Album: Malk de Koijn - "Toback to the fromtime"
Band: Malk de Koijn
Female Artist: Oh Land
Male Artist: L.O.C.
Newcomer: Kato
Hit: Fallulah - "Out of it"
Music Video: Veto - "Am I awake or should I wake up" (dir: Rasmus Weng Karlsen)
Rock Album: Veto - "Everything Is Amplified"
Pop Album: Oh Land - "Oh Land"
Hip-hop Album: Malk de Koijn - "Toback to the fromtime"
Hard Rock Album: Hatesphere - "The great bludgeoning"
Electronic Album: Kato - "Discolized 2.0"

Go here for the full list: http://gaffa.dk/nyhed/55462

05/31 - Barfly, London
06/03 - KOKO (Club NME), London

Best musician:
Tim Christensen
Mikkel Hess
Jannis Noya Makrigiannis (Choir of Young Believers)
Mike Sheridan
Frederik Thaae (A Kid Hereafter)
Best live act:
Albertslund Terrorkorps
Efterklang
L.O.C.
Spleen United
Teitur
Best producer:
Troels Abrahamsen (Veto m.m.)
Henrik Balling (Peter Sommer m.m.)
Michael Patterson (Spleen United)
Rune Rask (L.O.C.)
Anders Rhedin & Fridolin Nordsø (Choir of Young Believers)
Best vocalist:
Troels Abrahamsen (Veto)
Marie Højlund (Marybell Katastrophy)
L.O.C.
Jannis Noya Makrigiannis (Choir of Young Believers)
Peter Sommer
Best lyrics:
Annika Aakjær
Sys Bjerre
Jørgen Leth
L.O.C.
Peter Sommer
Year's hope/best newcomer:
Annika Aakjær
Fagget Fairys
Marybell Katastrophy
Mellemblond
Mike Sheridan
Best song:
Choir of Young Believers - Next Summer
L.O.C. - Hvorfor vil du ik'?
Peter Sommer - Vi falder først den dag vi kigger ned
Spleen United - Suburbia
Veto - You Say Yes, I Say Yes
Best composer:
Troels Abrahamsen (Veto m.m.)
Marie Højlund (Marybell Katastrophy)
Jannis Noya Makrigiannis (Choir of Young Believers)
Rune Rask (L.O.C.)
Peter Sommer
Best band:
Choir of Young Believers
Marybell Katastrophy
Spleen United
VETO
Volbeat
Best album:
Choir of Young Believers - This Is For The White In Your Eyes
L.O.C. - Melankolia/XXXCouture
Marybell Katastrophy - The More
Peter Sommer - Til rotterne, til kragerne, til hundene
Veto - Crushing Digits

More here: http://www.steppeulv.dk/

However, tonight somehow Veto manage to rise above the drunken revelry of the party people to put on a set which showcases why they recently won the prestigious P3 award in their native Denmark. Egged on by a hardcore army of super-fans down the front, the band display a sound which is able to capture the industrial electro of The Faint, with added post-recession gloom.

In a live setting, the tracks from their recent album "Crushing digits" are a given a lot more room to breathe. A particular highlight from the set is "Breathe", which is given space to morph into a multiheaded schizophrenic beast of a tune, prototyping every aspect of the band's live show. The song features a two minute near silence, in which the band's small army of native fans continued their relentless death march and cheering.

A slight criticism is the aesthetic of the stage setup. Whilst drummer Mads Hasager demonstrates a palpable punch with his incessant groove, vocalist Troels Abrahmsen is mostly obscured by a huge flight case. Even though this acts as a makeshift stand for his laptop, it firmly bridged the gap between performer and audience. The performance of the fans at the front of the stage put on a theatrical spectacle, the stage setup broke down the existence of a fourth-wall.]]> Sun, 22 Mar 2009 23:59:31 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28878-dma-nominees-announced http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28878-dma-nominees-announced http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28878-dma-nominees-announced#comments Here are the nominees for many of the domestic categories of the Danish Music Awards:

