Tour De Traum 29: Review

At a moment when electronic music is increasingly dictated by algorithms and marketing metrics, Cologne’s long-running imprint Traum continues to resist that drift. The label’s Tour De Traum series has always stood apart in its approach to curation. The compilations meticulously selected tracks demonstrate this continuing mission to advocate for underground artists both old and new. It’s a vision that helped launch careers for electronic innovators like Extrawelt, Nathan Fake and Dominic Eulberg, and it still underpins the label’s work today.

Stretching over some forty tracks, the compilation is vast in its eclectic breadth, with minimal left-field house and immersive ambience rubbing shoulders seamlessly with IDM, breakbeats, and all shades of techno from European to Detroit. Right out of the blocks, opener “Pop Juice” by UK-based artist Dan English outlines the label’s sensibility for balancing dancefloor dynamics with an ear for the experimental. A rolling techno juggernaut of a bassline is layered with gated synths and spiralling sequences that push the track to a feverish crescendo.

From there, the compilation moves through many moods. Tracks from Jane Steiner, Maxism and Resonant Robot channel a strain of melancholic, emotive techno that harks back to Traum’s minimalist roots. Fran & Co’s “Cyber” injects post-trance urgency, all sharp edges and high-octane drive, while STIQ’s “A Trace of Light” threads acid textures through a structure that nods knowingly toward Âme’s “Rej.”

The breadth continues: Raub’s “Chill Out with Roland” folds intricate breakbeats into IDM contours, while DML’s “End Credits” drops the tempo entirely, offering lush cinematic ambience as respite from the techno rhythms. Among the other standouts is the stuttering breaks of Nick Niclassen’s “Just Want to Feel Something,” a glorious slice of dark, glitching, psychedelic melancholia that stands as a truly forward-thinking piece of emotive electronica.

Throughout the compilation, the quality remains consistently high—a testament to the curatorial skills and steady hand of label owner Riley Reinhold. Having run the label for over twenty years with his partner Jacqueline, his sharp ear for a killer track and willingness to mentor emerging artists have made him a pivotal figure not only in Cologne’s techno ecosystem, but across the broader electronic music landscape.

Showing newer labels how it’s done, Traum pushes ever forward with compilations like Traum 29, laying a blueprint for others to follow as it chooses authenticity and substance over algorithms. What’s certain is that under the watchful mentorship of Reinhold, the label will continue to unearth exciting new artists—a significant contribution to the fragile scene we all hold so close to our hearts.

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