Dreaming Muzak

Vital Weekly:
You could say that the first two releases make up Maeror Tri. This German trio ended in two new groups in 1997, Troum and 1000Schoen. The first one is by now a leading force in the world of ambient drone music, while the second becomes more and more active. Troum’s release on Zoharum is a re-issue of their very first release and was already re-released in 2006. It was reviewed in Vital Weekly 535 and I am to stand my opinion from back then: „Another more than welcome re-release is 'Dreaming Muzak’ by Troum. It is the first and also the last cassette by Troum, released in the early days of their existence (in 1998), along with 'Ryna’ and 'Daur’, the first releases of the band. These days they are highly popular among a crowd of people who like their things to be dark, atmospheric but without any sort of quasi magickal or ritualistick undercurrents. Troum likes to play upfront ambient drone material. Yes, that simple, because it would hardly justify their music describing it in a different way. Among some many people involved in producing music that can be described as 'drone’, carefulness and softness are the usual keywords, and that is what sets Troum apart from them. Their music, made with relatively easy means such a guitar, accordion, percussion and tape-loops, is much louder and more present than their UK counterparts (Mirror, Ora, Monos). The music of Troum may have developed more and more over the last eight years and 'Dreaming Muzak’ may perhaps be indeed the early beginnings, it’s still a great work, moving slowly, but getting the listener into a heavy trance like (if you are open for that of course). Troum are among the best in their area. Then and now.”

ChainDLK:
Sometimes a reissue is a way to reconsider something that is taken for granted. This reissue was the first full length output from this band with a sound aiming to provoke a 'dreaming stadium’ and his publishing history set it in an almost invisible state. Thanks to Åukasz Miernik, responsible for the MAEROR TRI reissues, this remastered version sounds as a today release and underlines the most impressive quality of this release that is his visceral mood that collides with the glacial coldness associated with this kind of music.
The first part starts quietly with a menacing drone that slowly evolves in volume and impact when layers of resonances were added to develop a wall of sound that today we could classify as almost drone metal but, over 15 years ago, was an improvement over the almost glacial sounds of the period. The second part, called 'the dream catcher’, is even more radical with his 'loud’ resonance (not in his literal sense, but the recordings were probably loud and they are mixed in a way that only the most loud aspect could be heard above the soundscape constituting the musical infrastructure) so, especially in the second half, is closer to the field closer to metal as in the coevals path undertaken by MZ.412.
This release is important to properly understand a path of musical research that someone believes starting with metal but was started by ambient and later popularized by drone metal in more profitable time. An essential reissue.

Musique Machine:
German ambient drone masters and all around experimental wizards, Troum, need no introduction. However, their first release, Dreaming Muzak, may not be as well known as some of their other material. Originally released on cassette in 1998 (post-mainstream usage of cassette and pre-hipster embrace of it), Dreaming Muzak was re-released on a very limited (100) CDr in 2005. Zoharum is making sure that this gem finds its way to more ears by releasing Dreaming Muzak on CD and streaming/download via Bandcamp. After hearing quite a bit of Troum over the past couple of years, it’s great to hear where it all began and how close to their original sound they’ve stayed, and at times, how far they’ve experimented.
Each track on Dreaming Muzak builds atmosphere quickly and spends the rest of its run time thickening, moving, and growing. Whether suffocating and noisy („Part I”) or foggy and drifting („Part II”), the end result is the same: atmosphere deluxe. Thick layers work together in „Part I” to make a creepy, cave-like soup that moves quickly in pieces, but slowly overall. The lows that moan propel the track along and almost obscure the quickly circling highs. Troum’s juxtaposition of the frequencies adds a great amount of depth and scope, and makes the subterranean caves come alive. Disembodied voices are hidden in the mix and make one question whether or not they’re even there. A loftier, airier approach is taken on „Part II (The Dream Catcher),” but the end result is the same; A thick, living atmosphere that spends its time enveloping the listener. Less chaotic drones are used as layer meat, and their slow movements make the listener feel as though they’re being pulled through the air. Quicker oscillating drones add a sense of urgency to the ride, but they’re fleeting, and don’t make the trip too labored. The journey ends with a calm landing, and the listener is free to walk away to enjoy more sessions with Troum.
Troum’s first release is a very solid debut. One can definitely hear the beginning of their sound and how it would eventually form into lighter fare like Mare Morphosis. The transition from thick, solid walls to airy, almost symphonic drifts shows nice progression, but makes one long for the thick, suffocation blanket of their earlier work. Zoharum’s re-release of Dreaming Muzak is very welcome and I hope it gets the