Album:
Crushing Digits - Veto
Gør Det Selv - Sys Bjerre
Melankolia/XxxCouture - L.O.C.
This Is For The White In Your Eyes - Choir Of Young Believers
Til Rotterne, Til Kragerne, Til Hundene - Peter Sommer
Group:
Veto
Carpark North
Volbeat
Spleen United
Hej Matematik
Female artist:
Tina Dickow
Aura
Ane Trolle (Trolle//Siebenhaar)
Sys Bjerre
Szhirley
Male artist:
Henrik Hall
Troels Abrahamsen (Veto)
L.O.C.
Jannis Noya Makrigiannis (Choir Of Young Believers)
Peter Sommer
Newcomer:
Aura
Oh Land
Sys Bjerre
Annika Aakjær
Choir Of Young Believers
Hit:
Walkmand - Hej Matematik
Downtown Boys - Infernal
Ramt I Natten - Lizzie
Crucify My Heart - Private
Malene - Sys Bjerre

Head to Gaffa for the rest: http://gaffa.dk/nyhed/30806

Don Juan Dracula, what does it mean?

Gentlemen.

You called it a quits and then returned with gigs in both Beijing and New York last year. Why did you quit and why did you come back?

Well, it's not always easy to play in a band for several years. After the YD2 tour in 2005 we where pretty tired of DJD and eachother. We had some disagreements about the band's direction. But mainly we had some deeper conflicts; instead of solving them we tried to ignore them. That didn't work out well, so we reached a point where we were unable to move forward.

With time away from each other we realized we needed to talk things through. We couldn't leave this great band as we have so much life left in us. The short break was good for us all. Then things became much clearer and basically all we wanted was to get back on stage where we belong. The whole process taught us a lot about each other and ourselves. We are now stronger and more inspired than ever.

What's with the white outfits?

Since they are white we need to wash the outfits after each show, so they all go in the laundry together.

If we had black outfits we wouldn't need to wash them at all, but then we would stink... and DJD doesn't stink. We are a clean cut band who loves to shower.

Who are your musical influences?

We all grew up in the 80's and our music taste is therefore naturally influenced by the popular music from back then, and we still love electronic bands like Depeche Mode, OMD, Duran Duran and Pet Shop Boys from that era. But everyone in the band is true music-lovers, so we listen to almost everything, ranging from metal to country music. Our influences are also very different and we think that is very healthy when making music. That is probably why Don Juan Dracula doesn't sound exactly like anything else...

How would you describe your music?

We play catchy and melodious pop music quite simply. It's basically guitar based pop music with a lot of electronic and synth packaging. We have a heavier sound when we play live than on our album, with live drums, bass, guitars and keyboards.

What images would you say your music conveys (I ask this because I am a big fan of your videos)?

Each song is very different and it's basically up to the listener to make up their own images.

When is your new album coming out and can you give us a short description of what it will sound like?

We are currently recording our next album. The record is far from being finished so it's a bit hard to tell. The sound will be quite different from our last album YD2. Hopefully we'll manage to add more of our live energy to it.

What would you say sets the Norwegian music scene apart from the rest of Scandinavia (if you feel there is a difference)?

From our point of view there are not many differences in the Scandinavian underground scene. Although each country has their own specialties, Sweden has historically been better at making and breaking pop bands. Norway still has a lot to learn from Sweden's music industry.

The Danish underground music scene has become much more interesting the last couple of years with great pop bands like Veto, Dúné, Superheroes, Spleen United and a lot more.

What Norway has been good in the last decade is of course the black metal scene. Also the more specific scenes like noise, jazz and electronic music has done quite well outside of Norway. With interesting artists like Lindstrøm, Jaga Jazzist, Noxagt, Kjetil Brandsdal and others making names for themselves outside the Country.

People can't seem to leave out A-ha when they talk about any new band coming out of Norway. How do you feel about being compared to that?

No other Norwegian artist has achieved the same level of success as A-ha internationally. So we do understand that people are comparing other Norwegian artists with A-ha. If you see similarity between DJD and A-ha we're of course flattered since A-ha has some really great albums. From our point of view DJD is far different to A-ha, because we're so much better and so much younger than the oldies in the 80s group A-ha.

People seem to really dig your live shows. Can you share the story about the rented helicopter?

We always put a lot of effort into our live shows. Rule number One for DJD performing live – play like it's your last gig ever. Unfortunately that has given us some headaches and challenges when irreplaceable equipment has been smashed or burned.

