NEWS ARCHIVE

2013.01.08
Happy New Year, everyone!
We thought you would like to know that Marzipan Marzipan plays at Sputnik Kino in Berlin on January 11th.
And on March 16th Sister Chain & Brother John will journey to Aschaffenburg to play at Beatbaracke.
Check the Live Calendar for details. More shows are in the works. Stay tuned!


2012.12.08
Sister Chain & Brother John are having a christmas competition at their Facebook page. They write:

"To satisfy our vanity and your wardrobe we announce a Christmas Special:
Let us know your favourite SC&BJ song and why it is simply the best (before December 25th).
The best answer - chosen by our objective manager Mr. Dideriksen - will win an exclusive signed "Tea & Distortion" t-shirt. The last one existing out of the original five we made.
Merry christmas, everyone!
Sister Chain & Brother John





2012.12.07
Yet another new music video! This time it's the animated video for A.K. Hansn's "Mellem To Elstole" by Afgrund Film (a.k.a. Emil Brahe who also plays with the band).
A.K. Hans & The Valley of Fear also performed at the Spoken Word Festival in Odense, at the venue Uteater. At SOPA's YouTube channel you will now find not one, not two, not three, but four live videos with songs from the coming album. Enjoy!


2012.11.16
We just send out the latest newsletter today. Send us an e-mail if you want to get it too: sound.of.perpetual.astonishment@gmail.com.


2012.11.11
We're proud to present the brand new music video from Sister Chain & Brother John. It's for the song "Satan Said" and it was shot in Victoria Park in Kreuzberg, Berlin, by SOPA-founder Lars Kjær Dideriksen (who also shot the recent Marzipan Marzipan video). One of Denmark's best music websites, Undertoner, premiered it. Read more here.
We made this page on the SOPA site for it.


2012.10.12
Marzipan Marzipan and Resident Tourist had a bit of fun at the Berlin Marathon in late September. So now you can enjoy a music video with running feet, fluffy ears and the words of John Lennon!


2012.09.24
We know it sounds like far off, but it always creeps up on you before you know it. Fact is: Before you can say merry x-mas you've had the chance to see AK Hansn play live six times and Sister Chain & Brother John two times. Where might that be you may ask?! Well, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg, Hannover and Berlin. First show is already October 5th. So hurry up and check the Live Calender!


2012.09.21
Sister Chain & Brother John played four shows at the Live At Heart Festival in Sweden and the audience loved it. Some even shot videos from the shows: One in the church (amazing space), one in the town square and two songs at the hotel.
The festival radio Jennebo Radio was very excited and did an interview with the band which you can listen to here. A quote from the pre-interview broadcast:
"All the staff at the radio fell in love with them. They are fantastic. You have to see them live. Now that I have heard and seen I'm thinking: Everyone must love this. This is damn good! Sister Chain has a fantastic voice. It was magic."
We at SOPA certainly think the same.
The photo on the left is by Jennebo Radio.





2012.09.07
Sister Chain & Brother John are at the Live At Heart Festival in Örebro, Sweden, this weekend. They will be playing four shows:
Friday 20:00 St Nicolai Kyrka (church)
Saturday 12:30 Järntorget
Saturday 19:00 Harrys vån 3
Saturday 00:00 Grand Markurells
See live calendar or Live At Heart website.





2012.08.28
AK Hansn & The Sign of Four will be playing in the Aarhus Festival Week. This will be at Den Gamle By (The Old Town) in the 'venue' Helsingør Teater on Wednesday September 5th. Also playing is the string quartet Mira-Kvartetten. It starts at 20.00. More info at the festival's website.


2012.08.27
Sister Chain & Brother John will be playing at the Live At Heart Festival in Örebro, Sweden, again this year. The festival runs from September 6th to 8th. The band will be playing a series of shows - on which you will get more details on this site very soon.





2012.08.03
We forgot to tell you that the lovely Zelda Panda a.k.a. Marzipan Marzipan is hosting a great radio show on Berlin's Reboot.fm station. The programme is called "Music For My Saguaros" and it's pure magic. Take a trip with her among the great saguaro cacti of the Arizona desert and hear her talk about this amazing place, the animals and plant life there... and listen to the great music she plays for these majestic prickly things.
You can stream the podcasted shows from this site.


2012.08.01
AK Hansn & The Valley of Fear will be playing Svendborg Festdage in Svendborg this Friday. This is alongside Clean Boys (feat. Vagn Remme) and Vita Wrap Manden. It all goes down at Gerritsplads between 15.45 and 17.30.
For more info on this and other events in town visit www.svendborgfestdage.dk.


2012.06.28
Still photos of a table in a garden... a rocking music video concept, obviously. Emik Brahe and Andreas Hansn have made this great new film for the song "Styrmanden" - which will appear on the coming A.K. Hansn album called "Heroicus Interuptus". See below or on YouTube.
Mr. Hansn and Mr. Brahe have also documented a scientific experiment on video about what happens when you play a guitar louder and louder. Go here and explore The Other Side!



2012.06.06
We have a great live video for you from A.K. Hansn & The Valley of Fear's show at Hjortshøj Festival last month. The song "Mellem To Elstole" from the coming album "Heroicus Interuptus" from SOPA. Check out the acoustic drum machine! ;-)



2012.06.05
A message from Sister Chain & Brother John:

Did you miss the chance to get the free magazine that came with The Androgyne Show at the release party, and have been in agony ever since? Well, cry no more! The digital edition of the first volume of our infamous newspaper The Gambler is now available!
Read an interview with Brother John. Learn to write a sonnet like Modern Love. Find out if you are lazy with our exact personality test. All this and more in The Gambler!

Leaf through it on this link where you can also download a pdf.


2012.05.14
A.K. Hansn is playing a show at Hjortshøj Festival on Saturday May 26th! Read more about it and all the other artists playing at www.hjortfest.dk. The Hansn gig is at 17.00.


2012.05.02
Sister Chain & Brother John play a show in Aarhus, Denmark, this coming Friday May 4th at 20.00. This will be at the SPOT OFF 'guerillafestival' right next to the official Spot Festival. After that they head off to the UK for four shows there.
Check out the SOPA Live Calendar for more info. And see Facebook for more info on the full SPOT OFF event.

To coincide with Spot Festival we have put together a delicious mixtape for you. 20 amazing tracks from SOPA artists and a lot of other talented people we know. As a special treat the mixtape also contains an exclusive preview of the song "Mellem To Elstole" (Between Two Electric Chairs) from A.K. Hansn's coming album "Heroicus Interuptus". Listen and/or download it all at Soundcloud.





2012.04.19
We have just sent out our latest newsletter (read it here!)
In it you can read about Girls Love Rallie's Copenhagen gig tomorrow as well as Sister Chain & Brother John's show in Denmark and tour of the United Kingdom. Also: Agata & Me's new album and release party, new web features, the "On The Roof" music video and a clever new piece of technology called Bandloot.
But yes, Sister Chain & Brother John are in fact playing a whole four shows in the UK. Check out the SOPA Live Calendar for more info on all of the above.





2012.04.04
Today we present the online world premiere for the music for for Sister Chain & Brother John's "On The Roof". It was made by Henrik Vagner and Michael Ersted of NoButt Productions.
You can see it at www.larsdideriksen.com/sopa/ontheroof.
We also have a set of "behind the camera" photos from when they filmed the video. You can see them here.
And yes, also another web feature with photos from Sister Chain & Brother John's release concert in Berlin for "The Androgyne Show" in March. See it here!
Also: Our Live Calendar has been updated with an extra UK gig in May for Sister Chain & Brother John. More might come. Stay tuned!






2012.03.26
The entire SOPA catalogue is now available at Bandcamp for streaming and download. All the compilations are free to download (or you can kindly donate whatever amount you feel like). The last of the lot to make it onto Bandcamp was SOPA's most popular, best reviewed and biggest release "SOPA Deliciosa".
Go to Bandcamp here!


2012.03.12
Denmark's biggest music magazine Gaffa has reviewed "The Androgyne Show" and given it 4 stars:
"Berlin-based Sister Chain & Brother John is a most peculiar and rather unique acquaintance. Victorian glam rock meets dark cabaret moods of the duo's strange, seductive, macabre and highly dramatical theatrical universe. There is something absolutely alluring about Sister Chain & Brother John's peculiar world. (…) There is a constant lurking danger in Sister Chain’s shrill tremulous voice that complements the disturbing universe perfectly. (…) There are glorious highs in the spinning Satan Said, the title number with playful bass, the doomsday heavy When It All Comes Down and the delicious fingerpicked On The Roof."

Gaffa also reviewed "Son of Rock'n'Roll" giving it 5 of 6 stars:
“There is room for both evocative and discreet background organ, strings, brass, bongos, banjo and beautiful and rough singing on the eclectic album that is primarily driven by strong songwriting, melodiousness and ingenuity. (...) The girls have all the reasons in the world to love Rallie. Ten extremely lovable poprock songs of the alternative kind.”

And so did Geiger:
“A little gem of a pop album with both sugar, edge and salt for the ears. (...) The sadness in the lyrics are lifted up by the catchy tunes. (...) The album contains bittersweet rock and mostly pop and enough good melodies and hooks to make experienced pop composers envious. For example, the excellent “Remember Uncle August” whose
falsetto chorus is some of the best pop music I’ve heard in a long time. Son of Rock’n’Roll is a fine album. It’s as simple as that.” .





















2012.03.11
We now have the "Son Of Rock'n'roll" cds in stock ready to go. BUT... we also have a brand new surprise release for you! And the crazy thing is: It's free!
After spending lots of time recording "Son Of Rock'n'Roll" Girls Love Rallie went to the city of Aalborg and recorded the whole thing again on lo-fi equipment - in one day!
It's called "Son Of Beat/Folk" and it's the companion to and twin of "Son Of Rock'n'Roll. This album contains the same songs as the original album. It's very much the same album, but very much a different album. It just goes to show that Rallie's songs are so strong that whatever you subject them to (lo-fi or hi-fi) they always shine through.
Read more, download it and listen to it here!


2012.03.09
Sister Chain & Brother John had an eventful tour of Denmark last month. We have collected plenty of videoes and photos from it all in our new feature. See it all here!


2012.02.01
We just sent out the latest newsletter. Read it here.
Sign up for the SOPA newsletter by sending an e-mail to
sound.of.perpetual.astonishment @ gmail.com (remove the spaces).


2012.01.30
Okay, folks! We're about ready to unless the brand new album by Sister Chain & Brother John on the world. "The Androgyne Show" is in fact also the very first vinyl release from SOPA. We're very proud.
For a preview of some of the album check out the website we made for it at www.larsdideriksen.com/sopa/theandrogyneshow.
And we also have a Danish tour in store for you!
FEB 17: Beta, Copenhagen
FEB 18: In-store, Stereo Studio (Købmagergade), Copenhagen
FEB 24: HeadQuarters, Aarhus (release concert)
FEB 25: Studenterhuset, Aalborg
The official Berlin release party will be at Kugelbahn on March 16th. For more info on the shows see our Live Show page.


2012.01.22
Exciting new stuff in the SOPA shop!
First up is the utterly charming old school 7" from Big Daddy Mugglestone And His Cheap Paper Toys. Big Daddy kickstarted the SOPA DELICIOSA-compilation way back when. Read more.
And do you remember the amazing "The Tension Slip" by Per Hoier on the SOPA CURIOSA-compilation? Well, here's the brand-spanking new 12" and CD single from the popmeister himself. We're very proud to stock this gem in the SOPA shop. Individually and unique handmade cover 'n' all. Read more.




2012.01.05
Happy New Year everyone!
Let's start the year of with some great news. First off Girls Love Rallie just got a five-star review of "Son Of Rock'n'Roll" in Denmark's biggest music magazine Gaffa. Read it here!
And Sister Chain & Brother John have finished recording their second album "The Androgyne Show" and it's on the way to the pressing plant. And might we say: The music on this fine piece of vinyl is truly amazing!
We will be celebrating the release on Friday February 24th at HeadQuarters in Aarhus, Denmark. More info on Facebook and our Live Show page.


