Therum delivers DRUMN, a production centered on a driving, gritty synth arpeggio that pulls you in and never releases its hypnotic hold. Read our discussion with the artist below!
Describe your sound in 3 words
Dynamic, authentic, and uncompromising
Tell us a few things about DRUMN. What is the main idea behind it?
Like most of my music, DRUMN was an accident. It started as the simple bass riff heard at the very beginning, thrown together to test out some new equipment; then, with the addition of some drums, it evolved forwards over time. The main idea behind this song is texture- I enjoy dynamic & textural pieces, and as this song took shape I began to develop an ‘itch’ in my brain- the direction of this track was determined by the goal of scratching that itch.
Can you elaborate on the creative freedom and challenges of being a “one-man project”?
The creative freedom of being a one-man project is absolute and liberating, and for this reason I encounter few ‘real’ challenges. I have no commercial aspirations, I make music because I enjoy it, its hard to find challenge in a hobby you enjoy. This means, however, as someone with an increasingly eclectic taste, that my music can tend to stray into territory that is not popularly accessible; I do, however, enjoy sharing my creations- so the only challenge that I consistently face is in finding the right audience who can appreciate it.
What are the core elements you believe define your sound, despite the “whatever the hell” approach?
It is difficult for me to determine the defining elements of my ‘sound’, as I feel the true answer to that lies in the subtleties. When you only make music for yourself, your only mechanism for improvement is your own ability to determine what you do & don’t like; this influences the musical decisions that are made, which in turn reinforces those ideas (creating a sort of positive feedback loop, that progressively moves your taste & musical decisions away from the baseline). I’d say the most accurate & general answer I could give to this question is an uncompromising insistence on some sort of idea/sound/motif/etc…. I fully believe that, if done correctly, you can make music with absolutely anything (and I mean that as broad as possible). Because this challenge interests me, my songs often become an intellectual game of ‘how can I contextualize this peculiar ‘thing’ to turn it into something musically pleasing?’ I believe this defines the core of my sound, as my sound is often built up around this game.
If you had to choose one synth (analog or digital) which one would it be?
If I had to choose between an analog or digital synth… I use both, they have their uses. DRUMN was all digital synths, I needed that flexibility for the insane (for me) amount of parameter automation & experimentation that was conducted. Nothing beats the fullness (and natural variation) of the analog sound though, my other recent single, MAVEN, was composed entirely on an analog synth I assembled a while back. If I HAD to choose one, it would probably be digital- simply for the flexibility (although my real object of desire is an analog synth, with digitalized controls).
Artists and people that have influenced you?
I find myself increasingly most stricken by artists whose music necessitate some form of ‘solving’ for it to click. That is, music that does make sense- even if its not immediately obvious. Radiohead, back in high school, introduced me to the more cerebral side of music- I’d attribute them as my ‘gateway’ of sorts. In no particular order of importance, some of the artists I’ve recently had the most enjoyment (and perhaps subconscious influence) from include: TOOL, Aphex Twin, Jimi Hendrix, Shpongle, Daft Punk, Tom Waits, The Voidz, The Future Sound of London, & Faunts- to name just a few.
QA synth riff you wish you had composed yourself?
This question is tough because the impact of a great riff relies so heavily on its accompanying arrangement, although if I had to pick something- it likely would be the bassline in Aphex Twin’s “4 bit 9d api+e+6 [126.26]” (fun fact, also my #1 most listened to track of 2024). I greatly enjoy both the composition of that riff (in context with the song), its dynamic nature & alien ‘bounciness’, as well as the synth tone itself. Few synth riffs have I found as satisfying…
What is the story behind your name?
The story behind my name is kind of funny actually. I’m a bit sentimental, and stubborn, and I knew early on that I didn’t want to be swapping around artist names- I wanted something that I identified with, was relatively unique & memorable, and was representative of the music I intended on making. Given my joy in experimentation, I knew that my music would never be genre locked; further, my deep fascination with outer space I felt would always be present in some form in my music. I stumbled upon the name ‘Therum’ as the name of a planet during a playthrough of Mass Effect (one of my favorite games, if not for anything but the setting). This name struck me because it was short & sweet, memorable (to me), and I liked that it was not far off from the word ‘theorem’- which has a scientific connotation, which aligned nicely with the experimental nature of my musical aspirations.
Something not many people know about you?
Something not many people would know about me, is that I don’t actually make a lot of music. I’ve released the vast majority of music I’ve ever even started working on. Music is a past time for me, and I don’t usually start new pieces unless I have a particular reason that compels me to. For DRUMN this was to test out some new equipment I had acquired. Once I start working on something though, I will work endlessly & never truly finish- so I usually impose some artificial deadline and release the project then, at whatever stage it found itself. For this reason I have a good deal of attachment to my music, as it is almost always the result of some interesting idea, story, or technique; this is also why, however, I very quickly become displeased with my work & its imperfections after I release it. An odd double think that I like to imagine helps push each track I make a little further each time.
Thank you!
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