journey ahead!

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