2011.11.30
Okay, here it is, folks! The brand new album "Son Of Rock'n'Roll" by Girls Love Rallie is released as digital download today! A cd will follow shortly. Buy, pre-order, read more or listen to the whole thing at Bandcamp. We hope you like. We certainly do. In fact we love it! :-)
Here's the deal... we don't what you to feel cheated:
For 8 euro you can buy this album as digital download in various formats.
BUT it's actually a "8 euro or more" donation option. If you choose to pay 10 euro or more AND at the same time include your postal address with your payment, then we will send the limited first pressing of the cd version to you as soon as it's made (we are working on it right now).
Should you experience any problems with this procedure don't hesitate to mail us at sound.of.perpetual.astonishment@gmail.com.


2011.11.18
Here's the line-up for your next SOPA Night! It will be at the Berlin venue Antje Öklesund on December 15th.
On stage: Marzipan Marzipan, Sister Chain & Brother John, 9, Lenny Davies, Big Daddy Mugglestone & Margareth Kammerer and Capt. Daydream (DJ).
Remember that AK Hansn plays at HeadQuarters in Aarhus tonight, that Sister Chain & Brother John play Bristol on November 24th and Marzipan Marzipan play Kugelbahn in Wedding, Berlin, on December 9th. See you out there!


2011.11.17
For your listening pleasure here is an exclusive preview of the brand new Girls Love Rallie album "Son Of Rock'n'Roll" - which will be released by the end of this month.
We also made a website for the album with exclusive content such as acoustic live versions of some of the songs.
Go to www.larsdideriksen.com/sopa/sonofrocknroll.

 


2011.10.26
We are so close (so close it's almost painful) to releasing the new pop masterpiece by Girls Love Rallie. The album is called "Son Of Rock'n'Roll" and features ten brand new songs. The whole shebang was produced by Rune Hedeman (formerly of the band 1234). Dare we say, that SOPA is releasing a record with serious hit potential? In a perfect world, in one word: Yes!
Rallie has recorded a video (filmed in the garden) with a beautiful acoustic version of the song "The Loving Season".
YouTube link here.


2011.10.26
All but one of SOPA's releases are now available for download through Bandcamp. All the compilations are free and the one-artist releases cost money. The last release to be uploaded, "SOPA DELICIOSA", will be with you shortly. Go to Bandcamp here.
Furthermore Bandcamp is now embedded in this website. So when you click on a SOPA-release you can now listen to all the tracks here - as well as download/buy it.


2011.10.25
The SOPA 5 Year Anniversary Show as hoped turned out to be exactly what we hoped for: Good vibes and great music. Most of the acts playing even brought along new material and many took the opportunity to join each other on stage for special duets and arrangements. We've collected some videos and photos from that evening for you. Go here!


2011.10.25
We continue with putting all our SOPA releases on Bandcamp. Two more have found their way. These are compilations so they can be downloaded absolutely free - or you can choose to donate whatever amount you want to support the artists and SOPA.
The first new download is the 8-track EP "SOPA Exclusivo" made for two SOPA Nights in 2009. It features several exclusive tracks (hence the name). Go here to get it!
The second download is the massive 22-track compilation "SOPA Curiosa". A treasure trove of talent, to be quite honest. One fine musical moment after the other. Don't miss out. Go here to get it!




2011.09.04
Sister Chain & Brother John are on their way to Sweden! On September 15th, 16th and 17th they will perform at the Live At Heart Festival in Örebro. Their first performance on the festival (which features around 300 bands) will be at the opening ceremony.
For more info on the festival visit www.liveatheart.se and also check Sister Chain & Brother John's page there!
For even more info, live videos, photos etc. check out our special infopage on the band.


2011.08.08
We made a special website for the 5 year anniversary at www.larsdideriksen.com/sopa/5. There you can read about it all. Among other things about the All-Star 5 Year Birthday Bash on August 26th. This will be at HeadQuarters in Aarhus and on stage is Marzipan Marzipan, Agata & Me, A.K. Hansn and... well, who knows? We will have guests from near and far - and also play around a bit with some video. DJ Bjarke Svendsen (booker at the venue Atlas) will spin some great tunes.
Doors open at 20.00, but actually the place is open from the afternoon on, so that's more a figure of speech. Entrance is only 40 DKK (approx. 5 euro). HeadQuarters is located at Valdemarsgade 1, right next to Musikhuset. You can probably hear the music outside when you get closer. See you there!
Oh... and Marzipan Marzipan and Capt. Daydream (DJ) is supporting Frisk Frugt at Atlas the day after. Don't miss!


2011.08.07
SOPA has gone "digital download"! Well, it's also a possibility now anyway. We are in the process of putting all our releases on Bandcamp where you can download them. Some cost money, some (compilations) are free - with an option to donate.
We've made a brand new compilation to celebrate our 5 Year Anniversary this month. It's called "SOPA Cinco". You can get it at http://soundofperpetualastonishment.bandcamp.com alongside most other SOPA releases (the rest will follow shortly).
"SOPA Cinco" contains the best from all five years as well as two brand new songs from two of our soon-to-come releases: Girls Love Rallie's "Son Of Rock'n'roll (on cd) and Sister Chain & Brother John's "The Androgyne Show" (on 100% analogue LP).
Go directly to the compilation at Bandcamp here. And read about on this site here. Enjoy!


2011.08.05
Sister Chain & Brother John are recording the last bits of their second album "The Androdyne Show" right now. If you want a sneak peek into the recordings then have a look at this video where you can hear parts of the title track and the utterly beautiful first single off the album "On The Roof". Go here!


2011.08.03
One of the very best online music shops - Norman Records - is having a sale. Here's your chance to get some SOPA releases at half the normal price! Among the ones on sale are releases that are even no longer available in the SOPA webshop! Here are the direct links:
Nils Gröndahl
Marzipan Marzipan
9
SOPA Deliciosa
Agata & Me
Girls Love Rallie
Delay Lama
SOPA Curiosa



2011.06.21
Marzipan Marzipan has a new music video. With fairgrounds, tigers, ballons and fireworks. What more do you want? It's called "I'm Not Afraid Of Tigers" and was made by Amelia Seymour. Watch on YouTube here.
Also: Marzipan Marzipan will be performing in Denmark in the near future. Details soon! Tonight she plays to shows at Fete De La Musique on Sonnenallee in Berlin.


2011.06.02
Agata & Me will be performing at this year's Fanø Free Folk Festival on the island of Fanø off the west coast of Denmark. The festival takes place from the 23th to 26th of June 2011. They will be performing alongside such acts as Richard Youngs, Alasdair Roberts, Birch Book, Ghost Flute & Dice, Kresten Osgood Og Hvad Er Klokken, Marie-Louise Munck, Aron, Hymns from Nineveh, Snöleoparden and last but not least Peter Laugesen & Singvogel which includes A.K. Hansn in the band.
More info at Fanø Free Folk Festival's Facebook page, the Facebook event and Geiger.
Last year's festival was the first ever and it was well cozy. You can watch some video from it on Vimeo: Part One and Part Two.


2011.05.23
As of writing this Sister Chain & Brother John are hard at work in their home studio in Berlin recording the follow-up to their debut album. The second album "The Androgyne Show" will be out this fall - to coincide with live shows hopefully in your neighbourhood.
If you're in Berlin, though, you can already catch them live on stage on Friday June 10th at the venue Zosch (Tucholskystraße in Mitte) where they will perform alongside They Shoot Horses from around 22.00.


2011.05.22
Now it's getting a bit easier to get hold of some of the nice releases on the SOPA site. If you live in Denmark and you want Sister Chain & Brother John's "Darkness To Warm Your Heart" LP or the latest Marzipan Marzipan cd album you just ask in your local music store for them. Both releases are now distributed by Rillbar Distribution, so the shop should be able to order them home for you, if they don't have them.
Which also means, that if you're a music store reading this, then Rillbar are you go-to-guys if you want to stock these fine releases. And of course you do. ;-)
And by the way, "Darkness To Warm Your Heart" is also available on iTunes and CDBABY (also LP for US customers).




2011.05.21
Marzipan Marzipan now has her very own website! All dot-com and brightly coloured! All you need to know is...
www.marzipanmarzipan.com.
Here you can also buy her latest album on cd.


2011.05.20
We just wanted to let you know that the sold out cd of Agata & Me now is available on iTunes.


2011.05.19
Sister Chain & Brother John went on a small tour of Denmark in March of 2011. Here they played both in Aarhus and Copenhagen (twice). In Aarhus they also took part in a lenghty (and very amusing) radio interview. We have collected a few pictures as well as videos from the shows and of the interview. Enjoy! Go here!


2011.05.18
A little while ago Sister Chain & Brother John were interviewed by a bunny. They admit they were not entirely sober when it happened. But the video is there to prove it... it really was a bunny! Go here to check out the interview and hear about the duo's favourite songs, playing shows "with your ding-dong out" and something about daisies.


2011.04.03
Lots of live shows coming up. Marzipan Marzipan, Sister Chain & Brother John (as The Hunters) as well as 9. Mostly in Berlin. Special mention: Marzipan Marzipan is having the release party for her new cd at Antje Öklesund on April 7th.
Go to the Live Calendar for more info!


2011.03.26
New stuff in the SOPA Shop! Three cds which are all kind of "side projects" of Sister Chain & Brother John.

Spinster Sister is the rocking guitar/vocal duo of Sister Chain and Sister Swamp. On the record they have added drums and bass and the result is "Lucky Drill" - 13 powerful songs that go straight for the jugular. They were recorded between 2001 and 2005 in the studio and live on stage in Paris, Berlin and Tel Aviv.
More info here. Visit Spinster Sister and have a listen at MySpace here.

The last two cds are by The Hunters - the old school country'n'western alter ego of Sister Chain & Brother John. Together with their fellow musicians they take on immortal classics, forgotten gems and a few of their own compositions. Thus channelling the spirit of Johnny & June, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette from the time before the likes of Garth Brooks came along. In short: The good old stuff and the real deal. And they do it well!
Info on "Cowboy Sweethearts" here and "Return of the Honky Tonk Heroes" here. Visit The Hunters and have a listen at MySpace here.






2011.02.24
Sister Chain & Brother John is doing a small Danish tour this March!

March 11 at HeadQuarters in Aarhus (21.30).
March 12 at Route 66 in Copenhagen (in-store gig) (15.00).
March 12 at Huset i Magstræde in Copenhagen (21.00).

And as a nice bonus the duo also perform a gig as their other band The Hunters at Café Vestergade in Aarhus on March 10 (21.00).

And don't forget they play in Hamburg, Germany, this coming weekend onboard the MS Stubnitz. Check out further details on all the shows on our Live Shows page. See you out there!

Also: The online funding through the website Inkubato for the coming album reached its goal! So this will be one of the first 100% fan-funded German albums. Chain & John are very happy for the support!


2011.02.08
The latest newsletter has been sent out. If you want to sign up then send us an e-mail. Go here for more info and all the previous newsletters.
Also: Our 'Press' page now has an overview of cd and live reviews. With external links for full reviews where it was possible.
The 'Live Shows' page has been updated. Sister Chain & Brother John are playing in Denmark (Copenhagen and Aarhus) in March. Check the page for dates and info. More details to follow soon. They also play in Hamburg onboard MS Stubnitz on February 27th.
And remember: there's still time to help fund the coming Sister Chain & Brother John LP (and thereby securing yourself a copy of the very first vinyl released on SOPA). Go here.