Santa Sangre:
The present CD is a re-release of Troum’s first full-length album, released in tape format back in 1998. It should be an exciting feeling, especially for the fans, to have a glimpse into the band’s first endeavours, and thanks to the work of the Zoharum label this is now possible for a wide audience.
There are two long parts, entitled I and II, that compose this record, and are being ascribed, ineluctably, in the drone-ambient musical register. Whatever the sound source may be, the value of a drone piece resides in the processing, in the way these droners treat sound, channelling it through an individual understanding of the existence. Under this angle, drone music approaches the existentialist movement more than peripherally, as the artists involved work on the sound material with a certain attitude, where acting or feeling is preeminent to thinking.
The duo formed by Stefan and Martin have trust in the social value of their music, that drones ‘can help you to survive in this insane world’, as they’ve said. Here everything seems to estrange us from real life; technology contributes to the reduction of reality to still-life objectivity. The fluids perpetrated by the processed sounds of Troum seem to occupy the empty spaces and glue back elements of reality and traces of humanity in an attempt to empathize man and nature once again.
The first part of ‘Dreaming Muzak’ reunites principal motifs and decorations of drone ambient minimalism: repetitiveness, pulsating vibes, set up for a motion ideography that both visually and aurally is realized at an immense, often grandiloquent scale. This stream of drones is not intended to ever end, being finally interrupted by the second part, sub-titled ‘The Dream Catcher’. While the melody on the first part seemed to be sweeping across the surface of the earth, this time the drones are being birthed somewhere below the crust, invading caves and diving into subterrestrial waters. This passage is wholly menacing; it constantly shifts form and melody, challenging a proper reaction and an intelligent defense from the listener, otherwise he might turn into a victim of the drone catcher.
It is remarkable how the adventure of Troum has started, and this first album proves and legitimates the unparalleled discography they have amassed over time. We have almost an hour of two paradigmatic drone-ambient compositions, crafted for us to dream this world once again.

Heathen Harvest:
Drone—pure drone—is largely a two-sided listening experience for me. Generally speaking, I either attain a strange sort of half-dreaming state, or I don’t. In some cases (more often than not, I’m afraid), my mind and my ears fuse together; I hear the gently shifting layers of processed noise and notice how they rise and fall like a synthetic ocean, merging into one cohesive whole. At the same time, my thoughts are engaged and guided, moving into a place made of partially inspired imagination and partially waking dream. It is in this state that I let myself drift into whatever hazy realm the music has opened for me.
This is the kind of drone I find particularly successful.
The other side of this affects me in a different way: The auditory experience is minimal or non-existent, while my thoughts detach completely and follow whatever random sequences they choose. In these cases, the music is a passive catalyst rather than a semi-interactive director. Another way that I can say this is I don’t really experience the music at all—at least not in a direct fashion, but it provides detachment from my normal waking mode of thinking.
While all of this, of course, is completely subjective, I mention it because there has been only one artist that provides me with both types of listening states, and that is the legendary duo of Troum. It’s fitting that Martin Gitschel and Stefan Knappe named their project after the German word for “dream,” and it’s also fitting that they named their second full-length album Dreaming Muzak.
Originally released on cassette in 1998 by Cling Film-Records and reissued on Taâlem-sublabel Kokeshidisk as a CD-R in 2006, Dreaming Muzak is finally seeing a proper CD release on Zoharum now in 2014, and it’s showing no signs of aging. The album contains two tracks that run about twenty-six minutes each, and the single most incredible thing that I can say is that each track epitomizes one of my two drone listening modes, with “Part 1″ providing the fusion/half-aware state, and “Part 2″ giving the passive state. It’s almost like Troum knows how my mind works, and how to manipulate it—and now that I think about it, that’s a little creepy.
This isn’t boasting on Troum’s part, but a comment on how the music is supposed to be experienced. Other acts, such as SleepResearch_Facility and Nordvargr, have attempted the same thing or something similar, but in a less blatant and more directed manner. For Troum, it’s all about the semi-conscious interaction between the creator and the beholder.
So what does Dreaming Muzak sound like? “Part 1″ is a series of processed waves with a good deal of looping elements built-in; the album was originally produced on four-track analog, so while it’s not complex or slick, it’s still seamlessly and organically presented. This is the kind of album where I notice new details with each listen; there’s quite a bit going on, but I can’t catch it all since my ears are half-asleep, so to speak. If “Part 1″ is an ocean, “Part 2″ is a river: This time, the experience is much more linear, changing direction more often and less gradually, and with more variety. “Part 2″ contains passages that are much easier to define—here’s a synth drone, there’s a sampled sequence, and this is a bit of distorted noise—and the progression is more clearly stated. “Part 1″ drowns me, while “Part 2″ transports me.
Drone is one of those genres that’s easy to do poorly. Without the sense of flow—both technical and aesthetic—it sounds like exactly what it is: noise. It needs to move in unexpected ways and keep its identity concealed, or the spell will be broken. In the hands of sensitive masters such as Troum, however, drone provides an interactive listening experience that’s unmatched by any other genre. Drone has never worked for me as anything other than a primary activity; if I try to, say, clean the house while listening, the music never takes full hold of me and stays below the surface. For it to work its surreal magic, I need to be doing nothing else but letting it wash over me. Plug in, clear your mind, and allow Troum to enter your consciousness. You’ll never know what state you might encounter. And should you fall asleep, well … then it’s part of your dreams.

