We are Tromleorkestret, a Danish ensemble that brings together music, technology, and performance art to create immersive, genre-defying, psychedelic experiences. At the heart of what we do is our custom-built, fire-breathing music machine—a steampunk-inspired creation where human creativity and mechanical ingenuity collide.
Our sound is a kaleidoscope of styles, blending cinematic orchestration, krautrock, techno, electionic dance music and more. We love exploring the space where chaos meets harmony, where the mechanical becomes magical.
What makes Tromleorkestret truly unique is our music machine. Every instrument we play is handcrafted and full of surprises, from the Robotic Slide Bass to the Aeolynth, the Sound Gloves, and the Autonomous Xylophone. These instruments are more than tools—they’re collaborators, driven by custom-built technology and designed to respond to motion, touch, and sound in real-time. Together, we turn every performance into a dynamic interplay between human and machine.
Every instrument in Tromleorkestret is a character in its own right, a mechanical soul with a story to tell.
Aloysius G. Tinkerfoot
This machine doesn’t just play music—it breathes it, ignites it, and lets it dance in the air.
Baroness Aelira Cogsworth
But Tromleorkestret is about more than just the music. Our performances are a feast for the senses—flames that light up the night, lights that pulse with the beat, and a stage full of moving parts that bring our vision to life. Inspired by steampunk aesthetics, cabaret, and a love for the absurd, we aim to transport our audiences to a world where anything is possible.
Witnessing Tromleorkestret is like watching art, music, and engineering perform a perfectly synchronized dance.
Felix Crankshaft
The Instruments
Robotic Instruments
Non-Robotic Instruments
The Origin Story
It was a quiet evening in 2012. The applause from our cabaret show, Cuckoo’s Nest Cabaret, had long faded, and Sofie and I found ourselves adrift in the void of post-performance ennui. The show had been a wild blend of slapstick, surrealism, and sonic chaos – including invisible man fights, dramatic slow-motion sequences, and sound effects ranging from whip cracks to well-timed flatulence. It was theater at its most delightfully absurd, but now that the curtains had closed, we asked ourselves: “What next?”
The ceiling, predictably, offered no answers. So, we made a list – a proper inventory of all the skills and oddities we each brought to the table. By the time we’d scribbled halfway down, the idea struck: Why not build a music machine? A proper contraption! Picture this: a mobile mechanical marvel, with Sofie perched atop a spinning podium, all the while I, the industrious organ grinder, cranked out tunes on an assembly of instruments so peculiar, it would make a mad inventor blush.
Sofie, ever the designer, immediately began sketching outfits for our new venture. With her remarkable eye for aesthetics, she crafted costumes that turned us into characters as eccentric as the machine itself. Much of Tromleorkestret’s signature look owes itself to her genius, from the tailored details to the overall visual harmony.
From Modest Beginnings to Mechanical Mayhem
Naturally, such an idea demanded a stage. So, we built a wagon. And thus, Tromleorkestret made its humble debut, rolling through streets and surprising unsuspecting onlookers with a mix of music, oddity, and sheer nerve.
The wagon itself was as much a performer as we were. It housed a collection of mechanical wonders, each more curious than the last. Among its many marvels were three cuckoo doors, each one a portal to a little scene of whimsy. Behind one door was a taxidermied mouse sporting a jaunty top hat; behind another, a rat clad in race-driver gloves; and behind the last, a bird so lifelike it seemed ready to chirp. These tiny tableaux delighted audiences, adding a touch of charm to the machine’s already bizarre persona.
Of course, the wagon quickly took on a life of its own. A slide bass here, a robotic drum there – soon, it resembled something out of Jules Verne’s sketchbook. Flames were added (because why not?), and before we knew it, we had a fire-breathing, sound-making, joy-inducing monstrosity that delighted and slightly alarmed audiences in equal measure.
An Education in Creativity (and Desperation)
Now, I’ll admit, there were moments in the construction process where things got…complicated. My knowledge of robotics and mechanics was stretched thinner than a poorly tuned violin string. At one point, I stared at the half-finished machine and thought, “Well, this is a pickle.”
So, in a moment of either brilliance or panic, I enrolled at DTU to study robotics engineering. The university provided the tools I needed to take Tromleorkestret from a whimsical sketch to a fully-fledged music machine. My crowning achievement during this time was the creation of the robotic slide bass, which became a cornerstone of the orchestra and a testament to the ingenuity demanded by this project.
A Symphony of Man, Machine, and Mayhem
Today, Tromleorkestret is a curious beast. It’s equal parts music machine, performance art, and science experiment. Fire leaps from its depths, robotic instruments play alongside humans, and sound-manipulating gloves summon melodies with the flick of a wrist.
And let’s not forget Sofie’s contributions to the visual experience. Her designs ensure that Tromleorkestret isn’t just a musical marvel but a feast for the eyes as well. Whether she’s dressing the performers, orchestrating the machine’s aesthetics, or fine-tuning its many delightful details (like those cuckoo doors), her touch elevates the entire performance to something truly extraordinary.
But here’s the thing: it’s not perfect. The machine sometimes groans, creaks, and argues back – much like its human creators. And that’s the charm of it. Tromleorkestret is a celebration of ingenuity, imperfection, and the sheer joy of creating something wildly unnecessary but endlessly entertaining.
A Journey Without End
In the end, Tromleorkestret isn’t just about the music, the fire, or the spinning podiums (though those are delightful). It’s about bringing a little wonder to the world – the kind that makes you laugh, clap, and maybe scratch your head in amazement.
So, the next time you see a fire-spouting wagon rolling your way, don’t be alarmed. Just step closer, admire the costumes, marvel at the cuckoo doors, and join us in the beautifully chaotic dance of man and machine.
