FULL-LENGTH DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOW!

Over a year in the making, the 10-track debut album is now available to buy as a download or CD via the band’s Bandcamp Page.

Coming soon on all other streaming platforms!

Recorded and produced by D Sulmaya at StandYourSound Studios, the album was finally mixed and mastered by Wynter Hereford Prior from Sphynx Studios. The result is a thundering onslaught of avant-garde Metal in full operatic mania. For the CD, Tape and Bandcamp release, a post-production master was done by Jean E. Krieger from Embassy Studios.

Videos, shows, merch and vinyl coming soon….

TWO NEW SINGLES OUT NOW:

As a run-up to their epic album release, this Experimental Punk-Operetta Gypsy-Metal band are releasing this special edition Maxi Single. All home made right here at StandYourSound Studios Zurich!

Download the EP or buy the ridiculously awesome Maxi-CD RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!

SEE THE VIDEO HERE

Listen on Bandcamp

Listen on Spotify

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The latest production-madness from StandYourSound has arrived: Die Kleine (Avant-Garde) Hardcore Operette; a Grungy collection of original Operetta and Musical Theatre riding on the wings of a Groove Metal rocket, fueled by Hardcore Punk and 60s Pop.

The band was formed when Mike Pehrsson of Skirt and Gompa met Szabina Schnöller, a Swiss-Hungarian soprano early in 2020. They began writing and performing a couple of songs together and decided to start a new project.

Szabina’s musical world has been Opera, Operettas, French and German Lieder and Arias from a young age. Studying under László Polgár at the Conservatorium of Zürich, she obtained her degree as a classical musician and soloist in 2009.

She was a member of the Swiss Opera Studio between 2010 and 2012. In 2011 she finished in first place at the International Schlossoper Haldenstein Opera Competition and debuted as Violetta (“La Traviata”).

Since then, she has performed the following important opera roles: Governess (The Turn of the Screw); Susanne (Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro) – Zürich Kulturmarkt, Violetta (La Traviata) – Schloss Haldenstein, Tonhalle Zürich, Theater Lindau; Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus / The Bat), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Mrs. Ford (Salieri: Falstaff), and Lisa (Das Land des Lächelns / The Land of Smiles) – Theater Biel, Solothurn.

Now she has gone all out into a new strange world of Alternative Punk-Metal; with one high heel rooted firmly in the classical world, and the other stuck in Avant-Garde Pop, she has been able to give a new and unique voice and energy to the bizarre and heavy music written by Mike.

SILENT NIGHT – The Christmas EP, remixed & available for a limited time only:

Watch the Video

We produce, engineer, mix and master your recordings; but we are different from other studio mixing/mastering types.

Our small team have the following traits that the average studio mixer does not have:

– We are musicians ourselves

– We have impeccable hearing!

– We are geniuses at getting great, epic, finished-sounding songs out, using basic software, a bit of     SYS magic and plenty of coffee

Many mastering engineers these days use plugs and tools with preset EQs and effects which they put your song through to ‘warm it up’ or make it sound flashier. Nothing wrong with that, but it is likely to result in a very stock and impersonal result. We prefer to rely on our hearing, our years of experience in sound and recording and a very manual, patient approach.

PRICING

Our pricing is so affordable and by far the lowest rates you’ll find in Switzerland; but this does not indicate a lack of quality! Instead, it indicates a lack of unnecessary equipment, expensive studio space and pricy plug-ins. As a rough guide:

120 EUR / CHF  or £100 per song

1,000 EUR / CHF or £800 per ten songs (album)

Contact us to discuss your project and we can discuss the prices as well.

Additional Recording Services

You have songs that you recorded by yourself but would like them to sound like a full band? Perhaps some drums, bass or keys?

We are experts at this! Just tell us what you want, describe the style you’re after, and we’ll get your songs sounding like a full band. Price depends on what you want, please email or call us.

GET STARTED!

1. Email us at standyoursound@gmail.com and tell us what your project entails

2. You will receive a form asking details about each song. This must be filled out accurately.

3. Send us your stems. Stems are the individual file recordings for each instrument or voice. Please make sure these are in WAV or AIFF format

Reference Material

Beats, Grooves, Loops

Alternative Rock/Punk

Soundscapes

Trap/Metal Concepts

The following examples have all been mixed, produced & pre-mastered by Mike at SYS:

Embet Henx

Hallon Brain (UniSex)

The Lämmergeyer Pop Projects (Site under maintenance!)