Ver Sacrum:
La Zoharum è una piccola label specializzata in dark-ambient e ritual e ha in catalogo, in edizioni rigorosamente limitate, artisti del calibro di Rapoon e Andrew Lagowski. Ora, dopo aver di recente ristampato il fondamentale Meditametum dei leggendari Maeror Tri, è la volta della riproposizione di un’altra progetto oscuro del genere ovvero i Troum del grande Stefan Knappe – mente dei già citati Maeror Tri – di cui viene reso disponibile Dreaming Muzak. In origine l’album ha visto la luce in formato cassetta nel lontano 1998 ed era stato poi rieditato in CDR nel 2005 in sole 100 copie ma c’è stata anche una stampa in bootleg nel 2004 della CorZar Records, un’etichetta russa. L’album è stato per l’occasione rimasterizzato mentre la veste grafica è elegante e raffinata. Dreaming Muzak comprende solo due lunghe tracce di dark-ambient profonda e senza compromessi. Immergersi nell’ascolto di questo disco è un’esperienza catartica e sovrannaturale e cambierà la vostra percezione della realtà. Si tratta di musica composta per essere ascoltata durante il sonno. L’album rappresenta un’ideale colonna sonora dei nostri sogni (Troum significa “sogno” in tedesco arcaico) e, per essere pienamente apprezzato, va ascoltato con concentrazione lasciandosi cullare dai suoi drones ipnotici. Le onde sonore di Dreaming Muzak stendono il velo del sonno sull’ascoltatore rendendelo partecipe di un’altra dimensione spazio-temporale. Dunque è Deep Music allo stato puro quella contenuta in questo cd. Un album che piacerà di sicuro ai viaggiatori cosmici e agli amanti della dark-ambient e a chi non ha paura di confrontarsi con il lato oscuro dei propri sogni. Dreaming Muzak esce in un’edizione limitata di 350 copie ed è disponibile anche in formato digitale

Freq:
Dating back to a tape release in 1998 and a later CDr edition from 2005, Dreaming Muzak has now been given the deluxe re-release treatment by Zoharum and arrives in a lovingly-produced three-panel gatefold CD sleeve, remastered, like the recent Maeror Tri (which includes Troum‘s Martin Gitschel and Stefan Knappe as two of the trio) editions, by Łukasz Miernik.
Sometimes oppressive in the extreme, if Part 1 of Dreaming Muzak doles out what Gitschel and Knappe’s sleeping imaginings are like, then perhaps they might more resemble nightmares for others. Put this on — as intended — on repeat at night in a darkened room while sleeping and the huge rumblings and drones will doubtless provoke some startling imagery behind closed eyes, the pulsations and shuddering low tones enough alone to send horripilations over the body’s hairs and skin surface, leavening goosebumps and an unsettling sense of unease along the way. If the purpose is somewhat along the lines of a dream machine but with sound rather than a rotating lightshow set to stimulate the listener’s subconscious reactions then — based on waking listens — then the effect would seem to be best appreciated when the music is given priority of sensory appreciation over all others: alone, in darkness, on headphones (or loud on good speakers) and in stillness.
There are undertows of rustlings and crepitations from the beyond which help build that feeling of disturbance and which tend towards an initial disinclination to let the music do what Muzak™ does, and surround without intruding upon the everyday. In this sense of course, Troum — the old German word for dream — are perhaps not necessarily aiming for the background but instead for the present foreground and to block out other inputs to allow the sleeping or overwhelmed brain to roam freer in its associations. Dreaming Muzak certainly works hard on the waking listener, demanding if not precisely attention then at least recognition of its audio supremacy.
Part 2 (“The Dream Catcher”; a term now so benighted with associations of mashed-up appropriated spiritual twaddle that its Native American origins have long been obscured, at least in western consciousness) floats on somewhat less breathtaking sound waves which eddy and glide more than rush and roar, where something which resembles the sound of the listener’s own blood pulsing through their ears is almost restful rather than constrictive. By far the more varied track, Part 2 is also easier on the waking brain, though no less intense in its spectral domination; careful adjustment of levels and EQ can be required for Dreaming Muzak to avoid distortion and unexpected glitching.
While New Age sleep musics (and Muzaks) might variously aim to motivate the listener, stimulate their chakras, bring them closer to god(s) and/or Mammon, Dreaming Muzak‘s intent is purer, without a direct agenda on the part of Troum other than to provide a means to an psychological end (as they state on the sleeve: “You may hear melodies. You may hear voices. You may hear anything you like”) which the user and/or their subconscious is free to interpret as he or she will. That and shake the windows along the way.

