Indie-electronic pop band who are from northern Italy Syrian
We usually talk about universe, how it feels to navigate through a vast, endless space: actually, with this metaphor, we want to express human feelings, such as loneliness or melancholy.
DISCOGRAPHY
first record deal with the USA indie record label “A Different Drum” in 2003
license deals with record labels in Germany, Russia and South Korea
Released the first official album “Re-synchronize” in South Korea 2007
Released official album “Kosmonauta”
Released EP “Cosmic gate”
Released Single “Space OverDrive”
Q.Hello, would you like to give us a brief introduction about yourself (selves)?
We are an indie-electronic band from northern Italy. We are two people, Lorenzo and Andy. I(Lorenzo) live near Milan, and Andy near Turin. Andy is the vocalist, while I do the programming, music production, and most of the songwriting. We both play keyboards. Our music can be described as a blend of electro-pop, trance and industrial, sometimes uplifting, sometimes melancholic, always melodic.
Q.Is there a special meaning to your stage name (team name)?
The name Syrian actually doesn't refer to Syria (the country) but to Sirius (the star). Our music is inspired by sci-fi and futuristic themes, that's why we chose to name the band after a star.
Q.Can you tell us how you started your music?
In the 90s I was playing in a heavy metal band, but I was also a fan of electronic music. So I decided to start my own project, but I needed a singer. I was a member of the Italian Alphaville fan club, and so was the singer: this is how we met and decided to do music together.
Q.Is there a musician who influenced your music?
I'm not sure if they influenced us, but for sure I am a great fan of Alphaville, as I already said. So I consider myself lucky to have recorded a song together with my favorite artist! Other artists that we like are OMD from UK and Rockets from France, especially the latter ones inspired us the sci-fi themes. I think they were true pioneers of electronic and space-rock music.
Q.How long has it been since your team started to do music together?
We are playing together since 15 years.
Q.What do you (individual members) try to express through your music?
We usually talk about universe, how it feels to navigate through a vast, endless space: actually, with this metaphor, we want to express human feelings, such as loneliness or melancholy.
Q.I heard you just recorded a new album, could you tell us about the album?
Our latest album is called “Death of a Sun” and it is a sort of tribute to the sound of the 80's. We used mainly vintage analog synthesizers to recreate the true sound of that era, even if with a modern approach. The album includes ten melodic, catchy songs, which could be labeled as Synthpop, or New Wave.
Q. How do you make your music? Do you have a place or an object that you get inspired from?
My favorite piece of hardware is an original vintage Roland Jupiter-8 analog synthesizer. I purchased it to record our latest album, which, as I said earlier, is inspired by the sound of the 80's, and the JP-8 is an icon of that era. By the way it is such a versatile synth that I'm still using it for our newest productions, which are more techno sounding. Another important tool in my setup is the Access Virus TI synthesizer.
Q. Do you have a hobby other than music?
Yes, I like reading books and watching movies, just like many other people. I like travelling too and in the near future I hope to visit Seoul. Among the Asian countries, I've been only to Japan so far and I'd like to see more.
Q. What are your plans/goals for the future
We are recording a new album that we aim to release in 2016. Then we are going to promote it playing as many live shows as possible. In the future, we'll also like to record again our first album from scratch, with an updated sound. Maybe for it is 15 th anniversary, in 2018.
