'The 4th Floor' came to be in 2002, originally as a tribute to Akira Yamaoka, a Japanese composer known for his work on the highly-acclaimed videogame series, Silent Hill (the name of the project, The 4th Floor, is also of Japanese origin, as the word "four" is pronounced like the word "death" in Japanese, so the Japanese people avoid having a 4th floor in their hotels and such, quite like in the Western world, with the number 13.)

The early material was, indeed, quite similar to Yamaoka's work; horror-oriented and noisy Dark Ambient. However, The 4th Floor has since become much more than just a tribute. Moving away from horror, with material ranging from Dark Ambient to Chamber Music, there is a clear concept; haunting images of the past, in both the music and the visual art.

Along with the aforementioned Akira Yamaoka, the music has been compared to such artists and bands as Sigur Rós, Múm, Angelo Badalamenti and Bass Communion.

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