Sumerian Fleet - Pendulum

Sumerian Fleet is a trio formed by Dutch producers Alden Tyrell and Mr Pauli, joined by Zarkoff after their 2010 debut EP. Their second EP came out in 2012 followed by their debut album ‘Just Pressure’ on Dark Entries in 2014. Sumerian Fleet have returned to release their sophomore LP ‘Pendulum’ of all new material as well as a remixed version of “This Game Has No Name” from Zarkoff’s other band, FFFC.

‘Pendulum’ contains 80’s Dark Wave/EBM inspired tracks with an industrial tinge. The band cites inspiration from musical acts Fad Gadget, Front 242, Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy. Literary references come from Poe’s ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’, Pelevin’s ‘Generation P’ and ‘Life of Bugs’, as well as classic Cyberpunk like Gibson’s ‘Sprawl’ trilogy. Sumerian Fleet deliver 8 songs of vintage dark electro with a Gothic tinge and a touch of bass guitar. The album’s been put together in a way that the listener can connect the dots, create a narrative, and become immersed in this attitude that the band’s trying to convey, such as Vigny’s idea of accepting despair: “A calm despair, without angry convulsions or reproaches directed at heaven, is the essence of wisdom.”

LP / Digital Album

Posted on October 7th, 2017 under Releases, ,

Sumerian Fleet – Just Pressure LP

Sumerian Fleet is the supergroup of Dutch producers Alden Tyrell and Mr Pauli with vocalist Zarkoff. Their debut eponymous EP was released on Clone’s West Coast series in 2010 and the “Sturm Bricht Los” EP came out in 2012 on the Creme Eclipse branch of Creme Organization. Sumerian Fleet is ready to release their first full length album “Just Pressure” all new material recorded between 2013 and 2014 as well as a remixed version of the title track from the “Sturm Bricht Los” EP.

“Just Pressure” contains 80’s Dark Wave/EBM inspired tracks with an industrial tinge. Citing inspiration from Fad Gadget, Front 242, Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy, Sumerian Fleet deliver 9 songs of vintage dark electro. Their sound brings to mind rough 80s/90s Industrial dance with a Gothic tinge and a touch of bass guitar as the lead instrument. The band utilizes vintage analog gear like the Linn Drum, Roland TR-808, MiniMoog, Korg MS-20, and Roland Jupiter 8 .

All songs were recorded at Mr Pauli’s studio in Den Haag and Alden Tyrell’s studio in Rotterdam. The album has been mastered for vinyl at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley by George Horn. Each LP is packaged in a custom-made jacket by our in-house designer Eloise Leigh, incorporating Mesopotamian pyramids and occult symbols, offset printed with gold ink at Stumptown Printers in Portland.

Listen and order here.

Posted on August 14th, 2014 under Releases, ,

ZarkoffCan you tell us about the line ups of the projects you are involved in? Zarkoff is your solo project but who’s working with you in Popsimonova, FFFC, Sumerian Fleet and Kali Jugend?

With Popsimonova I take care of the mixing, occasionally write lyrics and/or develop some musical ideas. If we both feel that my participation as an author is significant for the song, then we sign it together so there’s no confusion. FFFC is a duo with my old friend Yas (Le Chocolat Noir), he made me discover so much great music throughout the years, still does. Then Sumerian Fleet, that’s Mr Pauli, Alden Tyrell and me, a long distance collaboration. I go to Holland once or twice a year to work on new stuff and it’s easy to overdub/record and exchange files these days so I can also do some work at my own studio, of course. Kali Jugend is the freshest project, I’d say the core of this one are Popsimonova, Petar Car (from noise band Smrt i Čekić) and me, but we also had some very important creative input from Mr Pauli, and the bassist from Croatian band Baden Baden, Goran Djurich. I’m also collaborating with an immensely talented singer Iva VIs. It’s a lot, but not overwhelming yet.

In addition to that I’m trying to make a living with mastering and mixing for other artists. I recently did mastering for new Legowelt album, Marquis Hawkes, Simoncino and some other Creme Organisation releases, so that’s the direction I’m trying to take. Touring is exhausting, studio work is easier, at least for me.

Are you now able to survive off this studio work? Do you feel like you can now focus and spend enough time in the studio?

Well I never made a cent from any of my releases, so I depend on mixing and mastering jobs and live shows. I can sustain myself, since I’m really not a big spender. There are dry periods without any income and it’s very hard to keep your concentration and composure when you don’t have enough money to pay your bills. But I can disconnect from reality when I have to work and just delay any anxious thoughts or emotional reactions for a while until the work is done. I’m not complaining, this is much better than a normal job, at least for me, that is. I spend quite a lot of time trying to get new jobs and gigs, and I’m really not very good at that, sometimes it’s very frustrating, I’d love to be able to replace those man hours with actual studio work. I’m determined to change this in the future by having someone else doing it for me.

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