Sjoerd Valkering
He didn’t send it to labels. He uploaded it anonymously to a obscure SoundCloud page with a black square as the avatar. The track was 140 BPM of pure, unrelenting dread. A kick drum that sounded like a pile driver on wet clay. A bassline that wasn’t a note but a pressure . And over the top, a ghostly, pitch-shifted vocal sample from an old safety instruction video: “In case of emergency… remain calm.”
Valkering's career highlights include:
A dedicated hub for Formula 1 enthusiasts in the Netherlands.
He studied audio design, but found the academic pursuit of "clean sound" sterile. His thesis project, a sound installation titled Deconstructie van de Stilte (Deconstruction of Silence), was a cacophony of slammed car doors, breaking glass, and the slowed-down groan of a cello string being tortured with a violin bow. His professors were horrified. His peers were intrigued. sjoerd valkering
To the uninitiated, Sjoerd was just a quiet graphic designer from Breda. He wore plain black t-shirts, rode a creaking bicycle to his studio, and drank bitter coffee from a chipped mug. But to the small, dedicated cult following of the Koolstof label and the attendees of the secret Loodlijn parties, he was a prophet of the post-apocalyptic dance floor.
Following Sjoerd Valkering’s passing, Valkering Media continues to operate as his "life's work," maintaining the professional standards and growth-oriented culture he established. The company currently operates as a digital media house with a hybrid remote structure based in Diemen, managing its various sports-centric news platforms.
Valkering was recognized for a "heart and soul" approach to business. He was known for: He didn’t send it to labels
While there may not be extensive information available on Sjoerd Valkering's life after his cycling career, his accomplishments on the road remain a part of his legacy in the cycling world.
What started as a hobby in a small attic room grew into a digital media powerhouse. Valkering launched his first major platform, , which eventually became one of the most recognized fan sites for AFC Ajax supporters. Under his leadership, Valkering Media expanded its portfolio to include several niche sports platforms that reached millions of visitors monthly:
: A platform providing insights and tools for sports betting. Business Philosophy A kick drum that sounded like a pile driver on wet clay
In the sprawling, flat landscape of the southern Netherlands, where the chemical plants of Rotterdam and the petrochemical refineries of Zeeland spit artificial sunsets into the grey sky, a sound was born. It was not the cheerful, melodic house of Amsterdam nor the commercial hardstyle of the big stadiums. It was the sound of rusted metal groaning, of a factory grinding to a halt, of a thousand terrified synths decaying into noise. That sound had a name: .
Within weeks, the track had 200,000 plays. No one knew who made it. Speculation ran wild. Was it a side project of Ancient Methods? A lost recording from Surgeon? The mystery was the fuel.
It was at an illegal squat party in Eindhoven in 2018 that Sjoerd had his epiphany. A DJ was playing relentless, four-to-the-floor industrial techno, but Sjoerd felt it was too… polite. The kicks were too clean. The distortion was artificial. He went home and that night, using a broken drum machine, a Soviet-era synthesizer he’d bought on Marktplaats, and a field recording of a collapsing grain silo, he created his first track: “Verlaten Fabriek” (Abandoned Factory).