Notes

All the music on this website is produced and mixed by StandYourSound except Gompa: this was produced by Christian Svensson and co-produced by Mike.

N’EXISTE PAS

This band does not exist. There is no two-piece teacher-student/bro-sis-type garage rock band here:

https://nexistepas.bandcamp.com/releases

Not much is known about this non-existent band here at StandYourSound. Legend has it that the duo perform only on full moon nights and only in the southern hemisphere. Notes from their Bandcamp…:

credits

license

The songs are indeed a fucking blast. Check it out right here, right now:

https://nexistepas.bandcamp.com/releases

 

DIE KLEINE (AVANT-GARDE) HARDCHOR OPERETTE

GOMPA – Promo shots / ads

Gompa live

Gompa Brighton, 2004

Skirt – designs & promos

Here is the entire back catalogue, sorted by Band in alphabetical order! Almost all StandYourSound releases can be bought directly via the respective band’s Bandcamp page; it’s just easier that way. A few albums can only be ordered via email, as will be indicated. Apologies for the format, it doesn’t always work on phones… We’re not particularly WordPress-savvy here.

Spotify & iTunes links appear when and where available. Anchor links not working due to issue with WordPress….

GOMPA / HALLON BRAIN / LÄMMERGEYER / N’EXISTE PAS / SKIRT / DIE KLEINE (AVANT-GARDE) HARDCHOR OPERETTE / SUNYASANA / AFFILIATES / MERCHANDISE

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THE ENTIRE STANDYOURSOUND CATALOGUE (Excl. the digital-only releases)

• 17 albums (16 CDs, 1 Cassette)
• Misc. StandYourSound stickers and badges
• Mini posters and illustrated stories
• All albums 100% DIY & ‘home made’ at StandYourSound.

Includes all albums by Eine Kleine (Avant-Garde) Hardchor Operette, Lämmergeyer, Skirt, Gompa and Hallon Brain, as well as the Embet Henx and AnniJumpKannon EPs

Made to order, please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery!

Order here for £100, limited availability or write to standyoursound@gmail.com

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GOMPA

Spiritual Rage, Teenage Angst & Slipknotized Beach Boys

‘DIY’, 10-Track Album, 2003

Download: £5.00

CD: £13.00 (original 2003 run). Sample:

/>__________________________________________________________________________

‘Don’t Get Lost In The Mountains‘, 8-Track Album, 2013

Download: £7.00
Free Stream

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‘The Early Years‘, 26-Track demo collection, 2010

Download: £7.00
Free Stream
Sample:

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‘Gompa‘ (aka ‘Sound Is Empty‘), 12-Track Album, 2006

Download: £7.00

CD Jewel Case (original 2006 run): £12,00
Sample:
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‘Live (To Die)‘, 6-Track Live Album, 2008

Download: £3.00

Free Stream
Sample:
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‘Meditate On This‘, 5-Track EP, 2008

Download: £4.50

Free Stream; Digipak CD Out of Stock – Coming Soon
Sample:
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‘Meditation-15: Gompa 15th Anniversary Special Edition‘,
17-Track Album & Latest Release, 2020

Download: £7.00
Free Stream
Special Edition Art-Print CD: £11.00:

Sample:
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‘The Washing Machine EP‘ – Rare 6-Track Promotional EP, 2007

Download: £3.00

Rare L.E. CD in slim card wallet: £25,00
Sample:

For more Gompa releases & merch, check https://gompa.bandcamp.com/

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HALLON BRAIN

Sassy Jazz Meets Detuned Punk At The Cabaret

‘UniSex‘, 10-Track Album

Download: £8.99
Free Stream
Limited Edition Designer Digipak CD: £10.00:

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LäMMERGEYER

Pop Factory Pornstar Hip Hop Experiment

(UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

‘Candyporn‘ Album

Coming Soon, 2020

‘Ganovenminister‘, Album 2019/20

Coming soon!