2011.02.01
SOPA WELCOMES SISTER CHAIN & BROTHER JOHN!
Yes, it's true. SOPA and the Berliner duo have been friends for a while now, but now we're spoken for. ;-)
When Sister Chain & Brother John are releasing their second LP "The Androgyn Show" later this year it will be a co-production between Dwarfhaus Records and SOPA. So yes, this will in fact be SOPA's very first vinyl release. A fact of which we are very proud - besides also being proud that this magnificent duo have chosen to forge a future together with us.
The funding for the coming album is still in full swing online at Inkubato. At present there is only two weeks left. So go there at pledge money for the album on this link. This way you will secure yourself at copy of the very first vinyl SOPA release in the process for the amount of just 15 euro. You can also pledge more, if you want.
To check out some of the new songs featured on the coming album go see some of the videos from their recent SOPA gig.



2010.12.23
The latest newsletter has been sent out. If you want to sign up then send us an e-mail. Go here for more info and all the previous newsletters.


2010.12.22
A word from our dear friends Sister Chain & Brother John. They are currently working on their next album "The Androgyn Show". Judging from the new songs they played at their recent SOPA gig in Aarhus it's gonna be one fantastic record!
In this brave new internet world one can support creative new projects like this by pledging money to the artists through sites like Inkubato. If you do you will of course get a copy of the album afterwards. Actually you can even get this powerduo to play at the location at your own choosing, if you pledge a higher amount.
You can see the video where they explain the project on this link or the YouTube clip below. You'll need to go to Inkubato, not YouTube, to help these talented people out, though. You can click on the banner on the right.
So please, secure yourself a copy and get their album off the ground.

 



2010.12.22
Yet again we have new exciting things in the SOPA shop! First up we have the new album from Marzipan Marzipan. Self-released this time, but of course we want to help it out into the world! Because you know... it's really great and Marzipan Marzipan is one of the reasons that SOPA exists in the first place.
Marzipan Marzipan did the album with drummer Big Daddy Mugglestone and the result is a strong collection of old favourites and new songs. Brilliant!
Read more here!
Next up we have the debut album from our favourite Balkan rockers from Aarhus. A favourite live act of many, the band's energy and great songs have been captured brilliantly on this joy of an album. We can't recommend if enough!
Read more here!
And now A.K. Hansn has finally made a reprint of this "Night of the Creeping Catfish" horror story (written in Danish). The new edition includes two new stories and is thus a "Super Delux Redux" edition! So dive into the underbelly of an Aarhus you never knew existed with this spooky tale of mutant horrors. It's even got a new (old school) cover.
Read more here!






2010.12.22
On November 13th Sister Chain & Brother John visited Aarhus once more. SOPA set up a show and shot some video of their amazing performance. We would like to share it with you so here it is. Go here!


2010.12.22
Yet another feature for the SOPA page. In the summer of 2010 SOPA boarded the good ship MS Stubnitz while it was docked in Aarhus. For photos and video of Agata & Me as well as A.K. Hansn playing on the deck in the fresh open harbour air go here!


2010.12.22
We're catching up with the past here on the SOPA webpage. So here's some pictures and video from SOPA Night number 5 and 6 last year where Aarhus and Berlin met and made beautiful things happen. Go here!


2010.11.03
On Saturday November 13th SOPA is behind a small gig in Aarhus. Sister Chain & Brother John who blew everyone away at last year's two SOPA Nights are in Denmark to take part in a movie. But we can't have them up here all the way from Berlin without also having them play a show!
So come on down to Café Vestergade (Vestergade 42 in central Aarhus) on November 13th. They start at 21.00 o'clock and the entrance is free (we will pass the hat around, though). See you there!



2010.06.27
Yet another new distribution item in the SOPA Shop! This time it's the fourth album from Singvogel - the band which is A.K. Hansn's main vessel for his artistic output. This time they have upped the tempo on their unique punk rock quite a bit. Still as twisted both musically and lyrically as any good Tom Waits song, while at the same time being as energetic and dirty as anything coming out of the 70s and 80s New York new wave scene. Screeching guitars clash with clanging percussion, sonardeep pings of clarinets (bass and regular) and hints of electronics and whatever instruments that would seem appropriate to bring into this wonderful sonic wave of an album. It grabs you straight off and sends you on a ride, but it is still a surprisingly current journey in what is with any doubt uniquely Singvogel. Read more here.



2010.06.22
A new distribution item in the SOPA Shop! A severely charming 7-inch record containing two immortal classics performed as duets by Big Daddy Mugglestone and Margareth Kammerer. You might have encounted them before. The Big Daddy-O kicked off the SOPA DELICIOSA compilation crooning away on its first track. On SOPA CURIOSA Margareth Kammerer lent her mesmerizing, jazzy and beautiful voice to an electronic track by Daniela Cattivelli. On this colourful piece of vinyl they go really old school. Hugely enjoyable! Read more here.



2010.06.22
SOPA is having a special night this Friday (June 25) onboard MS Stubnitz in the harbour of Aarhus. Agata & Me and A.K. Hansn & Shoscombe Old Place will play live. Capt. Daydream will be dj'ing. This one of the few chances anyone has to experience music on the ship while it's in Aarhus. Come on down!
Also: 9 & La Musica Verde is playing a show at Madame Claude in Berlin tonight (June 22).
For more details on the above see the Live Shows page.



2010.06.11
I Like This Wind is still in the process of doing her shows on the Spanish island of Tenerife. Now an extra gig has presented itself: Tonight June 11 at PROXIMOS 2010 "V EDICIÓN" - the venue HONKY TONK eXpress. Here she will be supporting Matt Elliott. Also performing are Saletile & Lasal as well as DJs I/O and LastOne. For more details see the Live Shows page.


2010.05.29
Agata & Me will be playing tonight at Lobby, Aarhus, as part of the one-day festival Blandet Blandt Andet. The whole thing goes on for 12 hours from 14.00 to 02.00. They will perfrom from 23.00 to 00.00. Next Saturday, June 5th, they're at it again. This time at the Stardust Café. This is in the afternoon at 14.30. For more details see the Live Shows page.


2010.05.04
What at treat for the folks on the Spanish island of Tenerife! I Like This Wind will play five shows - two solo and three as part of the band Magic Room. The shows are part of the Numa Circuit Festival and the first is on May 8 and the last on July 24. More info on the Live Shows page and the festival site.


2010.04.27
On May 1 A.K. Hansn will usher in spring as part of Singvogel alongside Capt. Daydream who will dj. This will happen at Kawasutrahuset in Aarhus. Also on the program: DJ ZenElvis, the Aarhus president of Turbo Jugend (DJ) and more.
For more details see the Live Shows page.


2010.04.15
Agata & Me will be playing at Sølystgades Beboerhus in Aarhus on Friday April 23. This is presented by 'Den Borgerlige' and they are performing alongside All Products Made Nice and Power Load. For more details see the Live Shows page.


2010.02.19
On Sunday February 21 Capt. Daydream will dj supporting American-German rap/electronica duo Prinzenallee aboard the old Stubnitz ferry in the harbour of Copenhagen. US rapper Bleubird is at the mic in the duo. You might remember him from the "SOPA DELICIOSA" compilation. This is Prinzenallee's very first show in Denmark, so don't miss out. DJ'ing starts around 20.30. Prinzenallee around 22.00. A support act in-between might be added.


2010.01.03
Happy new year, everyone! We hope you all made it into the new decade in one piece. We also hope to bring you new exciting SOPA releases and shows this year. First up we have a little treat for you:
In November 2009 - at the 5th SOPA Night - the Aarhus-based cultural calendar called Cast Guide asked SOPA to do an interview with Marzipan Marzipan for their next calendar. Sadly there was not sufficient public funding for the guide to continue, but we nevertheless made the interview.
You can read it all here!


2009.12.17
Future Music Magazine has reviewed a track of Agata & Me's which is featured on their MySpace. It's called "Everchanging" and oh, what a review! The first part refers to a picture from a few years ago (the one on the right here). but here we go:
"Are those fret board finger drags for real? They're louder than the notes you're picking! We like that they're there, sure - but that loud?
The vocal and piano however are faultless. The subtle dome-like reverb that creeps in, the harmonies, track-doubling and tense, fragile atmosphere all combine to create a recording where you fear the intrusive clanging clatter of a pin drop.
A beautiful tune and expertly crafted, recording that sound gorgeously alive and organic. Proof that sometimes real musical magic is simply a matter of putting a mic in front of something. Beautiful."


2009.12.10
Girls Love Rallie is playing a solo acoustic show at Earth Hour Event at Musikcaféen in Huset i Magstræde, Copenhagen, on Wednesday December 16th. He will be on at about 21.00. Also performing that night is Esther Maria & The Song Horse (featured on the SOPA CURIOSA-compilation) as well as Soffie Viemose, Piip (doing poetry reading), Mundhug (reading bedtime stories) and VJ and a DJ.


2009.11.28
Two new items in the shop! SOPA hasn't had a new release for about a year, but we figured we would do something special for SOPA Night 5 and 6 in Aarhus and Aalborg this November. So we made this little compilation with 8 exclusive tracks - never released before! - by the four artists taking part in the first of the two SOPA Nights: Marzipan Marzipan, A.K. Hansn, Agata & Me and Sister Chain & Brother John. Only 50 copies have been made. The price is 40 DKK (5.50 euro). Read more here.
To coincide with the shows we also made a small batch of t-shirts. Just to try it out. This is the very first SOPA merchandise ever. The design is by Zelda Panda (Marzipan Marzipan) and the words on it read "way too real for wide appeal". The price is 120 dkk (16 euro). Read more here.




2009.11.02
Here's a video promo for the SOPA Night in Aarhus.


2009.10.20
We've got two SOPA Nights in Denmark in November! Marzipan Marzipan is coming up from Berlin along with Sister Chain & Brother John (who kicked off the "SOPA CURIOSA" compilation with their song "Black Room"). They will play alongside SOPA artists from Aarhus: A.K. Hansn and Agata & Me. The dates, venues are line-ups are:

Friday, November 20: Marzipan Marzipan + Sister Chain & Brother John + A.K. Hansn & The Five Orange Pips + Agata & Me + DJs Zelda Panda & Capt. Daydream.
@ Aarhus Art Academy (Århus Kunstakademi), Aarhus.

Saturday, November 21: Marzipan Marzipan + Sister Chain & Brother John + DJs Zelda Panda & Capt. Daydream.
@ Transformator, Aalborg

For further details see the Live Shows page.


2009.10.04
Agata & Me are on tour in Ireland right now: Belfast, Dublin and Cork. On October 10 they play in Luxembourg. So if you're in the vicinity be sure to check them out. For details see the Live Shows page.


2009.10.03
A new item in the shop! The brand new EP from Esther Maria & The Song Horse called "My Black Heart". Remember her haunting acoustic song "Never Can It Be" on the SOPA CURIOSA-compilation? The reviewer at Undertoner already noticed her back then.
Well, here's more of that folk- and country-tinged songwriting of hers. The price for the cd is 50 DKK / 7 euro. More info on the cd here (where there also are a few quotes from the reviews written so far).
You can listen to the songs at her MySpace page and drop by www.esthermaria.com for more info.


2009.08.07
We have added a SOPA blog here on the site. It's actually located at Blogspot, but it's also embedded in the site. Just choose Blog in the menu. If you want to leave comments (please do!) click the headline of the post you want to comment and you will be transported to Blogspot where you can type to your heart's content.

The blog is the playground for all the SOPA artists. He we will write about anything. It doesn't have to be about our releases or concerts (but it probably also will - like photos, videos and various writings). We might also share our enthusiasm about other music, films, books that we find inspirational, or just plain writing about "life in general" and things we find interesting, worrying or feel strongly about in one way or the other. We might also outline future projects (releases, events etc.) and invite you to inspire us, if you like.

We welcome any input you may have. Sharing enthusiasm and being an inspiration to one another is a great feeling. Join the fun!

See you on the blog!