Nonpop.de:
Über TROUM an sich, das Drone-/(Dark-)Ambient-Projekt der beiden ehemaligen MAEROR-TRI-Mannen MARTIN GITSCHEL alias „GlitSch” und STEFAN KNAPPE alias „BarakaH” – seinerseits Gründer und Betreiber des Bremer Labels DRONE RECORDS – muss wohl nicht mehr allzu viel gesagt werden, zählt es doch zu den stilbildenden Größen eben jenes musikalischen Genres – Drone –, das in den letzten Jahren wie kaum ein anderes expandierte, in alle möglichen musikalischen Nachbarbereiche hineinwucherte und im Zuge dieses Prozesses eine nachgerade inflationäre Flut an Veröffentlichungen generierte. Die besagte Entwicklung führte zu einer zunehmenden Unschärfe und Vieldeutigkeit hinsichtlich des konkreten musikalischen Materials, das durch den Begriff eigentlich bezeichnet werden soll, und demgemäß mittlerweile irgendwo zwischen SOUTHERN LORD-Acts wie SUNN o))) oder EARTH einer- und experimentellen Puristen wie CELER oder HELM andererseits oszillieren kann. TROUM im allgemeinen sowie „Dreaming Muzak” im besonderen repräsentieren in dieser Hinsicht ein klassisch-orthodoxes Verständnis, d. h. die gebotene Musik konstituiert sich konsequent aus Flächen und besticht durch eine nahezu vollständige Abwesenheit jeglicher Rhythmuselemente. Dieses oder ähnliches sollte dem Hörer allerdings sowieso spätestens angesichts folgender Ankündigung auf dem Digipak dämmern: „The music was especially designed to be played endlessly during your sleeping hours.” – Jawoll: Wer sich hier an ROBERT RICH’s legendäre „sleep concerts” erinnert fühlt und frühe Werke RICHs wie „Sunyata” oder „Trances / Drones” assoziiert, verfolgt die richtige Fährte.
Bei der vorliegenden CD handelt es sich um ein Re-Re-Issue der gleichnamigen Debüt-Tape-Veröffentlichung von TROUM, die erstmals 1997 in einer Auflage von hundert, liebevoll in handgemachte Kissenbezüge eingenähten, Exemplaren bei dem belgischen Label CLING FILM erschienen ist. Und des Umstandes, dass man es mit einem Stück Musik zu tun hat, das mittlerweile stolze 17 Jahre auf dem Buckel hat, sollte man sich wohl bewusst sein, wenn man sich an die Degustation von „Dreaming Muzak” machen und vor allem: das Werk angemessen und fair beurteilen will. Denn absolut gesprochen mangelt es dem Opus aus heutiger Perspektive an jenem gewissen Etwas, welches nötig wäre, um es signifikant aus dem bereits angesprochenen, unüberschaubaren Wust an Veröffentlichungen herauszuheben, mit dem sich der Liebhaber des Drone-/(Dark-)Ambient-Genres heutzutage konfrontiert sieht. 1997 bestachen die beiden, jeweils ca. 26 Minuten dauernden Stücke zweifellos durch eine Innovativität und Originalität, die der heutige Hörer in aller Regel nur noch schwer nachempfinden können wird, müsste er dazu doch so ziemlich alles ausblenden, was sich seit damals auf dem einschlägigen Sektor getan hat – und das ist, wie bereits ausgeführt und gelinde gesprochen, nicht gerade wenig. Günstigenfalls wird man Teil 1 und 2 von „Dreaming Muzak” also als entspannend, meditativ, ja: möglicherweise sogar psychoaktiv (dieser funktionale Aspekt ist ja ausdrücklich intendiert), schlimmstenfalls als langweilig und redundant wahrnehmen. Last but not least ist das ganze freilich insbesondere für den dezidierten TROUM-Fan von gesteigertem Interesse, dem hier eine ebenso frühe wie weitgehend vergriffene Manifestation des musikalischen Schaffens der beiden Bremer in optisch ansprechender und qualitativ hochwertiger Form neu zugänglich gemacht wird. Der adäquateste Umgang mit TROUMs „Dreaming Muzak” dürfte wohl ohnehin jener sein, für den das Opus ganz ausdrücklich konzipiert wurde: „The Soundtrack To Your Dreams” …
In der, freilich absolut subjektiven und unmaßgeblichen Wahrnehmung des Rezensenten muss die CD-Veröffentlichung des polnischen Labels ZOHARUM RECORDS summa summarum unter der Kategorie „Kann man, muss man aber auch nicht unbedingt” rubriziert werden: Aus heutiger Perspektive findet sich zweifellos nichts, was prinzipiell dagegen, allerdings auch wenig, was spontan überzeugend dafür spricht – lässt man den musikhistorischen Aspekt an dieser Stelle einmal außer acht. Als Soundtrack zu psychonautischen Wachtraumexperimenten dürfte „Dreaming Muzak” heute allerdings kaum weniger tauglich sein als vor 17 Jahren, weshalb es mehr als angemessen scheint, den Leser mit folgendem, frommem Wunsche ins Schlummerland zu entlassen und zur beherzten Bildung einer eigenen Meinung aufzurufen: Gute Nacht und süße Träume!