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N’EXISTE PAS

Nonexistent Teacher-Student Garage-Punk Duo

‘Fake Debut‘, 11-Track Album, 2018

Download: £6.00
Free Stream
Limited Edition Digipak CD: £14.50 (oos – coming soon)
Sample:

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‘1956 / 2056‘, 3 – Track Maxi-Single, 2019

Not available as Download or Stream

Limited Edition Slimline Jewel Case CD: £9.00 (coming soon)

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SKIRT

Surfadelic Post-Grunge Popthrash. In chronological order:

‘Closed4Summer‘, 14-Track Album, 2015

Download: €5.00 (10-Track Version)
Free Stream

Special Digipak Designer CD: €14,00:

Sample:

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‘Sex Stories‘, 5-Track EP, 2016

Download: €4,00
Free Stream

Slimline Designer Break-Resistant Jewel-case CD: €9,00

(Too sexy for some…). Sample:

‘Sex Tape – Edicion Explicito‘ (Sex Stories Cassette Version), 10-Track Extended EP, 2016

Extended Version of ‘Sex Stories’ on Ferro Type I
Philips Cassette. Contains some alternative
versions from ‘Closed4Summer’. Extremely raunchy,
sexually explicit – not for the chaste.

Limited Edition, made to order!
£12,50, order via email!

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‘Munchkin‘, 15-Track Album, 2018

Download: €7,00

CD: Vinyl-style recycled card wallet, double-sided with inner
‘record’ sleeve with printed lyrics. Too cool for school: €16,00:

Sample:

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‘Envy Makes Perfect’, 4-Track Covers EP, 2019

Download: €7,00
Free Stream

Sample:

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‘California Screamin’ ‘, 17-Track Album, 2019

Download: €6,50
Free Stream
Special Limited EditionDigipak Designer CD
with lyrics-collage, €14,50:
Sample:

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‘Safe Ghost‘, 13-Track Album, 2020

Download: €6,00

CD: Limited Edition vinyl-style card wallet
with lingam-yoni inner sleeve, €11,00:

Sample:

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‘Surf Stories‘, 6-Track EP & Latest Release, 2020

Download: €5,00

CD: Sexy-as-fuck slimline designer break-
resistant jewel case, vinyl-style CD with sex-wax-
surfer imagery! €9,00:

Sample:

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DIE KLEINE (AVANT-GARDE) HARDCHOR OPERETTE

Operetta-Metal & Chanson-Gypsycore. Entire shop on Bandcamp

‘Today Is Gonna Fuck You Up’, 4-Track Maxi-Single, 2021

Download (Digital Album): £6.50 

Spotify

CD, Limited Edition DIY Digipak, £7.50:

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‘Limited Pre-release’, unmastered house-mix of upcoming album.

Free (except postage). Available on request only, please email:

standyoursound@gmail.com

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

‘An Album of Consequential Proportions’, 10-Track album, 2021

COMING SOON! Currently being mixed and mastered at Sphynx Studios, UK.

Pre-order CD or Vinyl here

Provisional release date: Halloween 2021

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SUNYASANA

Galactic Noisescapes with Cute-Pop and Sex-Metal

‘TriKaya’, 12-Track album, 2020

Digital Album, 5.10 EUR

CD: Fancy-pansy artprint digipak,15.00 EUR, available upon request:

standyoursound@gmail.com

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AFFILIATED BANDS

EMBET HENX
An entire bakery of Postcore
Brighton-based band 2016-2019

“Everybody Hurts On Meth”, 5-Track EP
Free Stream & Download.

Recorded by Cameron Devlin at Hidden Cam
Studios, Brighton. Produced & Mixed at
StandYourSound Studios, mastered by Jean Krieger
at Embassy Studios.

CDs/Tapes occasionally available, check Embet Henx
on Facebook.

Covers are normally thought of as superfluous and boring. But what if you do something cool with an old song, transform it into something original? Here are some examples of cover versions performed by various SYS bands/projects.

