TANTUM delivers an impressive showcase of progressive drama…
Berlin-based producer Tantum, aka Thomas Koch, came up as a guitarist before channeling a decade of instrumental discipline into a refined electronic sound rooted in analog warmth, restrained tension and forward momentum.
Moving fluidly between minimal, techno and progressive house, he broke through with his 2020 debut on Guy J’s Lost & Found, setting the tone for a steady run of club-focused releases.
Since 2025, he has also helmed the keep my letters imprint, extending his curatorial vision while delivering DJ and live sets built around long arcs, deep grooves and euphoric release.
For this Balance Selections mix, Tantum delivers a two-hour journey steeped in refined progressive drama.
Featuring music from Frankey & Sandrino, Andrés Moris, Guy J and more, this is an impressive showcase of track selection and narrative which unfolds with purpose from start to finish.
Tracklist
1. nthng – With You (Joaco Rodiño Intro Edit)
2. Sam Goku – Boarding Lights
3. Pablo Bolivar – All Clear
4. fideksen – If I Could (plv Remix)
5. Vince Watson, Quart – Inspiration (Richard Earnshaw’s Inner Spirit Extended Mix)
6. Alexander Miguel – Quick Rain
7. Steve Slight, Rob Hes – Dub Track
8. Nico Szabo, Scippo – Evolving Cells
9. Frankey & Sandrino – Mercury
10. Tantum – Another Day
11. Andrés Moris – Enigma
12. Kasper Koman – In A Flash
13. Guy J – Stranger In A Strange World
14. Scippo – Sense
15. Tantum – Maschinenraum
16. Second Sine – Stage 1
17. DKA – Roller Coaster (Tantum Edit)
18. Hyunji-A – Feeling It
19. Michael A – Nexora
20. ID – ID
21. Tantum – Unblur
22. Hyunji-A – Neon Lights
23. Kasey Taylor & Jamie Stevens – Round Around (Patch Park Remix)
24. Tantum – An Endless Journey
25. Chicola – Velvet Afternoon (Karmon Remix)
26. Milio – Moment of Truth
27. Li’lith – Sirena
Name: Thomas Koch
Location: Berlin, Germany
Alias/Producer name: Tantum
Labels affiliated with: Lost & Found, Early Morning, Bedrock, keep my letters
I have vivid memories of the music that was popular in the 90s in Germany, some of the tracks are still a soft spot for me (or a guilty pleasure, looking at you Eurodance!).
My parents are not musicians but my mom liked to play the radio whereas my dad doesn’t really listen to music at all haha.
Other than that, Metal/Rock music is what got me into making music in the first place. The first instrument I learned was the electric guitar at 14 years old and I learned using DAWs trying to record my songs.
Being exposed to electronic music through the internet ( ca. 2008, 2009) led me to experiment with different genres.
It must have been around 2004/05 at an earlier period in my life, video games played a big role in educating me about electronic music. Back then games usually had a big selection of genres and some of the tracks really stuck with me.
Midnight Club 2 comes to mind, one of the best soundtracks ever in my opinion. One of the tracks featured is Silver Screen (Shower Scene) by Felix da Housecat for example, what a tune!
2007-2009 I remember as a great era, I was mostly into artists like deadmau5, and the internet started to play a bigger role in helping me find more music.
Later in life I was lucky to have friends introduce me to raves and festivals. With them, I visited the Nature One Festival in Germany for the first time in 2013. It all happened pretty quickly from there on.
I used to be into “harder” and “faster” sounding genres when first going out to events, but I found myself liking house music more as I got older.
The first time was in a nightclub when I was 16 years old. It was in a small mixed-music club in rural Germany.
However, my first club experience associated with progressive house was actually Jeremy Olander in Munich, at the legendary Harry Klein which does not exist anymore.
It was an amazing night; I went alone and even made some friends there that I’m still in touch with today! Unfortunately, progressive parties are very rare in Germany.
There’s so much great music out there, I keep learning and expanding my library.
In general, I mostly listen to non-electronic music in my free time. I draw inspiration from how other artists express themselves.