Musick Magazine:
Możesz usłyszeć melodie. Możesz usłyszeć głosy. Możesz usłyszeć cokolwiek zechcesz. Ta muzyka została skomponowana, aby słuchać jej we śnie, jako soudtrack do twoich snów – te słowa widnieją wewnątrz digipacka, w który zapakowano ten zacny album, będący reedycją pierwszego, pełnoczasowego wydawnictwa Niemców z Troum (czyli w pewnym sensie kontynuacji wspaniałego Maeror Tri) i muszę przyznać, że nieźle oddają jego zawartość. No, może poza tym, że te 2 długie utwory znakomicie sprawdzają się nie tylko, jako ścieżka dźwiękowa do zasypiania. Powiem więcej, jak na ambient/drone, bo z nim mamy tu do czynienia, jest to muzyka na swój sposób dynamiczna i wcale nie aż tak senna, jak mógłby wskazywać opis, sporządzony przez jej autorów. W dodatku, w kwestii dźwiękowych tekstur też dzieje się tu całkiem sporo, więc pomimo minimalistycznej z założenia formy, jest to materiał zróżnicowany zarówno pod względem użytych środków, jak i intensywności. Sama płyta została zremasterowana, co w przypadku nagrań z taką muzyką sprawdza się znakomicie, bo materiał zawarty na Dreaming Muzak po latach broni się doskonale. Zresztą, ludzie za niego odpowiedzialni zawsze grali w ekstraklasie takich dźwięków.

Only Good Music:
Czego potrzebujemy by zasnąć? Wygodnego łóżka i poduszki? To nie zawsze wystarcza. Jak szacuje Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia jedna trzecia populacji ludzi na świecie cierpi na bezsenność. Wielu ekspertów zaleca sprzyjającą marzeniom sennym muzykę. Taką rolę może pełnić przypominany właśnie przez Wytwórnię Zoharum album Troum.
Słuchając albumu „Dreaming Muzak” rozkoszowałem się ciszą i subtelnymi odmianami myśli muzycznych często bytującymi na granicy szeptu. Troum serwuje muzyczną tapetę złożoną z dwóch długich kompozycji, które mają w sobie naturalny rytm i oddechy czytelnie wskazujące perspektywę całości. Pod wpływem subtelnych dronów faktura kompozycji stała się płynna, zatarły się kontury formalne, a pojawiające się nieregularnie akcenty jak punkty rozmywają się w plamy.
Muzyka Troum nie emanuje radością, nie poraża światłem – brzmienie jest raczej ciemne, osnute mgłą, ale zachwyca właśnie spokojem, hipnotyzuje i pozwala wsłuchać się w siebie. Pamiętajmy „nawet kiedy śpimy, nasz słuch wciąż działa” [1]. Dobranoc…

