Located in a spectacular 16th-century church, Traum is the latest club to inhabit one of Belgium’s most iconic electronic music venues. The building was previously home to Café d’Anvers, a legendary nightclub that helped define Belgium’s house and techno scene for over 30 years before closing in 2019.

Reopened as Traum on New Year’s Eve 2024, the venue continues that rich musical tradition while creating a more inclusive and progressive space for a new generation of clubbers. However, the team faced a significant technical hurdle from the outset: complying with Antwerp’s stringent noise regulations, which limit both overall volume and low-frequency output.

Antwerp’s noise policy enforces a narrow 10dB gap between dBA and dBC levels, which significantly restricts low-end energy. This posed a major issue for Traum, where bass is central to the music and experience. The club’s previous sound system not only struggled to meet the acoustic requirements, it also dominated the space visually and physically.

The building itself presented further challenges. With high ceilings and industrial finishes, including exposed metal structures, vibrations travelled easily throughout the venue. Traum needed a solution that would provide precise, powerful sound inside, while minimising disturbance outside.

The venue called on Aku Soundsystem, led by Jordi Van Densen, to design a new audio solution from the ground up. The team specified a Funktion-One system, chosen for its clarity, control and efficiency.

The main room was fitted with a cardioid bass setup using 12 BR118 bass reflex horn subwoofers. These enabled greater control over low-frequency dispersion, enabling the team to keep sub energy contained within the venue. A four-point Evolution X configuration was installed in the corners of the room, opening up the space visually while delivering engaging, high-resolution sound throughout the dancefloor.

The transformation was immediate. The system delivers clean, dynamic and immersive sound with exceptional clarity in the mid and high frequencies and impactful low frequencies, while containing the sound within the venue.

“The bass hits, but it no longer spills out into the neighbourhood,” says Van Densen. “The physical compactness and clean aesthetic of Evolution X meant we could give DJs and lighting designers more space to work, and the sound feels like it’s everywhere without being overpowering.”

For Traum, the new system strikes the perfect balance between club culture and compliance. It honours the building’s musical heritage while enabling a fresh, inclusive approach for the future.

“This wasn’t just about solving a technical problem,” Van Densen adds. “It was about helping the venue tell its story through sound.”