etcetc would like to introduce The Danish quintet  Oh No Ono, made up of Aske Zidore (guitar, vocals), Malthe Fischer (vocals, guitar), Nis Svoldgaard (bass, vocals), Nicolai Koch (keyboards) and Kristoffer Rom (drums). Formed in 2003 in the mediaeval Danish city of Aalborg, and now resident in Copenhagen.

Early descriptions of their impressive debut album ‘Eggs’ include “…immense, ornate, and majestic” (- Pitchfork), “psychedelica at its cinematic best” (- Filter),  “LOVELY. And warm. A musical hug, if you will.” (- Drowned in Sound), “Imagine if the strangest folks behind the sunshine pop records of the ‘60s swallowed Syd Barrett’s LSD stash and rocked out underwater with the Electric Light Orchestra while breathing helium. Then envision something even more fantastical.” (- Spin), “…impressively bonkers and almost impossible to describe succinctly. It’s psychedelic, baroque, glammy, 70’s AM, with some synth pop and the occasional church choir thrown in.” (- Brooklyn Vegan), “Fantastical, experimental pop that knows no boundaries.” (- Under The Radar). And with a visual aesthetic bound by a series of darkly sexual paintings, their multi-layered, minutely detailed artwork will doubtless prompt much analysis.

‘Eggs’ was recorded in a small country house on the Danish isle of Mon over a nine-month period. The band interweave propulsive grooves with orchestral embellishment, layered harmonies and using some esoteric techniques.  ‘Eleanor Speaks’ the first track of the album, and the drama and tension of ‘Swim’, the album immediately drags you under their spell. ‘Internet Warrior’ rockets towards the heart of the sun. ‘Icicles’ abounds in symphonic splendour. A massed choir heralds the underwater textures of ‘The Wave Ballet’, giving way to the ornately textured singalongs of ‘The Tea Party’. Eggs closes with a near-ten minute opus, ‘Beelitz’.

etcetc will release ‘Eggs’ on the 7th May 2010.

Congratulations to Lost Valentinos, whose album Cities of Gold was just named Record of the Year at this year’s Sydney Music, Arts & Culture Awards. Presented by FBi Radio and Timeout Magazine, the band were up against formidable releases from Sarah Blasko, Dappled Cities, Decoder Ring and Seekae.

Also picking up awards were event All Tomorrow’s Parties (Best Music Event), Seekae (Best Live Act), and Sherlock’s Daughter (Next Big Thing).

etcetc would like to introduce L.A. electro-rock conspirators Jump Jump Dance Dance. Duo Chris Carter and Simon Lewicki had already amassed a wealth of experience before uniting to create Jump Jump Dance Dance: Carter as an in-demand DJ and vocalist who has played alongside luminaries like DJ AM and Tommie Sunshine, and Simon as the mastermind behind the celebrated club acts Tonite Only and Chili Hifly.

They’ve already been responsible for a slew of floor-ready remixes for MSTRKRFT, La Roux, Datarock, and Lost Valentinos. And for their debut album due early 2010 they recruited US heavyweight producer/mixers Dave Sardy (Wolfmother, Oasis, Soulwax and The Ting Tings) and Mark Needham (The Killers, Bloc Party, 3OH!3), plus Australian dance veteran Sameer Sengupta (provider of legendary mixes for Alter Ego and Green Velvet) to lend his formidable experience to some final mixes.

For a taste of what’s to come, watch the video for first single Do It for Love below, which you can download completely free right here:

Lost Valentinos’ Cities of Gold has been nominated for a SMAC Award in the category of Record of the Year. The Sydney Music, Arts & Culture Awards are presented by FBi and Timeout, and Lost Valentinos have been nominated alongside Sarah Blasko, Dappled Cities, Decoder Ring and Seekae.

You can vote here. And here’s one of  eleven reasons why Lost Valentinos deserve to win:

Fresh from directing the latest Lost Valentinos video for ‘Thief‘, Australian expat Dave Ma chatted to Dazed Digital about that, as well as his recent collaboration with Delphic.

Read it here.

At long last Lost Valentinos are proud to present the stunning new video for the song ‘Thief’.

Directed by Dave Ma (The Horrors ‘Whole New Way‘, Delphic ‘This Momentary‘, Lost Valentinos’ ‘Serio’), it’s a typically inventive realisation of the song’s poignant themes:

Taken from the album Cities of Gold, out now on etcetc.

The project allows fans to record their own customised music videos by capturing band members performing the track anywhere they like. From lead singer Nik performing the song atop a user’s shoulders, to the whole band playing the song at the base of the Eiffel Tower – it’s a project limited only by the viewers’ imaginations.

How exactly does it work?
Augmented Reality is a technology which merges your world with computer generated imagery in real-time. Utilising your computer webcam, the software detects the 3-dimensional orientation of simple printed “markers” to map and superimpose active objects in real time. It’s a magic looking-glass which augments objects into your world to appear as though they’re really there. Click here for a brief tutorial.

So why is this project so unique?
Augmented Reality has never taken a collaboration between artists and their fans this far! Each of the 5 individual markers represents one member of the band performing the song Nightmoves in full. The user can set their own scene, line up their players, hit record to film their own music video and share it with their friends. This is a level of total interactivity never before seen, and one which truly invites the fan into the band’s world, and vice-versa.

Launched today, the project was conceived by etcetc and developed over the past few months by web
developers Crucial By Design and video production crew Pedestrian. “It’s an experience that’s definitely
new to most of us, and represents the endless possibilities for creative interaction between artists and fans that
new technologies allow”, says etcetc Managing Director, Andrew Jackson.

Sit in the director’s chair and make your own music video by visiting www.lostvalentinos.com.

Debut album Cities Of Gold is out now.