Yasuharu Konishi is one of the members of the legendary Japanese band PIZZICATO FIVE, capable of taking lounge music, samba, and sixties sounds to the dance floor; the Japanese producer and composer has always been a reference for Elefant Records. Recently, he agreed to compose the soundtrack for an ad campaign for a product from the company SOYJOY, and he asked Carlos, Nico and Scialdone from FITNESS FOREVER to join him for the occasion and do the vocals. And the Italian group put their all into those marvelous harmonies that accompany the accelerated, contagious music that Konishi composed. These kinds of collaborations make it possible for the artists to develop a mutual admiration, from the confines of pop.

FITNESS FOREVER is currently recording songs that will be included on their fourth album, so we will have more news from them about their new songs very soon. [ Read more ]

Elefant Records continues to be a source of sound material for filmmakers, and the latest proof is “La Amiga De Mi Amiga”, the debut film of Zaida Carmona (yes, the one who sang “La Llamada” with PAPA TOPO in Marc Ferrer‘s film “La Maldita Primavera”), which celebrated its presence on 1 February at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, as part of the Bright Future section. Two days later, on 3 February, and coinciding with the premiere in commercial cinemas in Spain, we are releasing the soundtrack just with the Elefant songs that appear in the movie, which in this case features SOFT REGIME, AIKO EL GRUPO, LISASINSON, JULIE ET JOE, BAND À PART, Giorgio Tuma, NOS MIRAN and FITNESS FOREVER. What a great selection! And as a gift we include in our edition the original version of “Lady Dilema” by Carlos Berlanga, which in the film is covered by Aroa Ay, from SHEGO. The film also features songs by MALAMUTE, MASONIERÍA (the solo project of Sonia, from PAPA TOPO), Rocío Saiz and CHRISTINA Y LOS SUBTERRÁNEOS. In fact, Christina Rosenvinge herself makes a cameo in the film.

“La Amiga De Mi Amiga” is a generational story, as Zaida herself says: “a five-way lesbian comedy of entanglement”, a story about women who love a lot, but love badly. A project that arises from the need to consolidate and reaffirm positive queer and/or feminist references, filmed in eleven days, wit [ Read more ]

TRACKLIST: 01 Le Midi (JULIE ET JOE)  02 Viniste A Por Mí (SOLEÁ MORENTE)  03 Tutti Frutti (SOLEÁ MORENTE) – feat. La Estrella de David, Las Negris, José Bonaparte & Checopolaco  04 La Fuerza (LA BIEN QUERIDA) – feat. Los Planetas  05 Ducati (SOLEÁ MORENTE) – feat. Cariño 06 Arcade (JULIE ET JOE)  07 Contigo (NOS MIRAN)  08 Bäckerei Digital (DIE KATAPULT)  09 Baby Love (FITNESS FOREVER)

This coming October 20th, the film festival Mostra de Valencia will open with the Valencian film “El Que Sabem”, produced by Pegatum Transmedia and directed by Jordi Núñez, author of the shorts “Píxeles” (with more than 11 million views on streaming), “Amor De Dios” and “Cachitos”. It is a daring generational portrait about a story of first love, acceptance, and forgiveness, dressed up as a hymn to friendship, desire and the youth that slips through our hands. It is a movie in which, according to the people who made it, “music plays a fundamental role in building emotions and feelings, whether it’s to intensify them or to fill them with irony”. A large part of the movie’s soundtrack consists of songs by groups from Elefant Records.

From the sticky sweet, eighties style techno-pop of JULIE ET JOE, to the fun and rumba-style cheekiness that Soleá Morente brings, the hazy myste [ Read more ]

Sometimes, looking back can bring us a tremendous surprise. Time passes and plays with our memory. If we think about the more recent releases from the Italian group FITNESS FOREVER – super danceable albums like “Cosmos” and “Tonight”, marvelous hits like “Canadian Ranger”, “Tonight” and “Lui” – and suddenly we start to sift through the memories, we are suddenly hit with the freshness and immediacy of that debut called “Personal Train” that won us over so completely back in 2009, with its fresh, sunny, Mediterranean airs, far from the nocturnal, urban spirit of some of their more recent songs.