2009.07.09
Marzipan Marzipan recently was invited to share some of her "hidden treasures" on the Berlin-based radio show Urban Peas. Go visit the Brumtone site for this entertaining radio session full of interesting and funny oldies songs with host Manuela Krause and also get a taste of Marzipan Marzipan playing live in Manuela's kitchen. The direct link for the show is here.


2009.06.18
Marzipan Marzipan plays a show at Tentstation in Berlin on June 20! Also: the next day she will play with her cover band Kadillac Lobster elsewhere in Berlin. Check out the live calendar for details!


2009.05.25
SOPA has some new live shows coming up. Agata & Me are playing Aarhus this week. Emir from that lovely duo is also playing as part of the balkan punk band KURvE alongside Capt. Daydream who will dj. A.K. Hansn also has a gig coming in July. And don't forget the gigs we mentioned earlier which are still to come with I Like This Wind on Tenerife. Check out the live calendar for details!


2009.04.20
9 is currently getting airplay on Italian MTV with the video for the song "Delay". It was directed by René Schulz and you can watch it on YouTube here!


2009.03.23
We've got ten liveshows and dj sets coming up soon. I Like This Wind is doing more shows on Tenerife, Capt. Daydream will spin some tunes in Berlin and Agata & Me take on Dublin - and more! Check the calendar for details!


2009.03.23
A.K. Hansn and his father has been unearthing a whole heap of cool Danish electronic music from 1960-1978 over the last couple of years.
Now the best of those old reel-to-reel tapes have been cleaned up and compiled on "Pioneers - The Beginning of Danish Electronic Music". A lush double-cd released by the Aarhus-based label LJUD - also containing a very informative booklet about the music. Not just of historical interest, but also an immensely beautiful and hugely interesting release which has already gotten rave reviews in the press. You can read more about it here. If you want to buy it then get in touch with the label through the website. We recommend that you do if you have an interest in electronic music.


2009.03.06
A few more live shows besides A.K. Hansn playing today at Katapult in Aarhus, Denmark. I Like This Wind is doing one of her rare shows in the town of La Orotava on the Spanish island of Tenerife this Saturday (and might have more shows coming up there in the near future). And Sunday Zelda Panda (Marzipan Marzipan) is djing in Berlin. One more dj set is on the horizon for her - as well as a live gig in Berlin on April 1st. Check the calendar for details!


2009.02.07
If you're in Aarhus on March 6th be sure to drop by Teater Katapult for at gig with A.K. Hansn. It's a Friday and the gig starts around 16.00. See you there!


2009.01.28
Check it out! Now you can become a fan of SOPA on Facebook. If you're there drop by and have a listen to all the lovely music!

Go here!


2008.12.30
Got a new vinyl release in the distribution section: Leonard Davies' "Shit / Black Leather" 7-inch.
Leonard Davies has for years been playing as Fallen Men with various other musicians (among them A.K. Hansn). This seven-inch is made in his own name. No less rocking or less trashy than the previous Fallen Men releases, though. So better get one and crank up the volume!
Go here to check it out.




2008.12.08
We've got two exciting new items for sale in the distribution section.
Just a little while ago Capt. Daydream dj'ed for close to 12 hours and A.K. Hansn performed his twisted tales at the Gymnoten release party for "Det Store Varieténummer".
This is the first anthology magazine with words, comics and pictures from Gymnoten - who brought you "Mallens Nat" by A.K. Hansn and "Mef løber tør for kaffe" by Hr. Vagner.
A truly unique collection full of creatures of the night, drunken vampire hunters, impossible missions, tormentor of animals, tormentor of humans - in short: a mixed bag.
Are you ready to meet Nosferatu, Doctor Verner and the horrors of the christmas dinner? Then dive into this strange brew put together by some of the weirdest minds of the Danish underground. That means A.K. Hansn amongst others. Read more here.
Also new in the shop: "Solus Ipse". The second album from former Under Byen composer Thorbjørn Krogshede a.k.a. Thunderbear. His piano gets a lot of space on this one. No drums, but still allowing a bit of glockenspiel and some noise layers done on guitar to add extra flavour to these instrumental pieces. Although leaning towards the more classical genres those who enjoyed the piano parts of the previous Under Byen records as well as their overall compositional style will most likely find this record quite interesting. The album was recorded in the symphonic music hall at the Musikhuset in Aarhus.
Read more here.






2008.12.07
In October 2008 Agata & Me went on a small Germany tour. Six shows in Leipzig, Berlin and Dresden. German magazine Persona Non Grata shot some photos at the venue UT Connewitz in Leipzig where the duo opened up for fellow Danish band Slaraffenland. The kind 'Katja' shot some video from that show too. Thanks!
Go here to check it out.




2008.11.24
A.K. Hansn and Capt. Daydream is making certain that things are stirred up a bit in Aarhus before we can safely say '2009'. Two events that are bound to be a great laugh and terribly exciting are coming up soon:

November 29:
Gymnoten's "Det Store Variténummer" release party at Teater Katapult featuring A.K. Hansn & The Three Gables and Capt. Daydream (dj) as well as Vladimirs Secret Society, Tomas Dalgaard, Hr. Vagner and possibly even Fallen Men. A whole day of live music, dj'ing and spoken word starting around 14.00.

December 20:
The annual Singvogel Christmas Show featuring A.K. Hansn fronting Singvogel and Capt. Daydream (dj) as well as a yet undisclosed line-up (but if previous years are anything to judge by: a whole long line of guest performers from all over the place). This will all go down at Lobby (Archauz), but the actual starting time will be announced later.




2008.11.23
SOPA CURIOSA has been reviewed. Once again some curious ears out there have been pleased, so that makes us very happy.
Norman Records gives it a 'happy' rating writes things like... "This disc certainly works at bringing these artists to peoples attention and hopefully showcasing some of their talent. The tracks range from accessible, experimental, indie, pop, electronic etc. (...) Worth noting is that all tracks are exclusive and it features Agata & Me whose EP proved to be fairly popular with you good people out there."
Read it all here. And if you prefer to shop using your regular credit card you can do it through them.
Danish webzine Undertoner also seems to like this curious disc and starts off by stating (rightly so?) that "somewhere in Denmark there's a man with a strange taste in music".
"SOPA CURIOSA is an insight into one man's greatly personal musical taste which is surely eclectic but still coherent via the curious approach to the phenomenon 'music'. The album works as an exciting collection of songs in it self and as it was probably originally intended: A showroom for the label. That's the way it should be, and therefore the album in itself is successful."
You can read the whole four-of-six star review in Danish here.





2008.10.31
SOPA has a new postal address. From November 1st it is:

Sound Of Perpetual Astonishment
v/ Lars Kjær Dideriksen
Onsholtvej 146A
8260 Viby J
Denmark

Yes, SOPA is moving to Aarhus - where the music flows a-plenty. It might mean an increase in activity in the future. Let's see what happens!


2008.10.04
As Public Enemy rapped 20 years ago...
"Here it is! BAM! And you say Goddamn! This is a dope jam!"
Yup, the brand new SOPA compilation is here! 22 tracks from a whole line of exciting artists from around the world. Exclusive tracks from some of the SOPA artists and a lot of our old and new friends. Check it out on the SOPA site here.
The talented webdude Mr. Jint, who also made the last compilation website has outdone himself and made a website for new one. Ladies and gentlemen... please welcome SOPA CURIOSA!


2008.09.30
We got a new delicious item in the distribution section of the SOPA shop. The first piece of vinyl there, actually... the brilliant album by Sister Chain & Brother John called "Darkness To Warm Your Heart". A superb collection of songs with just Brother's electrifying guitar or bass to battle it out with Sister's utterly charismatic voice. It's all straight to the bone and no bullshit - but they don't forget to have a bit of fun along the way. We only got a couple of handfuls of these great LPs in stock and they're just 90 dkk / 12 euro / 17 $ a piece. Don't wait for too long. Check out the duo's MySpace and have a listen!


2008.09.10
The Jasmina Maschina & Golden Diskó Ship tour has expanded a bit! Now there are a total of six shows. Go here to read more about all that. Hope to see you at one of these venues:
Sep 13: Lobby (Archauz), Aarhus, Denmark (with DJ Heidi Mortenson)
Sep 14: Spot City / Koloni, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Sep 16: Gyngen, Aarhus, Denmark (with Esther Maria Brakl)
Sep 17: Studenternes Hus, Næstved, Denmark (with Capt. Daydream)
Sep 18: Full Pull Festival, Krets, Malmö, Sweden (with David Skoglund)
Sep 19: Huset i Magstræde, Copenhagen, Denmark (with Capt. Daydream)

2008.09.03
New distribution stuff in the shop! The two albums by Heidi Mortenson. Only 80 DKK (11 euro / 16 $) each. Get grabbin'!

2008.08.31
The calendar with live shows has been updated. Agata & Me has got some shows out there and 9 has his "Me Against Myself" premiere. Read on here!

2008.08.19
SOPA & Littlemaps present Jasmina Maschina & Golden Diskó Ship live on tour! Go here to read more about all that. Hope to see you at one of these venues:
Sep 16: Gyngen, Aarhus, Denmark (with Esther Maria Brakl)
Sep 17: Studenternes Hus, Næstved, Denmark (with Capt. Daydream)
Sep 18: Krets, Malmö, Sweden
Sep 19: Huset i Magstræde, Copenhagen, Denmark (with Capt. Daydream)


2008.08.15
The latest newsletter has been sent out. Read it here. Sign up (t)here.

2008.08.14
French audioblog and radioshow Rockomondo has review Girls Love Rallie. It's in French, but we think we've made a fair translation (had a bit of help from a "local"):
"Girls Love Rallie probably doesn't have the ambition to revolutionize the history of music, but is satisfied with interpreting good traditional songs in the verse-refrain-bridge way in a relaxed atmosphere, while avoiding not going too quickly. And it works! Precisely because the songs are good. And that is not the kind of gift which one refuses."
You can read it all and more in French here.

2008.08.12
Danish music magazine Soundvenue is testing Girls Love Rallie's song "Forever Coming Up" on its High 5 chart. You can go to the website and listen to the song and vote for it. Please do, if you like it. You might need to log in to do it, though.

2008.07.28
The ever-interesting Danish music mag Geiger has reviewed five cds from the SOPA vaults. Three of our own releases and two of our friends that we distribute. Once again we must admit that the best Danish music mag brings encouragement to SOPA and reassures us that we seem to be doing the right thing. Here are some excerpts:
"The label is not big, but in the course of relatively short time it has developed into a significant player on the Danish indie- and experimental scene. A fact that on the surface you can attribute to the solid compilation 'SOPA DELICIOSA' and releases by Under Byen's Nils Gröndahl and Italian Marzipan Marzipan, but also that it's run by a true ardent enthusiast with a solid overview and a large network in the music community - which yields artistic dividends. Also when odd titles of typically high quality is brought into distribution as is the case with Golden Diskó Ship and The Cille."

About 9: "Brosolo sails smooth indie seas where lopsided instrumentation (like Theremin) is brought in and he nods towards both electro and hip-hop. Actually it's more the sensibility than the actual sound that is "indie". It rests on a foundation of treated vocals and slightly clicking beats which technically could be called electronica. But sometimes lyrics are spat out nihilistic-volunerably (...) and you're still out there where the heart is on the sleeve and it is wrapped in ethereal sounds and 'big' guitars. (...) Whether you have had enough of that is a matter of taste, but 9 does it better than most. It's like he can see it's complacent and then consciously creates contrasts to this through various musical excesses and caustic, maybe even self-ironic, expressions."

