Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply leave a message under this post with the city you live in and three words you’d use to describe these Sony products.

POWER OF SOUND
With a profound heritage in delivering industry leading sound quality, Sony Australia is uniting all its audio products under a banner entitled the ‘Power of Sound’, which will focus on the importance of sound quality and demonstrate Sony’s leadership in this area.

A number of interesting ‘laboratory experiments’ have been conducted by Sony to test the capabilities of some of their latest audio products including headphones, Walkman, home theatre systems, Hi-Fi and in-car audio equipment. The films demonstrate the products’ ability to deliver the true power of sound and we’ve been provided with the headphone experiment to show just what Sony means by ‘The Power of Sound’.

Further information on Sony’s ‘Power of Sound’ campaign can be found here.

SPONSOR

Wolfmother. Rock n roll. Mystical lyrics. Heavy riffs. They have a new album out, Cosmic Egg, and we have five copies to giveaway, along with their debut album. To enter, tell us your favorite Wolfmother song and the city you live in. Yo! Two fingered salute.

We have a free Lost At E Minor iPhone app in the iTunes store, which is a daily snapshot of the latest content from the site. You can download it now. Yay! Win? Well, it’s free. And it’s fun. You win, we win. Snap.

Win a limited edition Frank Kozik signed poster from the Harley-Davidson’s Art of Rebellion NYC show, featuring Derek Hess, Frank Kozik, Lindsey Kuhn, and The Pizz, among others. Their art will be on display for one-night only on Oct 17. To enter, leave a message under this post telling what city you live in.

We have a free Lost At E Minor iPhone app in the iTunes store, which is a daily snapshot of the latest content from the site. You can download it now. Yay! Win? Well, it’s free. And it’s fun. You win, we win. Snap.

SPONSOR

It’s spring cleaning time and we have a huge pile of CDs, t-shirts and some vinyl to give away to two randomly selected subscribers or Facebook fans. To enter, just leave a note under this message telling us what you like most about Lost At E Minor [c'mon! We want to know] and the city you live in. Enter now!

You gotta love the 80s. How can you beat the music? New romantic, new wave, new everything. It was quite an era, and we have a giveaway to prove it. The 12”80s Electro:Pop 3CD set showcases 80s music all its extended mix glory. To enter, just leave the name of your favorite 80s band and the city you live in below this post.

Featuring a mix of the classic and the underground, this set gets back to the original concept of 12”80s – a mix of seminal 80s Electro:Pop 12″s from legends such as New Order, Human League, Simple Minds, Talk Talk, Grandmaster Flash, Soft Cell, Japan, Afrika Bambaataa, The Cure, Heaven 17, Yazoo and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, manyof who have inspired today’s new wave of chart electropop from La Roux and Little Boots to Florence & the Machine and Goldfrapp.

The 33 track set features the 12” mix of Freestyle “Don’t Stop the Rock” – the rare, classic old school electro track from the eyebrow raising Cadbury’s TV ad, the Frankie Goes to Hollywood New York mix of “Relax” as featured in Virgin Atlantic’s 80s-inspired TV ad and Was (not Was) “Wheel Me Out” which sampled by Eric Prydz and Steve Angello for their 2005 hit “Woz Not Woz”.

Tracklist
CD1
1. Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Relax (New York Mix) 7.25
2. Simple Minds – I Travel (Extended Version) 6.16
3. Human League –Hard Times/Love Action (I Believe in Love) 10.09
4. Japan – Life in Tokyo (Long Version) 7.07
5. Talk Talk – Such a Shame 6.55
6. Yazoo – Nobody’s Diary 6.10
7. Tin Tin – Kiss Me (US Remix) 7.35
8. Landscape – Einstein a Go Go 5.30
9. Tears for Fears – Change (Extended Version) 5.57
10. Heaven 17 – Play to Win (B.E.F. Disco Mix) 7.25
11. A Flock of Seagulls – Wishing (I Had A Photograph of You) (Long Version) 9.13

CD2
1. New Order – Confusion 8.17
2. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (Feat Melle Mel & Duke Bootee) – The Message 7.11
3. Freestyle – Don’t Stop the Rock 5.28
4. Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force – Planet Rock (Vocal) 6.26
5. Hashim – Al-Naayfiysh (The Soul) 6.15
6. Mantronix – Bassline (Stretched) 6.05
7. LL Cool J – You’ll Rock (Remix) 4.32
8. Sugarhill Gang – Apache 6.15
9. Break Machine – Street Dance (Vocal) 6.31
10. Gwen Guthrie – Seventh Heaven (US Remix by Larry Levan) 7.23
11. Yarbrough & Peoples – Don’t Stop the Music 7.53