‘Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps‘ by Caramel Zirkus

Written by Osvaldo Farres

‘Eternal Flame‘, StandYourSound Generic

Written by The Bangles

‘Space Oddity‘ by Skirt

Written by David Bowie

‘Mama Do‘ by Hallon Brain

Written by Mads Hauge and Phil Thornalley

‘Surfer Girl‘ by Skirt

Written by B. Wilson

‘Kiss‘ by Skirt

Written by Prince

Founded in 2015 as a kind of tongue-in-cheek Rap-Metal project. All the songs and sound-plays are about three things: smutty alcoholic drug-taking porn and senseless violence.

Currently only available as streams, album in the making.

 

Studebaker

 

Zeigmr Dis Schlitzli

 

Da Pushilikka

Streaming & Downloading Here!

Hallon Brain started off the back of a covers band called Clover, who had residencies in the Casablanca and Oceania clubs back in 2010, both in Brighton. During her hiatus, the singer Zara was temporarily replaced by Janie Pearce.

Janie and Mikey started gigging in and around Brighton as a jazz/blues/boogie duo, just piano and voice. This led to the formation of a few original songs and the idea to couple Janie’s girlie jazz voice and the sultry blues songs with ferocious Hardcore.

By mid 2011, Mikey had written and recorded six songs for the project. They were all done rather quickly on Garageband using basic programmed drums. By late 2011, Janie had recorded some of the vocals.

In December 2011, Mike teamed up with electronic musician and producer Jean Krieger of amazing electro outfit Baïkanour. Jean being a producer and recording engineer recorded all new drum parts, played by Mikey, as well as Janie’s vocals on four of the tracks. Lots of harmonies, guitar and bass parts were recorded at Jean’s studio as well.

After a half year hiatus, Mikey & Jean brought the tracks back to the studio, along with two others Mikey and Janie had done on their own and put them all through the rigmarole of editing, compressing and re-mixing. The result was a manic attack on the nervous system: An uncompromising wall of demented punk rock with detuned guitars, off-beat rhythms and sweet catchy melodies – and not without that dash of carnival ska.

After a bit of post production and recording a bonus cover song, Mike and Janie finished up the Hallon Brain project in 2014.

The Album: UniSex

Originally an 8 track album entitled ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing if it Ain’t Got Bass’ was released as a free stream and later a download in 2014. A subsequent mini-EP entitled ‘Sexing the Raspberry’ was released as a hand-out featuring the songs ‘Ecstacy’, ‘Ain’t Nobody Else’ and ‘Sad’. Both are now obsolete and have been replaced by a single 10 track album (with one or two bonus tracks depending on your luck) entitled ‘UniSex’. The title was inspired by unisex toilets and wild nights out during university.

Mikey & Janie make the odd appearance, either as a duo or with a full-on Hallon Brain band, yet officially, this project has remained what it started out as: a noise-o-phonic bedroom project.

The album was re-mastered and re-released in October 2018 and is available to stream and download via the Bandcamp page. Even better, you can get a gorgeous, proper DIY digipak CD of the album right here!

 

LATEST NEWS:

Skirt announce first new recordings since their extremely prolific 3-album assault between 2019-2020. Nothing has been released yet, but there are rumours this may be a full-on Trap-Metal album. Michelle hinted that the album may be instrumental. We’ll just have to wait and see.

As usual, all Skirt releases are streamable and buyable HERE

“SURF STORIES” BY SKIRT, OUT NOW!

Listen to the album, download it or buy the physical album HERE

SURF STORIES – LATHERS LIKE MAGIC!

Surf Stories came out about two months after Skirt’s last album, Safe Ghost; in fact, this is the third release this year.

Due to the covid-19 lockdown situation, Skirt have had much time to write, record and publish new music. Conversely, they have not been able to meet up and record as usual, with both Maiq and Jens being almost entirely absent from this new EP. Jens was able to record some drums and send Mike the files, but most of the drums were played and/or programmed by Mike for these songs. Michelle provided bass as usual, with both her and Mike providing us with an assault of analog keyboards and electric pianos – even the Stylophone is back!

A kind of sequel to 2016’s Sex Stories, Surf Stories continues with tales about yearning for summer, sex and supernatural surfing – yet by using hardly any words as, aside from ‘Allison‘, this is an almost entirely instrumental album! In addition to the four original tracks, there’s even a gnarly rendition of Miserlou (with a few surprises) and the coolest version of the Batman Theme ever recorded!