Ambientblog:
Originally released in 1998 (on cassette) as Troum’s second album, and rereleased as a limited CDR in 2006, the Zoharum label now re-releases a remastered edition of this fascinating album. Two tracks, about 26 minutes each, „created as a muzak tuning our brainwaves into the proper dreaming stadium”.
Don’t let the 'muzak’ and 'dreaming’ connotations misguide you: the drones are in fact rather 'noisy’: they could be created from the sounds of faraway industries, busy highways, passing freight trains, etc. But at the same time this sound indeed induces an adventurous calm state of mind.
Incomparable in result, of course, but in a way these tracks reminded me of Lou Reed’s legendary album „Metal Machine Music” .

Kulturterrorismus:
“Dreaming Muzak” von TROUM – ein soundtechnisch veraltetes Zeitdokument, das das polnische Label ZOHARUM RECORDS (inklusive frischem Mastering von ŁUKASZ MIERNIK) wiederveröffentlicht, welches ausschließlich DIE HARD Fans der Bremer begeistern dürfte.
TROUM‘s “Dreaming Muzak” erschien in diversen Formaten auf diversen Labels, weshalb eingefleischte Sammler(-innen) sehr wahrscheinlich eine Ausgabe dieses 2-Tracks Werkes ihr Eigen nennen. Besonders wertvoll(?) müsste die Erstauflage als Tape (CLING-FILM, 1998) sein und das CD-Bootleg von 2004 (CORZAR RECORDS, 2004), deren Soundqualität garantiert NICHT bestechen. Für einen Neukauf könnte somit der neue Grundton sprechen, der den künstlerisch simplen Noise Ambient (ohne große Spannungsbögen) von “Dreaming Muzak” NICHT aufwertet, welcher knapp über eine Stunde monoton atmosphärisch vor sich hinplätschert. Wer sich tontechnisch vorwiegend in der analogen Vergangenheit zuhause fühlt, sollte TROUM‘s “Dreaming Muzak” hingegen unbedingt (in der neuen Fassung) antesten, um nicht ein staubiges Relikt vergangener Tage zu verpassen. Heißt, diese limitierte (350 Kopien) Wiederveröffentlichung ist ein zweischneidiges Schwert, wo jede(-r) Konsument(-in) für sich entscheiden muss, ob sie TROUM‘s “Dreaming Muzak” wahrhaftig benötigt.
Fazit:
Über den Sinn oder Unsinn von Wiederveröffentlichungen lässt sich grundsätzlich streiten, auch “Dreaming Muzak” von TROUM zählt NICHT zu Pflicht- sondern Vielleichtkäufen, weil das Bremer Duo zur damaligen Zeit noch NICHT die großen musikalischen Offenbarungen anbot! PS: Im Endeffekt keine große KULTUR, die STEFAN KNAPPE (BARAKA[H]) & Martin Gitschel (GLIT[S]CH) abliefern, sondern in die Jahre gekommene “Drehungen” zum Entspannen!

Lux Atenea:
Estamos ante la extraordinaria reedición del álbum “Dreaming Muzak” de Troum ‎publicado originalmente en casette en el año 1998, posteriormente en CDr en el año 2006, y, en esta ilustre ocasión, el magno trabajo musical de Troum ha sido previamente remasterizado al completo con maestría por Łukasz Miernik hasta darle esa sonoridad, esa dimensión y esa calidad musical que son fundamentales para que el melómano lector de Lux Atenea Webzine pueda sentir la música en todo su esplendor, encendiendo su pasión. Presentado a finales del pasado mes de abril a través del prestigioso sello discográfico ZOHARUM en una edición limitada de 350 unidades en digipak de seis paneles, ‎“Dreaming Muzak” no solamente les atraerá por su calidad sonora sino también por la siniestra estética de su portada diseñada por Maciej Mehring, alma máter del sello ZOHARUM, basada en el trabajo artístico de Wiktor Jackowski donde los amenazantes tonos y formas obscuras aumentan la sensación de temor al quedar fuertemente contrastados con colores mucho más claros como el gris apagado, el rojo y el azul. Además, la ausencia de líneas rectas contribuye también a crear ese espacio y ese entorno evanescente de pesadilla psíquica donde cada cosa, cada sombra, cada silueta parece estar viva dentro de un gran ente orgánico y sintiente diseñado para atraparnos en su interior. La sensación de profundidad en las imágenes, teniendo en cuenta que tienen solo dos dimensiones, es admirable y tremendamente cautivadora a pesar de la sensación de peligro que transmiten. En definitiva, un excelso diseño del álbum para engrandecer aún más una obra musical de esta categoría. Pero, indiscutiblemente, es la música la protagonista principal de esta re-edición del álbum que viene vertebrado por dos temas de más de veinticinco minutos de duración cada uno, y donde la influencia sonora de estilos como el ambient y la música experimental con drones es más que evidente. Una primera composición cuya audición iniciaremos adentrándonos en un plano sonoro industrial de gran intensidad y actividad que evolucionará hacia perfilamientos más melódicos en la segunda composición, “Part 2 (The Dream Catcher)” donde lo mental toma el relevo de lo material y denso, presentando texturas sonoras más hipnóticas cuyo trasfondo se acerca a lo mántrico por la constancia cíclica que ofrece el plano musical creado con drones. Una composición más compleja y obscura en su inspirada esencia filosófica que perfectamente puede ser utilizada en una performance experimental como banda sonora de fondo garantizando un gran éxito entre el público, precisamente, por la cualidad musical que tiene Troum para crear espacios y entornos sonoros donde solamente hay un vacío. Troum tiene el don artístico de saber conectar con nuestra psique, y ‎“Dreaming Muzak” es una clara muestra de su talento primigenio. ‎“Dreaming Muzak”, en esta segunda década del siglo XXI era necesaria una lujosa edición y una impecable remasterización de un álbum de tan excelsa calidad para deslumbrarnos. ¡¡¡Disfrútenlo!!!