The helicopter... we did the opening gig at Øya festival 2005. We decided to spend all our gig money on the show because we wanted to give the crowd something special. Which resulted in DJD landing in a rented helicopter in front of the stage while our local marching band was playing Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries".

- Tons of pyrotechnics (fireworks) and lights

- A string quartet joined us playing "Into the sunset" while 50 pigeons where released from the stage

- Finally the marching band played the outro while we took off in the sky with our helicopter.

That is basically a brief for a perfect DJD concert.

I've gotten the impression that you are, besides very talented musicians, a fun bunch to be around. Can you share another fun story about Don Juan Dracula?

Yes, when the band is together we like to be social and meet lots of people. It is important to have a laugh and unwind. After a show we like to socialize with the crowd and we often find ourselves making new friends at after parties. We have tons of funny stories in the history of the band, but most of them will remain within DJD. There was a fun story from Beijing where we played darts at a local pub. After several beers, we realized they had a scene for pool dancing. After each DJD member had been through a sensual dancing session onstage – we were unfortunately kicked out.

I have heard you have recently been getting airplay at LIVE 105 in San Francisco. What are your plans for the future? Is breaking in America a goal for you?

We are very pleased with the response our music is receiving in the US. Live 105 in San Francisco and Popscene (San Francisco Club) have been very supportive which is great! Special thanks to Aaron Axelsen & DJ Omar. Also a major supporter is 'The Feast of Fools Podcast' in Chicago, thanks to the Hosts Fausto & Marc.

Online Blogs and Podcasts have really given us a huge boost and exposed us to an International audience. Our manager is working with labels to get our music released. The goal is to release our albums around the world. Breaking into the US sounds great of course, but we'll take one step at a time.

Finally, when will I see you in London?

We should have played in London a long time ago! So we will definitely play there when we promote the new album. Hopefully you won't have to wait too long!

Per Apelqvist is looking forward to the next Tack!Tack!Tack! in May.

Ed: Note that the DJD track "Run away with you" appears on "It's a trap! reader's companion volume two".

]]> Fri, 06 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700 articles interviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/2815 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/2815 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/2815#comments Troels Abrahamsen (Veto) remixes fellow Danes Green Concorde: http://supertroels.dk/wp/?p=167]]> Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/3381 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/3381 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/3381#comments Troels Abrahamsen, frontman for Danish act Veto, will release his debut solo album "I know that you know" on March 26. Download two tracks from his website: http://www.supertroels.dk/]]> Mon, 11 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4548 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4548 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4548#comments Danish electro-rockers Veto will come to the US for three shows in the near future. Details to come.]]> Tue, 05 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5109 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5109 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5109#comments Dúné will start recording their debut album next week with producer Troels Abrahamsen, lead singer of fellow Danish act Veto.]]> Wed, 19 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5173 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5173 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5173#comments Some new Disco Ensemble dates for the fall:

10/05 - Studenterhuset, Aalborg (DK) w/Veto
10/06 - Voxhall, Aarhus (DK) w/Veto
10/07 - Pumpehuset, Copenhagen (DK) w/Veto

Eastpak Antidote Tour 2006 w/Gogol Bordello, Danko Jones and Bedouin Soundclash:
10/31 - Met, Leeds (UK)
11/01 - Barrowlands, Glasgow(UK)
11/02 - Academy, Birmingham (UK)
11/03 - Academy, Manchester (UK)
11/04 - Brixton Academy, London (UK)
11/06 - Dome, Brighton (UK)
11/08 - Ewerk, Köln (GER)
11/09 - AB, Brussels (BEL)
11/10 - Filharmonie, Filederstadt/Stuttgart (GER)
11/11 - Le Trabendo, Paris (FRA)
11/12 - BT 59, Bordeaux (FRA)
11/13 - Heineken, Madrid (ESP)
11/14 - Apollo, Barcelona (ESP)
11/16 - Alcatraz, Milan (ITA)
11/17 - New Estragon, Bologna (ITA)
11/18 - Xtra, Zurich (SWI)
11/19 - Gasometer, Vienna (AUS)
11/21 - Schlachthof, Wiesbaden (GER)
11/22 - Columbia Halle, Berlin (GER)
11/23 - Docks, Hamburg (GER)]]> Wed, 12 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news