I also really like digging and discovering early works from musicians that I like. I feel there’s a special kind of magic in that music that is sometimes untouched even in later works.
One example for that would be the German artist Alligatoah whom I’ve been following from way back in the days when he did free download mixtapes that not many people know about.
I got the vinyl for Guy J’s Global Underground Córdoba edition, what a great album! Many great memories with the tracks already.
My track Unblur is featured on the album which I’m very happy about! Big hugs to Guy for all the support over the years!
For production, I’m pretty hands on. I like to work with my modular synths that I’ve set up over the years.
I’m using Ableton as a DAW and usually try to get sounds from my hardware recorded to audio early on in the session. I’m very particular about what gear and signal chain I use.
Details like that are often overlooked and are greatly responsible for getting a “signature sound”, in my opinion.
I like mixing and sound designing in my studio space, I’ve set everything up in a way that suits my workflow and enables me to get ideas down quickly.
For monitors, I’m using the Neumann KH310 & APS Klasik 2020, love both pairs for what they do, my ears are calibrated to them.
For DJing, I like to use CDJs and I really dig the V10 mixer! In the studio we have a setup with a DDJ-1000 + 2 vinyl decks.
Up next is a release on Radikon for the Radikon 100 VA. The track is called “Scratch That Itch”, which I’ve played in the b2b at We Are Lost in Buenos Aires. Very happy to be back on the label!
I’ve released some of my favorite tracks there, especially Stomper & Terminal Velocity which, to me, mark the moment where I fully “found” my sound and ways of production.
Also, now that I have the possibility to release on my own label keep my letters, a lot of the focus is going towards that. There are some great releases coming up there so keep an eye out.
I recently got back from Argentina where I played the We Are Lost Festival, as well as a club gig in Buenos Aires. The b2b with Simon Vuarambon already stands out to me as one of my favorite gigs ever! The synergy between us is insane and I really love his music.
Our keep my letters showcase in Ritter Butzke Berlin is coming up in February, this time hosting Guy J. Together with my label and event partners Hyunji and Chris, we are pushing really hard to provide proper progressive house parties in Germany and, hopefully someday, around the world!
I’ll also be playing in Madrid at the end of January for the first time, so I am very excited!
I’ve worked on this mix for a while, it took me a few tries to get everything sounding the way I wanted. I’m really happy with how it came out! There’s new music from artists I admire and some evergreens.
Studio sets can be tricky, I try to not overthink it and stick to my intuition. In this mix I played with the tempo and intensity over time, trying to cover a bit more sonic ground in the progressive realm.
I enjoyed recording it and I hope you enjoy it too 🙂
Both in my live sets and in this Balance Selections mix, there is a track that I have been playing frequently, and that never fails to move me, Just Strangers, by the young duo Gunnar & Saww.
This piece caught my attention the very first time I heard it as a demo. I decided to sign it, and it will be released on my label, Hiato Music. The track has a truly unique structure.
They masterfully created a creative progression that leads into a beautifully crafted progressive guitar solo after the final drop. This song is genuinely special to me.
This is a tough one! I would say Stomper for a few reasons:
– no other track sounds like that
– it was made in a time where there were lots of changes going on in my life
– from this track on, I really found my workflow and signature sound
Only one? Hard, there’s so much good music to choose from! I feel that this pick might also vary depending on when I am being asked about it. I’m torn between what mood to go for… should it be something more niche, more upbeat? Or more introspective?
I choose to go for a track that’s probably not so well known outside of Germany, it’s from the ‘Neue Deutsche Welle’ era.
Grauzone – Eisbär: it’s weird, experimental, I like it!
I recently saw “Contact” (1997) for the first time recently. That was a great one!
Breaking Bad is THE TV show for me! A show worth rewatching over and over again, there’s always something new to find. Severance is one of the more recent shows I’ve enjoyed.
I’m very blessed to have been able to see a lot of places through music. I’m always excited whenever I get a chance to go to Argentina. After the recent We Are Lost festival in Buenos Aires, Hyunji and I stayed for a few extra days to enjoy Hernan Cattaneo’s Sunsetstrip in Mendoza, as well as getting some production sessions in with Simon Vuarambon.