Darkroom Rituals / Maeror:
Переиздание с ремастрингом первого альбома дуэта «Troum» (годом ранее, правда, появилась пленка «Troumings 1997», но она была только для друзей и сами музыканты категорически настаивают на том, что она их первым полноформатником не является), изначально изданного на малотиражной кассете в 1998 году, затем вновь увидевшего свет в формате CD-R в 2006-м. В том же 1998-м Штефан Кнаппе и Мартин Гитшель издадут CD«Ryna», заставив многих критиков и слушателей говорить об их окончательном разрыве не только с Хельге Зилем, но и с мрачной и порой откровенно психопатологической эстетикой «Maeror Tri» – этот же материал намекает на обратное, являясь, своего рода, последним приветом в стиле культовой формации, или же констатирует, что «Troum» изначально не планировали далеко отступать от канонов.
Музак (сумма слов «Music» и «Kodak») – изначально фоновая музыка для лифтов и магазинов, навязчивая мелодия, сопровождающая вас, когда вы толкаете тележку в супермаркете или занимаетесь своими повседневными делами. Причем это не просто звуковой фантом, у нее есть свои задачи – снизить волнение в замкнутом пространстве кабины лифта, продать вам что-то, и сподвигнуть на другие действия. В частности, с подачи Джорджа Оуэна Сквайера, который изобрел специальную аппаратуру для воспроизведения музак, ее стали применять в заводских цехах для повышения производительности, используя определенное сочетание монотонных ритмов и громкости, а там уже и замерещили манящие перспективы в военных целях. Согласитесь, с таким подходом недалеко до мозгокопания – а эта тема в кругах «Maeror Tri», умевших тонкой наждачкой индустриального звука вычищать из сознания все наносное и лишнее, добираясь до самых архаичных глубин, всегда была хорошо представлена. «Troum» решили записать музак для сна, сопровождение для сменяющих друг друга неясных видений, в абсурдной нелогичности которых тают фрагменты дневной реальности, странным образом трансформированные мысли и переживания, смутные фантомы подсознания, способные обернутся пророчествами о будущем. Это на самом деле фоновая музыка, но не относитесь к ней пренебрежительно: это очень эффективная, пусть иногда и пугающая внезапно открывающимися в ней безднами музыка. Глубокий и неспешный, но лишенный статичности drone ambient медленно пробирается по уголкам и закоулкам вашего внутреннего мира, заплетая звуковые петли и разматывая угрюмые спирали отстраненного гитарного гула, в темные, индустриальные и нарочито абстрактные, оторванные от всех привычных ориентиров глубины которого осыпаются (точнее, очень неторопливо сползают) все остальные звуки, затягивая вас за собой, в царство грез, где даже время течет в лучшем случае вспять (как и развернутые звуковые партии, привычные для бременских музыкантов), а то и вообще подчиняется совсем уже непонятным законам. После такого сна обычно говоришь себе: «Ух, словно провалился куда-то», и «Dreaming Muzak» своим многослойным звучанием это полностью подтверждает, выступая и в роли проводника по этим странным мирам, и в роли ловца снов, вырывая из калейдоскопа видений призрачное эхо грез, сменяющих друг друга в бесконечном цикле психической активности. Сильная вещь для практиков.