For Skirt-fans and newcomers alike, Surf Stories is the ultimate Surf-Rock, Punk-Dance album of our times. Check it out!

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VISIT SKIRT ON SPOTIFY!

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News from March, 2020:

After a long wait in Skirt-years, the band have finally released their fourth and fifth studio albums, “California Screamin'” and “Safe Ghost” – a kind of double-album of sorts.

Both albums are out now and available to download or purchase via the band’s Bandcamp page:

 California Screamin’

Safe Ghost

California Screamin’ takes the listener on a sun-drenched, drug-infused, groove-porn experiment in an L.A.-meets-Brighton-via-Perth kinda way. If ‘Munchkin’ was Skirt’s epic songwriting extravaganza, ‘California Screamin’ ‘ is the band’s truly eclectic and thoroughly genre-defying experiment. Recorded, produced and mixed by Mike at StandYourSound (as always), the album also highlights some great production wizardry and brilliant mix ideas.

From the liner notes…:’Welcome to a world of songs about pretty things like sun-kissed holidays, botox retreats, office orgies, bellybuttons, vegan porn, salty hair, sandy toes, shark surfing and exchange students!’

A soundtrack to the has-been and forlorn world of Height Ashbury hippies and the yuppies of Brighton (UK), California Screamin’ is the shit. Released on all platforms and streamable from Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Deezer, etc.

Album can be ordered as gorgeous art-print digipak (designed by DharmaAfterDark) via the bandcamp page or our shop.

If California Screamin’ is a sun-infested beach party about pretty things, Safe Ghost is its dark counterpart, with songs about demonic possession, haunted love, evil energies, desperate prayers and stinky sneakers… At last, Skirt’s Hardcore album is here! While still in the vain of genre-crossing to the extreme, Safe Ghost is rooted primarily in heavy, noisy Metal, Hardcore and Grunge. With brief tongue-in-cheek explorations of Trap and Grime, as well as a couple of choral Pop songs and one bizarre avant-garde fusion song, Safe Ghost is meant for headbanging and screaming to. And fucking to, of course – it wouldn’t be Skirt otherwise.

As before, the songs are in English with a couple of pieces in German. This album is available as a stream, download and special designer CD at the band’s Bandcamp page.

OLDER POSTS (PRE 2019):

The third studio album by Skirt was released digitally via Record Union distribution on the 1st of December 2018. The album ‘Munchkin’ is a 14-track, 65 minute long emotional bludgeoning of life, death, snacks at stations and tattoos.

The album was written by Mike (guitars, vocals) during most of 2017, shelved for most of 2018 and then finished in October. Michelle is back with her melodic bass lines, Maiq gives us some cute piano interludes and Jens returns on both live and programmed drums, as usual.

Expect Skirt’s strangest blend of punk, grunge, metal, indie, ska and chamber choirs yet. Special master with bonus track available only on CD. Go to our fucking shop and buy it, damn it!

Find ‘Munchkin’ in iTunes here: iTunes: Munchkin

Listen to Munchkin, download it and buy the awesome art-design digipak here!

The Skirt Story

Skirt initially formed in 2011 as one of Mike Pehrsson’s  side projects. Essentially it was a continuation of Hallon Brain (see menu). As vocalist Janie had gotten involved in other projects, Maik began writing and recording demos intended for female vocalists. The project was titled ‘Skirt’ and a few demos were laid down. Vocalists included Jizelle Krauer, Romy Valentina and Linda Lietzow. A two track EP was released publicly on Soundcloud and on a now extinct Bandcamp page.

But the project was shelved when Janie and Mike began gigging as a two-piece and recording more Hallon Brain material.

Until May 2014, after TGE14 – The Great Escape Festival of Brighton, 2015. Bands like St. Pierre’s Snake Invasion, Slaves, Girl Band, The Asylums and Meat Wave inspired Maik and a couple of friends to do something new. Full-on Grunge-punk Garagerock was back!

Mike recorded the first batch of songs at StandYourSound Brighton by October 2014. By the end of the year, the concept had evolved from a straight-ahead garage rock album to a somewhat ominous yet wacky portrayal of the sex-infused aggression of Brighton’s summer, her introverted fetishist winter and the loneliness in between the two. With the help of Jens and Michelle, the album, Closed For Summer, was finalized in February 2015.