Delay Lama got a Geiger seal of recommendation and these words: "It feels really nice to get your ears cleaned out with the sound of Delay Lama's 'Mk. 1.' (...) What originally might have been simple experiments with riffs, noise and song structures has been cut and criss-crossed, effect-processed and assimilated into a fluid, fascinating sequence that moves on the line between drone and noise. (...) It creates it's own universe that is ambiguous and underproduced, gloomy and disturbing, but not anxious to please or sadistically punishing. Ideas follow ideas in a room that might be for 'advanced listeners', but actually is pleasant - at times even fun - to be in. Because of the playfulness that seems to have pervaded the abrupt piano notes and odd guitar treatments on the original recordings are still there. The result is a beautiful and strange product that actually deserves a recommendation."

About Girls Love Rallie: "A healthy partiality for classic American lo-fi. The material is in many ways a continuation of the My Friend George universe, although maybe a bit more clarified. (...) It will probably please many that members of Figurines take part on some of the 11 songs. But personally I'm delighted that "Les Chansons Terribles" is a great album. Even though you can hear inspiration from amongst others R.E.M., Sebadoh and Guided By Voices, there is no question about the talent, because the album is a string of pearls of great songs. It's that simple! The arrangements are somewhat alike: acoustic and electric guitar, American vocal stylings, a bit of bass, drums and some electronics. That way the songs don't differ that much from each other. Luckily they don't do that either when it comes down to quality. Favourite songs? "Pictures of Odd", "Good Cop, Bad Poetry", "Open Roads" - tomorrow probably other songs. Take your pick. Every time the chords are put together it's done with weight and the lyrics are great a mash-up of American-influenced and personale moods and references. And when other artists are interpreted - like the album closer "Being Green" originally sung by Kermit in The Muppet Show - it's done with style and soul."

About The Cille: "Obviously demos that have been deemed good enough for a narrow release. But listen how fine, jazzy and sensitive her voice is on "We Have Met, But Not Kissed (Yet)". A track that mostly just consists of dark and hardly touched piano keys and a bit of melodica. And except "Transitions (1968)" - a pure acapella performance that shows the real capacity of her voice - this is the formula which the rest of the release follows. "I wish I was brilliant and cool / Made a big impression on you / But I'm just a dork (...) / And that's just the way it is", she sings on the timid last song on the cd, "A Dorky Ending". Very well. You have already made an impressen, The Cille. You draw upon a very long tradition of international singer-songwriting, but you manage to go the distance and you have your own space. Fill out that space with pride!"

About Golden Diskó Ship: "The first demo of this project, 'Bumblebee Behind A Tree', is already an impeccable work, which somehow expands on the mix of the singer-songwriting and noisyness that Dutch singer Solex introduced in the late 90's. With her bright voice and her clearly acoustically based melodies Theresa might on some level appeal to old fans of Suzanne Vega. But at the same time her songs are dominated by so many backward played effects, cut-up beats and other odd ideas, that she manages to produce a particularly modern kind of freak folk. The six tracks move from the totally acoustic and minimal to the big frenetic cut-up of acoustic sounds ("You Blurry Dream"). The best songs are the ones like the strumming, but loud "Wake/Sleep", where the pattern in her complex web of voices, samples and strange ideas gets its time to settle. Here she is herself without any fixed ideas about avantgardism or traditionalism. A fascinating presence between chaos and poetry - if you can separate the two at all. It makes one want to taste more of this - and luckily more is already on the way!"

The whole review concludes:
"Once again a fine bunch of releases from SOPA and thereabouts. Pick 9, if you want the safe, slightly ueven, but qualified. Pick Delay Lama and Golden Diskó Ship, if you want sounds and moods that poke beautifully in the soul in new ways. Pick Girls Love Rallie, if you want a strong lo-fi album - little faults or not. Or pick The Cille, if you want to discover a great songwriting talent under disturbingly fast development. But first and foremost: pick the adventure."

You can read the full review of all of the above in Danish here.
























































2008.07.24
Denmark's biggest music magazine Gaffa has written a really nice review of Girls Love Rallie's "Les Chansons Terribles" and given it four of six stars. Here's a few excerpts:
"Catchy alternative poprock-songs, often built up around a basis of fierce acoustic guitar chords, bass and drums with little, slanted melodies done with electric guitar or synthesizer. Particularly the catchy album opener 'Pictures Of Odd', the happy and energetic 'Forever Coming Up' and the more dreamy 'Good Cop, Bad Poetry' are successful. And as the title of the latter reveals the album has things to offer lyrically.(...) An album that is both charming and full of promise."
Gaffa writes that the only thing they are less excited about is Rallie's voice. Each to his taste, of course. Here at SOPA we think that Rallie's voice is one of his strongpoints - alongside his knack for writing good tunes and great lyrics. :-)
You can read it all in Danish here.




2008.07.05
We made a little web feature from the Spot Festival. Go here for that one!

2008.07.04
Italian music webzine Sentire Ascoltare has given the Agata & Me cd a really nice review. Here is a translated excerpt:
"In a dimension of frugal shivering as some Low or even as embryonic Sigur Ros, vulnerable and restless as an unplugged PJ Harvey, but under the attack of a"cybering" push which brings it along the lines of Notwist to touch then en passant the composite universe of Portishead. (...) There are at least three strongpoints: The silky apprehension of the songwriting, the intense interpretation and the strange chemistry between the two (taking turns in singing), a sort of fight in progress between incompatibility and attraction, between opposite strategies that wish to mirror themselves in the waters of an intriguing and insidious future, of a past that never stops dying. The result is a pulsating and shaky mixture, and you can't stop asking yourself: What's going to happen to it?"
You can read it all in Italian here.



2008.07.03
Norman Records have just reviewed four SOPA cds. And they all got a "happy"-rating.

About 9: "This is a nice blend of oddball pop and electronics. Some songs are more traditional instrumental based and others are more electronic, some are acoustic so it's all over the shop. I like the fact you don't know what's gonna come next."
Read it all here.

About Agata & Me: "The use of electronics & glitch really works in harmony with the folksier elements of their music and the use of some warm organ here & there along with some basic emotive chords really touches me! And each song sounds remarkably different to the other so they certainly have an eclectic imagination! Maybe for fans of Notwist & Tunng."
Read it all here.

About Girls Love Rallie: "I'm reminded of Bob Mould on this.... Post Husker Du and pre gay electro pop Bob Mould. I can also hear Frank Black and Buffalo Tom throbbing away in there somewhere or other. The songs are great on this one. Really strong pop songs I reckon. Go on... 'ave a bit will you."
Read it all here.

About Delay Lama: "This is essentially one long track that begins like a fuzzy humming drone piece but becomes more rhythmical as it evolves. Then different parts are more minimal with strange guitar and electronic sounds and peculiar bleeps and frequencies. Curious and interesting."
Read it all here.

Which also means... if you live outside Denmark and don't have a Paypal account, but a regular credit card instead, you can buy the cds at Norman Records.




2008.07.01
The live calendar has been updated with two Marzipan Marzipan shows and a Zelda Panda dj set in Berlin.

2008.06.29
We did an interview with Dennis Thang Block of Delay Lama about the release of "Mk. I" at the Spot Festival. Go here for a clip which also includes a preview of tracks from the cd.

2008.06.23
Agata & Me is starting their four-date Italian tour tomorrow! And they have two more shows on the horizon in Germany in October. One is alongside Slaraffenland (of Efterklang's Rumraket label).

2008.06.11
We got a new item in the distribution section! The latest book published by Gymnoten - who brought you A.K. Hansn's book "Night Of The Creeping Catfish".
"Mef løber tør for kaffe" is the tale of when Mef ran out of coffee. In this awkwardly funny and lovely illustrated book he teams up with the angel Florian. It's written by Henrik Vagner and illustrated by Jakob Oksbjerg. This is the first printing of only a 100 copies. Don't wait for too long if you want one. Please note that it is written in Danish. Read on here.

2008.06.10
SOPA went to the Spot Festival in Aarhus last weekend with a little shop and hung out with the nice folks there. The festival website's video team caught up with label founder Lars and had a short chat about why he was there. Difficult to say anything clever when your limit is two minutes, though. But here you go.

2008.06.04
For your viewing and listening pleasure we now have an online feature from SOPA Night #3 and #4. There you will find photos and video from performances by 9, Girls Love Rallie and Delay Lama. Go here!

2008.06.03
My oh my, have we got loads of treats for you! The two exciting new SOPA releases are here - as well as two great new cds in the distribution section. Read on and listen. We're ready to take your order!

GIRLS LOVE RALLIE - LES CHANSONS TERRIBLES
The solo debut of Girls Love Rallie - although far from a spring chicken when it comes to doing music. On this cd you get Rallie's own brand of catchy pop tunes. Singing with a voice that's instantly recognizable as him. A great collection of acoustic songs, rocking anthems with a full band as well as a few quirky electro-pop tunes. All of the kind that get stuck in your ear. Figurines, 1234 and Charlie Don’t Surf contributed to the cd.


DELAY LAMA - MK. I
An EP collecting several recordings made by Dennis Block between 1997 and 2000. The music moves between beatless, menacing drones over widescreen soundscapes to jittery rhythmic elements that circle beneath the evocative notes. All done live and recorded analogue. The music was remastered and remixed in 2008 for this release.

MARZIPAN MARZIPAN - SCHÄTZCHEN
In 2006 Marzipan Marzipan went to New York where she played a couple of shows. While in town she was invited to do an interview and a live session at WFMU radio in New Jersey. This cd is the chance to experience her music caught then and there in the live situation where anything can happen. The EP is usually only available at her live shows.

GOLDEN DISKÓ SHIP - LONESOME COWBOY / CHRISTMAS TREE
The brand new EP from Berlin-based musician Theresa Stroetges. Eight new Golden Diskó Ship songs (one of which was also featured on the "SOPA DELICIOSA" compilation) where Theresa continues to explore her highly personal style of mixing guitar and found objects together with jittery laptop electronica. Weaving in and out of it all is her ethereal voice. Beautiful and original.


And another thing: SOPA will be present at the Spot Festival this weekend in Aarhus, Denmark. Not via bands on stage, but with a shop in a tent there. We'll bring along all the SOPA releases as well as the distribution items. Come around for a chat, anyway, even if you don't plan on shopping.

And if you're in Italy later this month check this out: Agata & Me is playing some shows down south this month. These are the dates and places...
June 25: Cantina Mediterraneo (with Khale), 20.00, Frosinone, Italy
June 26: Karon Beach, 22.00, Vasto, Italy
June 27: Bahia (with Insula Dulcamara), 22.00, Napoli, Italy
A fourth gig is being planned.

Marzipan Marzipan is playing in Berlin on June 8th. And on the 22nd she'll do a DJ set. Check out Live Shows for details.

And yes, 9 still has some of his 9 pieces of 1 cent shows left for sale. On June 9th another one ends up on eBay. If you want to have your own concert somewhere (anywhere!) then be quick! In the bargain you also get a live recording and a uniquely handmade version of the cover art made at the show. Attention this way... www.9-9.it.

2008.05.17
A few new, great reviews. Danish webzine Diskant has reviewed SOPA DELICIOSA to a 7/10 rating and writes:
"Both pleases and surprises. (...) A big mishmash - yes, please, but with plenty of gold finds along the way. And it's very easy to find ones favourites. (...) Never has it been easier to go exploring across geographical borders and genres. From here the encouragement sounds: Go exploring, get inspired and be astonished." Read it all in Danish here. Once again we with pride can say that Marzipan Marzipan is one of the names singled out in the reviews.
And then Geiger has the first review of the Agata & Me "Overnite" EP. They like it and write this:
"Their music is indeed a strange mix of measured, electronic doses, buzzing loops, acoustic instruments and experimental vocals. (...) The songs are sometimes even pure small songwriter pearls. (...) Bodes well for the future. The short playing time seems appropiate, also because you can imagine the whole EP as one single track of 22 minutes. (...) The originality, the talent, the songs and the soulful vocals are there, and Agata & Me appear as a dark, musical connection with personality, that without a doubt has its quiet raison d'être."
Read it all in Danish here.