Necroweb:
Unter der Manufaktur Zoharum erblickt nun “Dreaming Muzak” zum dritten Mal das Licht der Welt. Im Original erschien das Werk bereits 1998 auf limitiertem Tape, eine CDR Version erschien dann 2006, beides in schwer limitierten Auflagen. Nun also ein weiteres Mal aufgelegt, erschliesst sich die günstige Gelegenheit, die hauseigene Troum Sammlung zu komplettieren. Neu remastert wurde dieser Silberling von Lukasz Miernik, der sich auch für die Maeror Tri Auflagen verantwortlich zeigt.
Auch in diesem Fall ist die Auflage begrenzt, wobei es zwei Vertonungen zu erforschen gilt, welche zum Frühschaffen von Troum gezählt werden können. Und was erwartet man eigentlich auch anderes von jenem Duo, als diverse Dronelandschaften, welche von Schleifen durchzogen werden und den Hörer in eine Art der Hypnose versetzen. Dies klappt auch hier wieder wunderbar und was am Ende bleibt ist genug Raum, um Eigeninterpretationen zuzulassen. Was dabei den eigentlichen Ursprung der Klangquellen angeht, so kann man sich nicht immer wirklich sicher sein, wobei das zweite Stück auch variabler ausgefallen ist. So gilt es die Augen zu schließen und sich treiben zu lassen hinein in den tiefen Kosmos von Troum, wo Gedanken und Bilder Struktur annehmen und ein jeder seiner Fantasie freien Lauf lassen kann.
Und dennoch hinterlässt dieses Werk einen etwas anderen Eindruck auf mich, zumindest im Vergleich zum späteren Schaffen. Trotzdem ist bereits hier die Faszination gegeben, mit welcher man seinen völlig eigenen Stil erschuf, der zwar schon dank Maeror Tri ausgearbeitet war, mit Troum aber erst so richtig perfektioniert wurde. Wem die Werke dieses Duos also etwas bedeuten, der muss hier einfach zuschlagen.

Dark Room:
Di fatto unica opera edita su nastro se si eccettuano alcune uscite di stampo promozionale, „Dreaming Muzak” segnava l’inizio della carriera dei tedeschi Troum, nati da due costole dei Maeror Tri. La cassetta, prodotta nel 1998 e confezionata in maniera singolare, divenne presto oggetto ambito dai collezionisti; fu poi fissata su CDr otto anni più tardi dalla francese Kokeshidisk, che ne mise a punto anche un parziale remastering con modifiche dell’esito sonoro originario. La presente edizione rappresenta la prima stampa in CD dotata di una ulteriore masterizzazione, un nuovo artwork e una bella confezione in digipak a sei pannelli. L’opera, basata – come spiegano gli stessi autori – su materiale riciclato, differisce parecchio da quelli che saranno gli standard tipici del duo. I grandi arazzi dronici e le scintillanti architetture multicromatiche erano di là da venire. Tutto è giocato su un massiccio accumulo stratificato di materiale audio, che porta ad un concretismo compatto di matrice post-industriale i cui singoli toni abbandonano le peculiarità originarie per fondersi insieme e plasmare la „Dreaming Muzak”. Le due lunghe tracce in cui è diviso il dischetto hanno il fine di stimolare la percezione sensoriale, assumendo le forme di composizioni astratte e vagamente ipnotiche in cui poter scorgere immagini varie, frutto del connubio fantasia-musica. I suoni scorrono senza inizio né fine per diventare „colonna sonora dei sogni”, aprendo le porte di un limbo delimitato da realtà e sonno per assumerne il ruolo di soundtrack. Le modalità compositive sono basate su un quattro tracce che garantisce la mescolanza o sovrapposizione di altrettante fonti diverse, un modus operandi che sarà successivamente sostituito dalle macchine digitali ma che non mostra ad oggi segni d’invecchiamento. Nonostante tanti autori si siano cimentati in lavori simili, l’album mantiene ancora un fascino innegabile. Forse uno dei dischi meno accessibili di Troum e anche uno tra i più duri, acusticamente parlando. La ristampa ne garantisce il recupero in un formato duraturo, considerando che il nastro fu pubblicato in soli 100 esemplari e il CDr soffre di una certa deperibilità a breve termine. Solo 350 le copie prodotte. Da riscoprire.