The album was released as a stream on Bandcamp, as well as a CD which was sold at gigs. But in the Fall of 2015, Mike did an entirely new master of the album after the band had not been happy with the sound; the song order was changed and a bonus track was added (a flamboyantly angst-ridden version of the Beach Boys’ ‘Surfer Girl’). The album was finalized and re-released in February 2016 through their distributor Record Union.

The album is currently available for purchase in our shop. Find it on Spotify and all the rest of them apps. Here it is on iTunes:

iTunes: Closed4Summer

The album was produced by Skirt and mixed & mastered by Mike at StandYourSound. It is currently being ‘home made’ in our own little factory; totally DIY. Album comes in a digipak with mini-booklet.

In the interim, Skirt had recorded a handful of songs that didn’t quite fit on the album, or were written and recorded after the album had been finished. All of them were about one thing and one thing only: sex! A 5-track EP called Sex Stories was put together in April 2016, the bands first proper EP. A great album to make love to. Available in our shop, the usual platforms, etc etc etc…!

Skirt: Sex Stories, iTunes

Sex Stories has since been re-packaged and features the original ‘sex trilogy’ along with two bonus cover tracks. Album can be ordered in our shop.

An EP called ‘Envy Makes Perfect‘ featuring come rather eclectic covers was just recently released as a freebee, celebrating Brighton’s Great Escape Festival 2019. Stream it here

Discography:

Closed4Summer, 2015:

Sex Stories, 2016:

Munchkin, 2018:

California Screamin’, 2019:

Safe Ghost, 2020

Surf Stories, 2020:

Gompa News!

After nearly thirteen years of Funkstille, the two founding members and lead singers of Gompa have reconnected. Talks of a musical collaboration, or even a possible Gompa comeback, are being held. StandYourSound is at the centre of all things Gompa nowadays, so watch this space for more on that soon!

Meanwhile, this all coincides with the 15th anniversary of Gompa’s debut album (variably called ‘Sound Is Empty’ or just ‘Gompa’)

 

As you can see in the video, the Bandcamp page has been given a gorgeous facelift and contains everything the band have ever recorded.

A very special 15 Year Anniversary Remaster of the original album has also been published and includes the follow-up EP ‘Meditate on This‘.

Check out the band’s page here. Special edition CDs and merch available directly from the Bandcamp page.

 

THE GOMPA STORY

Gompa was formed in London in 2001 by Jake Daniel and Mike Pehrsson. Jake, originally from Scarborough, came from a musical background, was a drummer as well as a singer-songwriter and had recently completed a stint in a boy band of sorts. Mike, a Swede from Switzerland, had just finished university and was looking for new band members. After a few chats and a few spliffs, the pair found a common interest in eastern mysticism, hence the name ‘Gompa’, Tibetan for meditation room or hut.

Recordings began and resulted in incredibly cheap sounding pop songs with over-quantized MIDI drums, lots of keyboard and jangly guitars. But the songs were catchy and quirky enough for Gompa to continue, bringing in the odd bass player and drummer for a gig or two in London. The songs themselves however, were special; friends, family and drug dealers all agreed: the songs, regardless of the production, were great. Much of these early recordings can be heard here.

In 2003, Mike moved to Lund, Sweden, where he met Dutch bass player Jeroen Bos. Jeroen joined Mike in furthering Gompa and the trio began recording their first real demo that year. Drums were offered by Paul White, Rupert Mann and Jake.

The demo got in to the hands of one Johan Moell, a sketchy fellow with connections in the Swedish music business. Moell had spent a lot of time with super-producer Anders Bagge (J.Lo, Celine Dion, Janet Jackson) as well as Ronan Keating and that lot. Not quite Gompa-material, but apparently there was growing interest.

The OC and Stockholm

Two songs on Gompa’s demo had apparently triggered interest in Josh Schwartz, writer and music manager of the TV show O.C. Universal and EMI Sweden were both apparently interested.