2008.05.11
Nils Gröndahl is playing one of his rare solo shows on Thursday May 15th. This will be at Rust in Copenhagen alongside Le Fiasko, Howl Baby Howl and One-Eyed Mule. Read more at the Rust website.

2008.05.06
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2008.05.03
Danish music webzine Diskant has written the very first review of "Eponymous" by 9. The album gets a 6/10-rating and some really nice words:
"Right from the first notes of the opening track 'Delay' a warm atmosphere in the music pops up and hovers in the room. (...) A lot of electronics that gives the compositions life, that makes them hover as fly ash instead of being heavy in the tradition. (...) Brosolo's deep and warm voice - as well as relaxed way of singing - supports the relaxed atmosphere - as does the various guest vocals that are on the album. The electronic instrumentation never becomes so insistent that it overtakes the attention, but in return brings more life to the album. (...) A pleasant acquaintance." Read it all in Danish here.
And yes, as you can see on the right... we now finally have the 9's in stock ready to go!
Marco of 9 is also working on a new concert concept involving video. He calls it "Me Against Myself" and you can catch a preview of his new work on YouTube and see how he interacts with himself while performing. Watch it here!






2008.04.26
Okay, folks! Lots going on out and about soon. 9 is playing several shows in Italy in May. Also doing some radio while there. Marzipan Marzipan just played her first show in a long time and has a dj set coming up. Capt. Daydream is also dj'ing. This time in Berlin alongside 9 when he performs with Tom Bug, Dubspace, Polsi and Mittekill on May 28th. Tom Bug also has a work shop there on the 24th where he'll fiddle around with his wonderful musical hardware. Golden Diskó Ship, a good friend of SOPA, is also playing live in Germany several times soon. Don't miss out on any of all this if you're in the neighbourhood. For the SOPA shows check the details in SOPA's live show calendar.


2008.04.17
We got two new items in the Distribution section! Go and check out these great offers.

9 - s/t
An EP of 9's songs from before he put together his SOPA album. Socalled "digital campfire songs". As with the album you get soothing electronic arrangements with that 9 pop twist and Marco Brosolo's distinctive sung/spoken vocals. One song from this EP, "Lullaby", is also on the "Eponymous" album, but in a different version. The rest of the songs are totally unique to this cd.
Read more

My Friend George - Born In The U.S.A.
Before Girls Love Rallie ventured on to SOPA he was singer, songwriter and guitarist in the band My Friend George which released this mighty fine album of catchy lo-fi diddies in 2005. We got some copies from the kind Morningside Records so you can have a bit of Rallie before he releases his solo album on SOPA.
Read more

And what else? For the first time in a while Marzipan Marzipan is doing a live show! This will be on April 19th at Madame Claude, Lübbener Str. 19, in Berlin. Don't miss it!


2008.04.16
Denmark's biggest music magazine Gaffa has reviewed the SOPA DELICIOSA compilation on its website. It gets some really nice words and a total of four stars. Nice! The artists singled out in the review are Marzipan Marzipan, Konrad Korabiewski, Le Fiasko, Neueregene, Maria Timm, Skammens Vogn, A.K. Hansn and Singvogel. To quote at bit of it:
"Even though we have a mixed bag here the standard is generally high, and the mix sounds less messy to the ear than it does on paper. (...) An abundance of musical originality. (...) A treasure trove for the curious music lover."
Read it all in Danish here.


2008.03.24
Are you ready for some live action? We have got the next two SOPA Nights lined up for you. One of SOPA's two 'Italianos' is going on a little trip to the north. So on April 2nd and 3rd you can see '9' play live shows (with visuals) in Næstved and Copenhagen respectively. This he will do alongside other fine SOPA artists Girls Love Rallie and Delay Lama.
9 has fellow Italian Polsi (guitar) along for the shows. In Næstved Polsi will do a solo show as well. In Copenhagen the show will be headlined by new electronica 'darling' (5 star reviews!) Spejderrobot. This show is a warm-up event to the 2nd Society electronica festival coming later. Capt. Daydream will be dj'ing at both events.
Here are the facts:

SOPA NIGHT #3 - Wednesday, April 2nd 2008
9 + Girls Love Rallie + Polsi + Capt. Daydream (dj)
Studenternes Hus, Næstved, Denmark
Starts at 19:00. Entrance: 20 DKK
(bonus info: one-hour train trip from Copenhagen and we'll aim at finishing in time for the last train back)

SOPA NIGHT #4 - Thursday, April 3rd 2008
Spejderrobot + 9 + Delay Lama + Capt. Daydream (dj)
Huset i Magstræde, Copenhagen, Denmark
Starts at 21:30. Entrance: 30 DKK
(bonus info: Second Society festival warm-up)

See you there! :-)


2008.03.12
Mr. Leary - who was featured on the SOPA DELICIOSA compilation - recently asked artists to contribute tracks to an ambient-style podcast they were putting together. Resident Tourist answered the call and thus a new track of his is part of this first Mr. Leary podcast - alongside artists from Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada and Belgium. It can be downloaded for free here. Info on the artists can be found here.
The track "Stringy" - which was done with an old electric guitar, a small korg synth and a loop pedal - is also in the MySpace player here.

A few adjustments on the website: A lot of videos have been removed from the Sound & Media page. But fear not, they have just been put on the respective Features pages where they belong. So several of those old pages have now been updated.


2008.03.09
On two occasions SOPA artists have had the pleasure of performing alongside The Cille. She has just put out an EP so we got a handful for the SOPA shop. Go here for more info and to her MySpace for sound.
"This Is The Girl" is a lovely and intimate 7-track EP from The Cille. Great vocals combined with piano to both soothing and dramatic effect.

Also: 9 will have another 1 cent concert auction on eBay today. Read more here - where you also can see pictures from the earlier shows.


2008.02.25
On March 1st we have the pleasure of presenting a brand new SOPA release for you: Agata & Me! An eight track EP where traditional songwriting, acoustic instruments and vocal harmonies intertwine with small doses of electronics. A fruitful and moving listening experience indeed.
Behind the band name you find a duo made up of Agata Foti of Sicily and Emir Pasic of Bosnia (and formerly of the band KURvE). They met up in Aarhus, Denmark, and started doing songs together. During this winter they put together a whole bunch of songs and eight of them have made it onto this cd. You can read more about the release on this site and listen to their songs at MySpace. You can watch their little music video for the song "Mirror" here.

A few quick words: Earlier we said we were going to release Delay Lama very soon. Dennis wants to work a bit more on the music to give you the best possible end result. So this little lama is, ironically, delayed (but reportedly not spitting people in the face).
Speaking of delays... the 9 cds are still on the way. Seems the parcel service F'ed up again. Amazing. A word of advice: don't ever use these guys.


2008.02.24
Danish newspaper Information has given "SOPA DELICIOSA" a lovely review calling it "kaleidoscopic" and a "lively get-together", which of course was the whole idea, so that's nice to get confirmed. A few translated bits:
"Alternative would be the right word a few years ago, but that relates mostly to indie rock these days. But let's try and win it back, sit upright in the chair and experience how the musicians on SOPA DELICIOSA smash open that box in their search for an alternative to what has already been said, sung, written, played - and which has lost its gloss."
Marzipan Marzipan is applauded for adding to her string of intimate lo-fi pearls. The Harpies display excentric songwriting that makes the writer think of The Breeders, but where the band at the same time manages brilliantly to move past their rolemodels. Other artists singled out in the review are Frisk Frugt, Machinefabriek, Konrad Korabiewski, Lamburg Tony and Golden Diskó Ship. The latter is "found in her own jittery, short-circuited corner of the room with - but also a bit away from - CocoRosie and Barbara Morgenstern."
"As a whole a rough compilation. In a great way and a bad way, but mostly in a great way. (...) Keeps itself flying for a long way."
Read the whole review in Danish here.


2008.02.21
Here's a little feature for you. Some pictures and video from the I Like This Wind recording session in Brussels. It was a really great and inspiring five days. Go here.


2008.02.03
Denmark's best independent music magazine and webzine, Geiger, has reviewed SOPA DELICIOSA. A very positive review and also with a Geiger-recommendation.
"A monolith of a compilation. (...) SOPA DELICIOSA is one big homage to music. (...) Compiled with love as well as critical sense. (...) A generous mash-up of among other things lo-fi, electronica, singer-songwriting, hip-hop, indie/punk-hybrids and excentric excursions, which doesn't make sense to put in any boxes. It's like a mind-expanding mixtape!"
Writer Steffen B. Pedersen then singles out some of his favourite tracks. Like Big Daddy Mugglestone's opening accapella track which owes something to Frank Sinatra, but is still cheekily throw-away. Marzipan Marzipan's "The Love Song" which he counts among her best songs. He calls Le Fiasko "sublime" and their song "a true pearl". The slow haunting songs by The Sad Lovers and My Twin, he says reappear in his dreams. And Bleubird is a scoop on the compilation.
Even more so he gives his biggest applause to Andreas Hansn for his two contributions as A.K. Hansn and in front of his band Singvogel. "Essential", he writes. He concludes that these were his stand out picks among the 44 tracks and that SOPA DELICIOSA - delicous as it is - will not taste the same on two different tongues. He ends the review like this:
"If you like music in a wider sense - and even in a bizarre way - there is no excuse for not tasting this dish. And satisfied you will be - guaranteed."
Read the whole review in Danish here.


2008.01.29
Marzipan Marzipan's "The Love Song" climbed two places from #8 to #6 on Danish indie chart Det Elektriske Barometer on Danish National Radio (DR). Thanks to everyone who voted!
You can listen to the song and vote for it here - once you register at the community there. Or send an e-mail to barometer@dr.dk (vote for 3 to 5 of the songs).


2008.01.28
If you're in or around Copenhagen you can now buy SOPA releases at Repoman Records. Yep, the nice folks there have squeezed in our little cds among their many great old and new vinyl releases. They also got some of the århus:nu books/cds which we distribute through this SOPA shop.
The shop is located in Fensmarkgade 36, 2200 Copenhagen N. You can also get in touch with Repoman via the shop's MySpace page.


2008.01.21
Marzipan Marzipan's "The Love Song" from the SOPA DELICIOSA-compilation entered the Danish indie chart Det Elektriske Barometer at number 8! They called the song "intense and seductive" and we're certainly not going to argue with that. Thanks to everyone who voted!
You can listen to the song and vote for it here - once you register at the community there. Or send an e-mail to barometer@dr.dk (vote for 3 to 5 of the songs).
Danish National Radio DR also has a new radio show called Kosmo on channel P2. Several of the SOPA DELICIOSA songs were played there last weekend. Tune in again next weekend Friday to Sunday at 22.00-24.00.


2008.01.13
Marzipan Marzipan's "The Love Song" from the SOPA DELICIOSA-compilation is right now being tested on the Danish indie chart Det Elektriske Barometer on Danish National Radio (DR). You can vote for the song here - once you register at the community there.


2008.01.11
Happy new year, folks! Lots of SOPA news this time. So a newsletter was sent out. If you want to keep up... sign up! ;-)
In short:
- Please welcome Agata & Me to SOPA!
- 9 performance on Italian web tv!
- More shops around the world carry the SOPA goods!
- Several new releases coming soon!
- Nice live videos with artists on SOPA DELICIOSA!
- Recommendation: Go to the Frem & Forstærket III festival in Aarhus, Denmark, on January 25th and 26th!
- Try the pop-up SOPA jukebox (on the right) while you surf!


2007.12.22
For your viewing and listening pleasure: pictures and video from "SOPA DELICIOSA" release party get-together at Huset i Magstræde in Copenhagen on December 15th. Girls Love Rallie and Konrad Korabiewski did to great short sets of live music there. Enjoy! Go here for that.