CD3
1. Soft Cell – Torch (Extended Version) 8.29
2. The Cure – Why Can’t I Be You (Extended Mix) 8.10
3. Visage – Pleasure Boys (Dance Mix) 6.57
4. Art of Noise – Close to the Edit (Close Up) 7.28
5. Associates – Club Country (12” Remix) 6.45
6. Propaganda – Duel (Bittersweet) 7.40
7. Trio – Da Da Da (I Don’t Love You You Don’t Love Me Aha Aha Aha 6.38
8. Sharpe & Numan – Change Your Mind (Extended Version) 8.32
9. Pete Shelley – Homosapien (Dance Version) 4.32
10. Laid Back – White Horse (US Edit) 5.50
11. Was (Not Was) – Wheel Me Out (Long Version) 7.33

To commemorate the release of the mono and stereo remastered catalogue of The Beatles, we have a special lithograph of the Fab Four to give away to a randomly selected reader. To enter, just leave a message below this post with your favorite Beatles song and the city you live in.

We have Collector’s Editions of Radiohead’s Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief to give away to a randomly selected reader. Each Collectors Edition includes the original album plus a second CD of rarities, including radio sessions and live recordings. So it’s six discs in total. To enter, just leave a message and the city you live in below this post.

Kid A’s “Collectors Edition” features the original album on disc one, and on disc two, rare concert recordings, a session recorded for BBC Radio One in 2000, and live recordings from Canal+ Studios.

Amnesiac’s “Collectors Edition” features the original album on disc one, and on disc two, rare concert recordings and tracks recorded live at Canal+ Studios in 2001.

Hail To The Thief’s “Collectors Edition” features the original album on disc one, and on disc two, EPs with rarities and live recordings, as well as a May 2003 recording for the “Jo Whiley Show.”

SPONSOR

A free Lost At E Minor iPhone app is coming soon. To be among the first to download it, just leave your details and we’ll notify you as soon as it’s available. Win? It’s free. And it’s fun. You win, we win. Snap.

We have a new iPod Touch to giveaway, onto which you can install the super cool textPlus app. To be in the draw, just leave a message under this post telling us what city you’re in.
With textPlus, you can text on your iPod Touch for free! It works with your friends’ phones, too, so you can always stay connected. All you need is Wifi. And love. Aw.
SOME INFO ABOUT TEXTPLUS
Users launch textPlus on average 10 times per day and spend on average 50 minutes a day using the application.
Compared to recent studies concluding users in the same age range spend only 23 minutes on average per day online, textPlus users spend approximately twice as much time using the application than they spend on the Web. While only the top 5 percent of applications in the Apple App Store reach 100,000 unique monthly visitors, textPlus has already exceeded that mark by over seven times in the month of July.

We have a vinyl, poster, and CD of the awesome new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album, It’s Blitz!, to give away. But wait, there’s more. We’ll also throw a Diana F+ Lomo camera into the kitty. To enter, simply leave a message, and the name of the city you live in, below this post. Yeah Yeah Yeah!

LOMOGRAPHY
The Lomographic Society is a globally active organization dedicated to experimental and creative analogue snapshot photography. Boasting over one million members across the world, this dedicated society of “Lomographers” seeks to document life in a never-ending stream of images following the 10 Golden Rules of Lomography. The Lomographic Society has organized countless numbers of exhibitions, interactive projects, events, and live visuals all over the world with millions of lomographic snapshots.

We like monkeys. But we like Arctic Monkeys more. To celebrate the release of their new album, Humbug, we have a very cool prize-pack featuring a Humbug LP, poster, badges and a 7″ and 10″ for Crying Lightning. Just leave a message under this post saying why you really, really want one.
Prize pack
“Crying Lightning” 7″ (”Red Right Hand” b-side)
“Crying Lightning” 10″ (”Red Right Hand” and “You Haven’t Got My Strange” b-sides)
4 button badge pack
18 x 18 double sided poster

Arctic Monkeys Tour Dates:
09/14/09 San Diego, CA @ Soma
09/15/09 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
09/16/09 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
09/18/09 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom (*FREE Show*)
09/19/09 Seattle, WA @ The Showbox @ Market
09/20/09 Vancouver, BC @ Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park
09/22/09 Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
09/23/09 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
09/25/09 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
09/26/09 Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
09/28/09 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
09/29/09 Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
09/30/09 Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
10/02/09 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
10/03/09 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
10/04/09 Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
10/05/09 Dallas, TX @ The Palladium Ballroom

SPONSOR

A free Lost At E Minor iPhone app is coming soon. To be among the first to download it, just leave your details and we’ll notify you as soon as it’s available. Win? It’s free. And it’s fun. You win, we win. Snap.

MIXA is an innovative way for people to make, mix and share their music, photos, videos and other digital goodies on an old school cassette tape with a Twitter-generation twist. MIXA in association with Lost At E Minor and My Secret Playlist are giving YOU the chance to win a MIXA.