Gompa went in to the studio with Producer Christian “Svanus” Svensson in March 2005 to begin work on their debut album. Svensson achieved success in the 90s with the Norwegian disco group Hype, yet had always had his heart in the Metal/Punk world. Assisting Christian as co-producer was American musician Mason Pitts, a.k.a. ‘Cooter’ (https://about.me/masonpitts ). The sound and style quickly moved in a heavier direction, with lots of de-tuned seven-string guitars, screaming Gibsons and a shitty Squire (on one track). The drums were played on a V-Drum (much to Jake’s initial despair) and sequenced with Drumkit from Hell samples. All guitar sounds were done with plug-ins by Amp Farm, somewhat of a novelty at that time. Two songs were immediately offered up for the O.C., ‘Brotherhood’ and ‘Planet Blue’

Twelve songs were recorded in total and the guys were happy with the result. The final album was then brought to legendary hard rock master-mixer Stefan Glaumann (Rammstein, Europe, Bon Jovi, Backyard Babies, Def Leppard, Clawfinger, etc) for mixing and post production.

http://glaumannproduction.se/

Meetings at Universal Studios and EMI followed but it seemed that nobody was able to categorize the music and thus sell it.

And indeed: The whole thing about Gompa as a unity of opposites: The Beach Boys meet System Of A Down, The Beatles play Korn, that sorta thing. Esoteric and meditation-infused lyrics to hard-hitting punk metal; or, as their old MySpace page stated: ‘Carole King being eaten out by Jaws while the family from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre sing Zip-a-dee-doo-da’

The band sought the help of Anna Moore from http://www.mooretobe.com/. Anna was a fun and insightful lady and was able to help get Gompa on Radio, specifically ‘P3’, which hosted a major rock channel in Sweden. ‘Jacknife’ was the single that was pushed and got significant airplay for two months. Prototype singles were pressed but never actually physically released. In addition, ‘Planet Blue’, ‘Crush’ and ‘Brotherhood’ were picked up by several student radio stations and circled there for some time.

Live & Let Go

Gompa played as many live shows as possible, as well as band-battle events, which they hated, tiny little pubs and schools. The band generally blew people away: the energy was high, the songs were catchy and the look was unique. The only obstacle was Sweden’s ridiculously low volume restrictions. But with Moell disappearing, record companies pulling out and money no longer flowing, Jeroen left the band.

The bass was taken on by bass metal nutcase Per Rinaldo, who came storming in with new energy and strange nude appearances. Serbian giant Milan Ovrlinic joined as second guitarist but was soon replaced after a dispute by Mike’s old highschool friend Daniel Håkansson from the Diablo Swing Orchestra.

Gompa played the Beeched Festival in Scarborough that year, a few gigs in åland and Finland and developed a cult following in the Faroe Islands through MySpace.

By late 2007 Per left the band, eager to pursue his comedy Black Metal band Skit Arg. He was replaced by Joakim ‘The Jock’ Wedin, a soft-spoken rocker from Umeå. A few gigs later, Jake finally left Gompa and that was that.

Meditate On This

Jock and Mike continued jamming and re-enlisted Per Rinaldo to fill in as a drummer. Daniel helped out as second guitarist and Christian suggested some new songs be recorded. So it was back to Los Studios on Odengatan.

Six tracks that had recently been written by Mike were laid down. Gompa’s final drummer, George Egg, made his recording debut on the EP, which became known as ‘Meditate on This’. The tracks were quirky, poppy, yet also weirder and heavier than before. Christian’s creative production ideas came in to play and, once again, Glaumann did the final mix.

Gompa played their last gig with their friends Of The I in the autumn of 2008 in London with Mike’s brother Tom on drums.

Repackaged & Released…. several times!

The album was shelved, as was the EP, collecting virtual dust in the cloudy world of digital music. But finally in 2012 Mike re-released the album, deleted some of the ‘softer’ songs from the original and fused it with the Meditate EP. The result was deemed to be the actual, final Gompa album, also called ‘Meditate on This’ (though it was first called Sound Is Empty). It was released on iTunes, Bandcamp and other platforms in 2012 and updated in 2013, again in 2015 and once more in 2017. Currently, the iTunes edition is the 2006 as well as the 2017 version.

But now, fifteen years after the original, the ‘real’ final version and blend of the two studio recordings with Christian Svensson has landed.

Future

Mike has been recording Gompa demos and Ideas for some time, yet nothing concrete has emerged  in the last five years.