2007.12.21
The first SOPA DELICIOSA review is online and it's very, very good! And it's from one of the best webshops around. Yeah, it's a shop, but they don't mind giving the cds they sell bad reviews, if they deserve it. SOPA DELICIOSA got Norman Records' highest rating: 'ecstatic'. Here's a bit from it:
"Album of the week then? Well if we were to have one then we'd make it a comp and it would be this delightful beast. (...) If you are an open minded soul & want to experience some eclectic new music that may just lead you down other paths of curiosity (Lets face it, there's gonna be some real surprises for most ears on here - your new favourite band could just be waiting for you here!) Really, this is the way to check out what's on the horizon in my opinion without having to scour pitchfork or god forbid the NME! Give this a shot i implore you!"
Read it all here. Yeah, christmas came early this year. Thanks, Norm!

And what else? 9 has made a MySpace page for his "Buy it now" project. Go here!


2007.12.09
This Saturday (the 15th) we mark the release of the new compilation SOPA DELICIOSA with a get-together in Copenhagen.
We'll do that at Huset i Magstræde between 16.00 and 23.00. Girls Love Rallie will do a couple of acoustic songs and also spin some delicious vinyl as DJ Ralliegator. Capt. Daydream will spin some music too. And who knows... some surprises might happen.
For info on the venue (which is close to the town hall square) visit www.husetmagstraede.dk . Another label, Play/Rec, has some x-mas fun elsewhere in the same building later that night, by the way.
Anyways... everyone's invited. That goes for you too! ;-)
See you there!


2007.12.02
The SOPA DELICIOSA website is ready! Go check it out at www.larsdideriksen.com/sopa/sopadeliciosa.
It's supercool and it was done by web designer and photographer Steffen "Jint" Jørgensen.
Go see his work at www.jint.dk. If you require services of this kind (websites and concert/band photos) don't hesitate with sending him an e-mail.

2007.11.28
My oh my, what a bunch of news we have for you this time around. The new release by 9 is happening and we are now taking orders for our brand new compilation!

Various Artists: SOPA DELICIOSA
Massive double-cd compilation with 44 tracks by artists from around the world. Over two and half hours playing time. Contains exclusive tracks by all the SOPA artists as well as loads of other music by a wide range of other musicians. An exciting mix of genres, ideas and personalities.
The music has it's origin in 10 countries: Denmark, Germany, Italy, Holland, USA, Canada, France, Belgium, Sicily and Bosnia. 100 copies will be made for sale.
Go to the SOPA page for more info. You can also preview some of the compilation at YouTube. The the compilation website with detailed information on the individual artists is in the works and should be ready very soon.
The price is only 80 DKK / 11 euro / 16 $.

9 - Eponymous
The release of the new 9 album is something special. 9 unique versions of "Eponymous" will be auctioned off at eBay at a fixed "But it now" price of 1 cent (euro) starting December 9th. What you get is a concert with 9 at the location of your choosing as well as a unique live recording of the show on cd with new artwork done by the cover artist Alvise Bittente during the show. More info on this exciting launch very soon at the 9 website.
The album is a fine collection of 9's socalled "digital campfire songs". Sparse, soothing and catchy electronic arrangements with a pop twist, guitar and Marco Brosolo's distinctive sung/spoken vocals. At some point a regular cd version of studio recordings will be available for sale through the SOPA website. We will let you know when that happens.
Go to the SOPA page for more info.

Live shows!
If you want to catch 9 live earlier be at Theaterbar in Berlin tomorrow Thursday November 29th. He will be performing alongside Tom Krimi and The Blind. The show starts at 20.00.
Marzipan Marzipan will be playing in Berlin also. This is on December 5th at Another Country Bookshop on Riemanstr. 7.






2007.11.01
A new feature is on the site from the One Man Army show in Aarhus last week. A bit of video from the Resident Tourist and some pictures of Golden Diskó Ship and the other performers. Some video of Golden Diskó Ship might make onto the site a little later. Check it out here.
Two live shows coming up: tomorrow Friday the 2nd Girls Love Rallie play in Copenhagen and on November 24th A.K. Hansn will perform in Aarhus. For more into see the live shows listings.


2007.10.29
We have a new treat for you in the SOPA Shop. When Berliner artist Golden Diskó Ship performed in Denmark recently we got a handful of her great cds to sell. So check out the cd on our site and get taste of the young, great talent of Theresa Stroetges.
If you're interested in this little gem send us and e-mail at sound.of.perpetual.astonishment @ gmail.com (remove the spaces).
You can visit her and check out her songs and videos at MySpace.
Golden Diskó Ship also has a track on the soon-to-come SOPA compilation.


2007.13.08
The full line-up for One Man Army is now official:

Golden Diskó Ship (Germany/Berlin)
Fabio Orsi (Italy)
N.attergal (Denmark/Aarhus)
ElektroSatan (Denmark/Aarhus)
matt from (f)un(ct)ion (Germany)
Resident Tourist (Denmark)

This event will not only be about music as there are also photos and painting exhibited that night. Click here for the bigger format poster for additional information.

Facts:
October 26th, 2007
Maskineriet, Trøjborg, Aarhus
Starts at 21.00
Entrance: 30 DKK (4 euro)


2007.10.09
Sneak peak on the full tracklist of the soon-to-come mega compilation "SOPA DELICIOSA"! Over 2 1/2 hours of music spread out on 44 great tracks. Read on here.


2007.10.08
Some SOPA live shows in the near future. Marzipan Marzipan will perform live at Fuel in Berlin on October 14th.
And on October 26th we have a bit of a double feature. In Berlin 9 and Marzipan Marzipan will do a show with Big Daddy Mugglestone at M12. The same night Berlin-based solo act Golden Diskó Ship will travel to Aarhus, Denmark, where she will do a show at the One Man Army festival there... alongside SOPA's Resident Tourist. Yes, Berlin and Aarhus will be connected in spirit that night.
The show in Aarhus will be the actual live debut of Resident Tourist... who as of writing this is frantically pacing the floors at home trying to prepare himself for the show. What it will turn out to be no one knows yet. No one.


2007.09.22
Boy, have we got a treat for you! Here's the big feature on the second SOPA Night. The one at 'Rumstativ' in Aarhus on September 7th. And what have we got for you? Some lovely black and white photographs done by Steffen "Jint" Jørgensen (Thanks! See more of his work at www.jint.dk) and a whole bunch of nice live videoes with bits from all the performances.
Go to this page for all that. Enjoy!


2007.09.16
Last weekend's SOPA Night went really well. In fact all the nights at the Rumstativ in Aarhus were great. Thanks to all the different organizers for putting it all together. Soon some video clips from the shows will find their way onto this website.
In the meantime let's start with the belated feature on the first SOPA Night in Berlin back in May. Go to this page for nice pictures and a whole lot of videos of the performances by Marzipan Marzipan, KURvE, 9 and Agata & Me.

As an extra treat a few older live videos of I Like This Wind and Girls Love Rallie have been added to the Sound & Media page.

Marzipan Marzipan is playing a show with Big Daddy Mugglestone at Fuel in Berlin on October. And she's also DJ'ing as Zelda Panda every Friday at Bar Roberta and every Sunday at Intersoup. See Live Shows for details.


2007.08.26
Marzipan Marzipan has a new gig at Neue Berliner Initiative in, yes, Berlin. This is on September 13th alongside The Lonesomes. Check the live calendar for more details.

The website has been changed a little bit. Some of the bigger right-column items have been moved to the menu at the top.

And a little side note: Capt. Daydream has started a music blog at the MOG site where he'll share his enthusiasm about all kinds of music related matters. This way for that one.


2007.08.19
Okay, now the line-up for the first Danish SOPA night is about ready. Unfortunately, some had to cancel due to "baby-on-the-way-ness" and other things. So now it looks like this:

Tomas Dalgaard
Agata & Me
Plastic Society
Nils Gröndahl & Oliver Hoiness
A.K. Hansn & The Empty House
Capt. Daydream (DJ)

And that's at the 'Rumstativ' events at Spanien 19C, Aarhus Harbour, on September 7th at 20.00 to the last night owl falls over.
The Rumstativ concept also includes art exhibitions and films. And of course many other interesting bands will play some of the other nights. Visit the Rumstativ website for a more info.

 

2007.07.31
Some SOPA live shows coming up!
On Saturday August 18th A.K. Hansn & The Engineers Thumb will do a gig at Kunstbygningen in Aarhus, Denmark. The show starts around 14.00. So don't oversleep from your Friday binge, okay? :-)

And (ta-daaa!) we are proud to announce our second SOPA Night is about to happen (the first one was in Berlin back in May). This time it will be in Aarhus during the festival week there. As part of the all-week 'Rumstativ' events on the harbour (in the area around Spanien 19C) SOPA will be presenting both SOPA artists and friends on Friday September 7th. So far the line-up for our little piece of the big cake looks like this:
- A.K. Hansn & The Empty House
- Nils Gröndahl & Oliver Hoiness
- KURvE
- Capt. Daydream (dj)
 
- JP & Yeti Orkesteret (members of Picnic and Singvogel)
- Plastic Society (Leonard Davies of Fallen Men and others)
- and maybe more.
The Rumstativ concept also includes art exhibitions and films. And of course many other interesting bands will play some of the other nights. Visit the Rumstativ website for a more info about that (details on the bands etc. are not yet online).
Also check out the updated live calendar about the shows!

2007.07.23
Marzipan Marzipan secured her second gig in Finland. This will be at YO-TALO in Tampere on July 27. The following day she will play at Musa Setting 0003 in Helsinki. You can visit the musa (the whosa?) on MySpace. Then you can say hi from SOPA and say they made a really cool poster for the gig. :-)
Head honcho of the wonderful Fonal Records, Sami Sänpäkkilä, will be dj-ing at the Tampere gig. One more reason to show up.
Check the live calendar for more details on the shows.


2007.07.18
Okay then, now the SOPA cds are in stock at Norman Records and they both got a "happy" sticker. Here are links to the shop and what they wrote about them there:
Nils Gröndahl: "Starts of on a wild free floating scree-out in the vein of Sunburned Hand Of The Man or No Neck Blues Band, collapsing into a very fine micro-tonal work out that's barely perceptible. Lock up your cats and dogs as it's just about within our hearing range. This again changes tact again to bring on the broken guitars and low oscillating bass drones."
Marzipan Marzipan: "One girl vocal antics with sparse guitars, fx and electronic instrumentation. Lurching from the semi-harsh to the playfully melodic. Sing-song/half spoken word delivery for fans of Chicks on Speed or any of those feminist Berlin girls with DIY agendas."
And let's just drop a little hint. On September 7th we'll have the next SOPA night. This will be in Aarhus during the festival week there - and part of the 'Rumstativ' events on the harbour. Looks to be a brilliant week. Details to come later.






2007.07.05
We're proud to let you know that the first two SOPA releases are now available at one of the very best online music shops around: Norman Records.
Not only are they a bunch of nice people over there in Leeds, U.K., they also stock an incredible amount of fantastic music. Great to be part of that bunch!
So now, you Paypal-less, but creditcard carrying folks out there can SOPA-shop too! Just drop by Norman's place. They're also on MySpace, by the way.
In other news: next week it's time for the Forma Nova Festival. SOPA will be there and will set up a little shop and perhaps put on a little show with one of the SOPA artists not on the official programme. We'll see what happens. See you there, anyway! (Yes, go! You won't regret it). Read about this year's great line up and listen to the music at Forma Nova's MySpace page.
And: If you check out the SOPA Shop will find A.K. Hansn's book "Mallens Nat" ("Night Of The Creeping Catfish"). Denmark's best music mag Geiger has written a great review of it. So if you speaka de dansk then read on here.


2007.06.18
Some new live dates for ya'! On June 21st Marzipan Marzipan and 9 will do a gig together in Berlin. In July Marzipan Marzipan will do two more shows in Berlin - with drummer Bid Daddy Mugglestone - and in July she will do her very first gig in Finland. If you can help her get more gigs up there please let her know. Get in touch through MySpace.
Check the live calendar for more details on the shows.