The 1GB USB tape has the cool aesthetic of the 80s classic cassette tape but meets the needs of the digital-hungry 2009 crowd.

Just like you and I, each MIXA is an individual and likes to standout from the masses.

You can choose from one of the pre-made designs created (with love) by the MIXA team and style it up with the stickers that come with it. Or you can create your own bespoke version by emailing in your designs or images for the MIXA team to play around with on their special digital MIXA maker.

Whatever route you choose, you will end up with a cool, one off MIXA design that has your personality stamped all over it.

Once you have made your MIXA, you become an official member of the gang and get your spot on the MIXA ‘Map of Love’. So get with the programme and undigital your digital.

In order to get your hands on a free MIXA we want to know what song you secretly sing in the shower. Submit your answer below and we’ll pick our favorite. And yes, we happily take bribes. No, really.

Follow the MIXA team on Twitter @MAKEAMIXA for updates.

Brooklynites Amazing Baby have just released their debut album, Rewild. We have a Rewild prize pack to give away to a randomly selected LAEM subscriber. To be in with a chance of winning, just leave a message under this post telling us why Amazing Baby are indeed Amazing. Baby!

The prize pack includes:
* A signed 7″ picture vinyl of Pump Yr Brakes.
* A signed triangular tour poster. It’s isoceles-triangle-shaped and has the same image as on the vinyl.
* A copy of Rewild on CD, which has a die-cut O-Card sleeve featuring a collage by Cameron Michel, designed by Rvng Intl.

AMAZING BABY
rewild, v: to return to a more natural or wild state; the process of undoing domestication. Synonyms: undomesticate, uncivilize.

With regard to album titles, Rewild is as apt a mission statement as Brooklyn band Amazing Baby could get. Formed out of the remnants of many a Brooklyn band, Rewild is the product of love and sustaining the loss of it, a car crash, a fourteen-piece orchestra, and the desire to make sense of – or escape — their surroundings. “We are fascinated with escapism and creating small worlds that can stand alone or be connected as stories within the context of our album,” says lead singer Will Roan, and with Rewild, Amazing Baby has created what can only be described as an epic, each song a chapter. Sonically it spans genre, serving as a collection of every note the members have ever heard, from the depths of black metal to the high sighs of glam rock and sugary pop. And while Roan sings, “we write the songs for fun” on jangly foot-stomper “Kankra”, the sum of these songs is more than that. They are songs of catharsis, anthems of evolution, the marriage of feral emotionality with a deep intellectualism. Rewild is the sound of raw progress.

The evolution of regression began when guitarist Simon O’Connor and Roan met in 2005, mutual admirers of each other’s bands (Stylofone and Lions and Tigers, respectively). When both outfits imploded, the duo found themselves cast together in office drudgery, at a company that provided ringtones to customers (”You choose the most ringtone-able 30 seconds of a song, obscure the profanities, put it in a zip file and send it to Verizon. When I took the job I thought it was going to be a lot more musical,” explains O’Connor.) The two quickly bonded in the week Roan trained O’Connor, and also found an integral addition to the nascent project: guitarist Rob Laasko (Diamond Nights) worked in the same office, just feet away. “It was like this limbo for musicians who didn’t know what the next step should be,” O’Connor says. After days spent behind computer screens, the pair would retire to O’Connor’s house, Roan working on vocal melodies and O’Connor carving out chord progressions, before bringing it to guitarist Rob Laasko, omitting little from the lush and laden compositions.

That these post-work recording sessions would develop into the band’s Infinite Fucking Cross EP was unbeknownst to O’Connor and Roan at the time; the object was in the doing, and not the product. “Both of our previous musical endeavors were very catered toward a certain theme or audience,” O’Connor says. “With Amazing Baby, the goal was to do the opposite. I thought ‘Why not just make an album for myself with my friend?’” After recording their EP, the band posted the songs on MySpace, and within days accolades and offers flooded in. With so much attention garnered in such little time, the band realized they needed to form a live band. With Laakso secured, drummer Matt Abeysekara (another ringtone alumnus) signed on, and after a few months of searching, bassist Don Devore joined up. While O’Connor and Roan may have been the only two present at the band’s inception, it credits each member as integral to the music the band performs today.

With each new member came a new set of influences, all of which are heard on Rewild. “I think we’ve gotten a style together,” says Roan of the band’s progression, “[The songs] fit together and work as a whole.” Indeed, from the Pulp-esque glam pop of “Bayonets” to the gauzy calypso of “Roverfrenz,” the band integrate varying elements, making their sound at once vaguely familiar and completely innovative. “Kankra,” named for a deity, in part an ambivalent love song, constructed out of the chord progressions and song structures Roan loves best. “That song, more than a lot of others, is built on the joy of creating a world within a song,” he says. Guitar squalls meet a girl-group-era shuffle on heartbreaker “Headdress,” a song culled from a formative heartbreak of Roan’s, and revisited throughout the album. “It sounds relatively specific,” O’Connor says. “But the lyrics are relatable to almost any time anyone’s ever been in a relationship and made a mistake.”