2007.06.10
Bjarke Svendsen of concert organizers and label LJUD did part of the opening speech at this year's Spot Festival. He placed a well-deserved big boot square in the arse of Denmark's lazy music journalists (the ones in the major media, mind you. The "unprofessionals" in small print/web-media seems to have maintained their curiousity, bless 'em). SOPA is very proud to be mentioned in the speech as one of the labels to keep an eye on - amongst others such as Yoyooyoy, Ninth World Music, Noisejihad, Rumraket and Escho. Fine company to be in, indeed.
If you can read Danish the whole speech has been put online at Denmark's finest independent music magazine Geiger. Read on.
Much respect to Bjarke Svendsen for speaking out on the subject in a mainstream-ish arena like that - and also for his work with LJUD.


2007.05.31
Once again SOPA is out and about with some of the "10 little secrets" promos. If you got one at the Spot Festival in Aarhus and found your way to this site wondering what the hell you were listening to... then please read on here.


2007.05.28
Let's go to the movies! Here's a really neat feature for ya. Go here and see some photos from the gig that Nils Gröndahl did with Oliver Hoiness this Saturday. And then don't forget to also check out the 9-minute video excerpt from the show which was done for your viewing pleasure.
You can also download it from the Media page.


2007.05.22
See you on Saturday! Nils Gröndahl has invited Oliver Hoiness (of Blob Back Fahrenheit, We Love You Joy (formerly Joy Lieberkind) and other bands) to perform with him. Plenty of other goodies too. Like Harmony Boys.
We'll set up a little SOPA shop there, by the way.
And that's at Global in Copenhagen. Read the details here.


2007.04.29
Some exciting SOPA live shows are coming up very soon. A rare chance to see Delay Lama and Under Byen's Nils Gröndahl play live. On May 12 Delay Lama will play at Showcase at The Student House in Copenhagen alongside other bands Good Luck Casper, The Village Idiot and The Amaranths. And on May 26 Nils Gröndahl will do a rare solo performance (although maybe with some friends to help out) at Global as part of a pre-festival gig to promote this year's Forma Nova Festival. Other bands that day are Harmony Boys and others.
Marzipan Marzipan just played a great gig in Barcelona. And there are more shows coming up. One is next Thursday (the 3rd) she will play alongside Danish balkanpunk band KURvE at Schokoladen in Berlin. At the show she will have Big Daddy Mugglestone with her on drums, so an energetic performance surely awaits the audience.
Check the Live calendar for more detail on all the shows. There are six in all.
And: a new feature. Some words on Kurt Vonnegut. You can read that here.


2007.04.28
Did someone jam this promotional cd down your throat Saturday night at Radiohuset Rocker in Copenhagen? And you were wondering what the hell that music was which featured on it? Well, unleash the "10 little secrets" here.


2007.04.15
You can click on different parts of the poster. ;-)


2007.04.12
Lots of exciting news!
Denmark's best music mag Geiger has given the Marzipan Marzipan a bit of a rave review. In short it says that Zelda Panda is "one of the most promising female artists working with electronics" and concludes that there is no excuse for not discovering this unique artist right now. You can read the whole review in Danish here. We'll see if we can get permission to put a full English translation on this website later. Yeah, it's that great. ;-)
What's just as exciting is the fact that the very first SOPA label night is about to happen. Yes, indeed! It will all go down in the city of cities: Berlin. And that's soon... on May 4th at the venue Ausland! So far the Berlin-resident Italian artist 9 is playing alongside Danish balkanpunk band KURvE (yeah, SOPA is crossing some fingers that at some point a release by these fantastic folks will find its way to the world through this label). Capt. Daydream will spin some nice records - from the deep roots of blues to sparkling electronic music and alternative hip-hop.
We also got a few small, but nice surprises in store for the evening too, but they will not be revealed until people are on stage. Plus: another exciting act might find its way into the line-up that evening. We'll let you know about that one when it's all set. You can read about the label night at the Ausland website here.
KURvE is also playing the day before the SOPA DELICIOSA night. Yep, that's at the venue Schokoladen on May 3rd. And yes, you gotta hear them twice, so go!
Also: A lot of gigs and dj sets coming up in April and May. Check the calendar! Zelda Panda of Marzipan Marzipan has begun doing weekly dj sets every Sunday at Intersoup again.


2007.03.28
Denmark's best radio show (yes, Radium, in case you forgot), played a bit of the Nils Gröndahl cd recently. You can stream the whole programme from this page. Also... Denmark's best music magazine Geiger has reviewed the cd. They had this to say:
"It's disturbing, askew, dissonant and seems without direction. In a way it's beautiful nonetheless when small melodies appear in the periphery of the dominating feedback noise. (...) An exciting insight into what Nils is messing around with at home."


2007.03.15
Denmark's best radio show, Radium, played a few Marzipan Marzipan tracks recently and called it an "outstanding album". On the same show new tracks by the great Kirsten Ketjser The Rock Band was played as well as a liveset by The Books. You can stream it all from this page. Well, you should. You really should. :-)


2007.03.08
Fresh reviews have been added to the artist pages of Marzipan Marzipan and Nils Gröndahl. Also: check the Media page for a video clip of Marzipan Marzipan's performance of "The Happy Blues" at the recent Frem & Forstærket II festival in Aarhus, Denmark.
And in other news: If you live in Berlin or Copenhagen wanting to get your hands on the two first SOPA cds then go to these shops:
- Dense, Danziger Str. 16, 10435 Berlin (go here anyway, they got so many goodies!).
- Irma Victoria, Borups Allé 33, Copenhagen.

2007.03.07
Marzipan Marzipan just played two gigs in Italy and there is one more left. That's at No Fun in Udine this Friday, March 9th. Next month she plays her first gig in Spain - or more precisely in Catalonia. In lovely Barcelona no less! That's at Heliogàbal on April 26th. Before going she'll do at gig in Berlin at Wallowoods on April 19th.
Capt. Daydream is doing another DJ set in Næstved this week. That's Saturday, March 10th, supporting Danish-Irish punk/mathrock band Imagine I Had Hands.
Check the live calendar for an overview.


2007.02.20
Marzipan Marzipan is playing three shows in Italy in the first half of March. One in Treviso and two in Udine. Check out the Calendar for details.
At the SOPA MySpace Marzipan Marzipan lovely song "Charlie Brown's Valentine" is now in the player. A little Valentine's gift for all the lovers out there.


2007.02.10
Next Friday - the 16th - it's time for a SOPA DJ double date. At Studenternes Hus in Næstved, Denmark, Capt. Daydream will do a dj set supporting the great bands Kirsten Ketsjer The Rock Band and KURvE. The Yoyo Oyoy DJ Team will also join the fun. Starts at 20.00.
Check out the poster/flyer here.

In Berlin Marzipan Marzipan will rock the house as part of the Zelda Panda & Rocco Gelati DJ Team. That's at Antje Öklesund (Rigaerstr 72, Friedrichshain).


Daydreamin' out loud

2007.02.05
SOPA made a profile at YouTube. Go here for that one. It's also in the menu now.

2007.02.03
Right, so here they are! The two very first SOPA releases. Limited quantities - order now!

SOPA001 - Nils Gröndahl
50 copies
50 dkk / 7 euro / 9 $

SOPA002 - Marzipan Marzipan
100 copies
60 dkk / 8 euro / 11 $


Distribution items:

DISTRO001
: århus:nu
40 dkk / 5.50 euro / 7 $)

DISTRO002
: Night of the Creeping
50 dkk / 7 euro / 9 $

Check the Shop page for information on shipping and payment.


2007.01.30
As mentioned the Frem & Forstærket II festival was superb. All the respect in the world to the organizers for putting it all together! Thanks to everyone there. You were such a great bunch of people - organizers, musicians and audience! And thanks for supporting the SOPA artists by buying their cds. A little selection of photos from the second night can now been seen here.
More pictures from the whole festival will find their way onto larsdideriksen.com some time soon. Thanks to Agata Foti for shooting some of them.
And...if you have any good photos of SOPA artists please send an e-mail.

2007.01.29
This past weekend at the Frem & Forstærket II festival has been absolutely fantastic. Some pictures and maybe some video will find its way online very soon. Before then we have a little lesson at how to spend a perfect Sunday: go see a show with Delay Lama in Christiania. Check out the feature from the show back in September here.

2007.01.23
Hey, ready for the weekend? The Frem & Forstærket II festival in Aarhus, Denmark, is surely the place to be. This Friday and Saturday. Marzipan Marzipan is playing. So is A.K. Hansn with his band Singvogel. Other great acts on the programme: KURvE, Ear And Dark and Kim And The Cinders. Read more and have a listen at MySpace.


2007.01.14
Two distritibution items have been added to the site. The "århus:nu" book+cd as well as the "Night Of The Creeping Catfish" book.

2007.01.11
Hi folks! Here's a little video about what's to come from SOPA in 2007. Scroll down or check 'Media'. Yeah, get warmed up for the Frem & Forstærket II festival in Aarhus, Denmark, on January 26 + 27. The place to be!
And: A.K. Hansn also got a MySpace page now. Dig it!


2006.12.30
While we are waiting for A.K. Hansn's first solo release on SOPA there's no reason not to check out what else he's been up to.
Just recently the third album, "Doktors Dosis", by his band Singvogel was released. Visit the bandsite and the MySpace profile for sounds and info. A great album (as the previous two done with poet Peter Laugsen) that comes with the best of recommendations here from SOPA. Singvogel are one of a kind!

By the way, SOPA's MySpace profile has finally been "pimped" a bit.

Happy new year, folks! 2007 belongs to SOPA! ;-)



2006.12.29
Expect the Marzipan Marzipan and Nils Gröndahl cds out in this January.

Marzipan Marzipan will be playing a show at the great festival Frem & Forstærket II in Aarhus, Denmark, on January 27. Also on stage are among others: Ear and Dark, Singvogel, Clean Boys, KURvE, Jesus Featuring and Kim and The Cinders (Powersolo side project). This will certainly be a blast! Read more at the festival's MySpace page.

New on the site: A few pictures from the Girls Love Rallie gig at Fabriken. Check out the Features section.

 


2006.12.17
9 is doing two gigs in Berlin between x-mas and new years. And Marzipan Marzipan is playing live in Italy tonight. Check out the info in the calendar.
Oh, and there's a new blog entry.


2006.12.12
Welcome to the new SOPA website! Design adjustments and more content as we go along. But please start exploring now if you feel like it.
There's also a blog now - with RSS feed.
At the moment tracklists for the first two cds (Nils Gröndahl and Marzipan Marzipan) are pretty much done and the covers are on their to the printing firm. Stay tuned!

Check the live calendar. There are four Marzipan Marzipan shows. Two very soon in Italy and then later two in Germany and Denmark.

I Like This Winds gig in Aarhus last Friday went really well. Lovely set at the intimate venue Teater Katapult.

Capt. Daydream spun some vinyl and cds before and after the show. For a short while the first part of that "dj set" can be downloaded from here.


2006.11.08
The first SOPA newsletter has just been sent out! Sign up!


2006.10.03
Sign up for the SOPA newsletter by sending an e-mail to
sound.of.perpetual.astonishment @ gmail.com (remove the spaces).

2006.10.01
Call it a little mag or a big flyer. It's been spread around lately at some venues, but you can also download it. Go here for SOPAmag #01.


2006.08.22
Two great reviews of Marzipan Marzipan in Denmark's best music mag Geiger of her performance at Yoyo Oyoy and of her latest demo.

2006.08.08
Site online. More info on the artists and the releases will come very soon. And also, the site is still in the making, so to speak. Changes might occur.

 

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9
Agata & Me
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Blue Shadow Caravan
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Girls Love Rallie
I Like This Wind
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