“The process by which [Rewild] was made, and the process through which the band embodies that aesthetic” has everything to do with the concept of rewilding, Roan explains. “It’s an evolution through regression, a step forward in being more primal.” In the band’s search for progress, Amazing Baby first had to sift through their experiences, discern and discard, and arrive at a collection of things loved best.

A free Lost At E Minor iPhone app is coming soon. To be among the first to download it, just leave your details and we’ll notify you as soon as it’s available. Win? It’s free. And it’s fun. You win, we win. Snap.

SPONSOR

Legendary pop culture artist and Agit Pop founder Ron English will be a guest compiler of an upcoming issue of our email newsletter, writing about his favorite cultural discoveries. To read Ron’s edition of Lost At E Minor, simply sign up to our weekly newsletter. It’s free, you win!

We have some sick (in the nicest possible way) Freeland swag for give away to a randomly selected LAEM subscriber including a CD, a t shirt and vinyl. To be in with a chance of winning, simply tell us why you really, really need one under this post. C’mon, we know you do!

Prize pack features:
‘COPE’ CD … ‘Two Hours to Jupiter’ CD. Tracklisting here: http://www.marineparade.net/jupiter/
‘Cope’ shirt: Men’s or women’s

Plus, “Under Control” vinyl.
Tracklist:
Alex Metric Remix
Golden Bug Remix
Evil Nine Graveyard Smash Instrumental

FREELAND ‘DO YOU’ WITH MIXES BY JOKER / MOONBOOTICA / HIGH RANKIN / PANTYRAID OUT NOW

“The remit on this one was if Led Zeppelin were making electronic music what would it sound like? And this is what we came up with. Helped quite a bit by having Tommy Lee on drums, creating that big John Bonham style drum sound”.

Long a highlight of his sets ranging from Coachella to Fabric, iconoclastic DJ/producer Adam Freeland finally releases Do You the first salvo from his long-awaited artist album, Cope(TM), set to come out in June 2009 on Marine Parade (and available to pre-order now at Freeland.FM). As expected with the U.K. bred, Los Angeles based Freeland, Do You offers the unexpected, switching up his usual uptempo bangers for a sinister 100 BPM groover that eludes any club-genre pigeonholing. Indeed, Do You proves a mid-tempo can still set dancefloors aflame: like DJ Shadow deconstructed by Can, Do You explodes with an irresistibly massive, sinister Moog synth hook, which is quickly mangled with choppy glitch edits and thundering kicks and snares that split the difference between Bonham and Run-DMC. Co-produced by Marine Parade’s latest producer-DJ star Alex Metric (Autokratz, Locarnos, Black Daniel, Hard-Fi, Eddy Temple’s ‘Remixer of the Year 2007,’ Annie Nightingale’s BBC alternate) and mixed by Alex Greggs of South Rakkas Crew fame (Yo Majesty!, Beenie Man, and, er, N*Sync), Do You, serves as the perfect introduction to Copes mind-bending collaborations, which include tracks with Joey Santiago (Pixies), Brody Dalle and Tony Bevilacqua (Distillers/Spinnerette), Jerry Casale (DEVO), Brooklyn shoegazers SoundPool, and Tommy Lee (yeah, that one).

US TOUR DATES:
5/21 – Costa Mesa, CA – Detroit Bar
5/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
5/23 – Daly City, CA – Cow Palace

Watch Tommy Lee discuss the making of “Do You” here: http://vimeo.com/4413562

The latest issue of RAGGED combines music and fashion with features on some of today’s hottest up-and-coming artists. We have a special prize pack to give away to a randomly selected LAEM subscriber who leaves a comment under this post telling us which album in the pile you’re most looking forward to owning.

RAGGED VIP PRIZE PACK:
RAGGED Magazine, Issue 6 plus CD from each featured artist, incl.
Jack’s Mannequin “The Glass Passenger”
Asobi Seksu “Hush”
The Von Bondies “Love, Hate, and Then There’s You”
Anya Marina “Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II”
Great Northern “Remind Me Where The Light Is”
The Knux “Remind Me In 3 Days”
Robotanists “Close Down The Woods” EP

The latest issue of RAGGED combines the worlds of music and fashion with features on some of today’s hottest up-and-coming artists, including the cover story, Jack’s Mannequin: Bringing It Home, where Andrew McMahon gives a rare look at his journey battling cancer and writing records.

Other featured artists include Asobi Seksu, The Von Bondies, Anya Marina, Great Northern, The Knux, and the winner of the first-ever RAGGED emerging artist competition, Robotanists.

RAGGED #6 is available to download free along with music from all the artists and all previous issues of RAGGED.