That’s why, among other reasons, we wanted to bring back such an incredible album as a part of our collection of reissues in honor of Elefant Records’ 25th anniversary. To be able to enjoy again the perfect pop bull’s eyes that “Probabilmente”, “Bacharach” and “L’anarchica Pugliese” are, because “Vacanze A Settembre” breathes Italy with a vitality that raises even the lowest spirits, because “Je Je Jeox” and “Quando Ho Tempo” make clear all the marvelous lounge music albums Carlos Valderrama’s crew could have made, because “Se Come Te” gave us a peak at what path the group was going to take (ah, how clearly we can see things with hindsight), and for a million reasons more, many of which are ti [ Read more ]

We are almost finished with the series of re-releases we have been putting out for many months now, in honor of our 25th anniversary in 2014. The series has included such distinguished names as FAMILY, LE MANS, LA CASA AZUL, CAMERA OBSCURA, NIZA, TREMBLING BLUE STARS, THE SCHOOL, JUNIPER MOON, LOS FLECHAZOS, COOPER and LA BIEN QUERIDA, among others. To almost bring things to a close, we are simultaneously releasing a series of exquisite rereleases.

To start with, we are going to release that FUGU Single again that we originally released in 1998, and it is especially relevant because Mehdi Zannad has just released a marvelous album on Elefant in collaboration with Erin Moran (A GIRL CALLED EDDY) under the name THE LAST DETAIL. This Single has been a collector’s item for a long time now, and we are releasing it this time as a 300-copy numbered-limited-edition white 10” vinyl, and it will include the songs that were on the Split that FUGU released in 1997 with STEREOLAB as well as their first EP from 1996. There are 12 songs rereleased for the occasion. It’s wonderful.

What’s more, the first album, now out of print, from the Italians, FITNESS FOREVER, will also be re-released – where we will remember their orchestral pop and Mediterranean airs – on a transparent red vinyl, 300-copy numbered-limited-edition, which will also include the two songs that appeared on that also out of print “Mondo Fitness EP”.

Another of the simultaneous [ Read more ]

It’s known by all their fans, that cheeky turn toward the dancefloor that FITNESS FOREVER took after their third album, “Tonight”. And that’s why the time has come for remixes – remixes that pervert and reformulate the groove of songs imagined to make the most weightless bodies shake. This Digital Single of “Baby Love” has some absolutely exceptional remixers.

FARE SOLDI are an Italian duo made up of Luka Carnifull and Santana Pasta, who are widely known in the electronic and groove sector. Theirresume isdizzying. They have released on labels like Riotmaker, Kitsunè or Ministry Of Sound. They have played over 200 sessions across Asia, Europe and North America, where their recognizable golden jackets have brushed elbows with names like Calvin Harris, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO, MR. OIZO and THE CROOKERS, among others. And songs by Madonna, Beyoncé, TORO Y MOI, STARDUST have been in their blender, and even a revision of Kendrick Lamar’s super well-known “Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe”. It’s a winning combination, FARE SOLDI and FITNESS FOREVER, to bring to light this infectious, acidic and solid revision of “Baby Love”. Far from the original, new open roads for irresistible grooves.

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Calling an album full of Italian-disco “Tonight” is a total declaration of intent. Without mercy. Carlos Valderramaand company’s third album doesn’t let you rest for even a second. Blood, sweat, and tears on the dance floor. Syncopated rhythms, instrumental exuberance, unforgettable melodies. It’s a fine line between those minutes of wakefulness and drifting off into a light sleep, in that undefined space where dreams begin. And all of this is floating around the epicenter of a triangle formed by, on one side, great composers, both Italian and classic, who nourished FITNESS FOREVER’s first album in 2009, “Personal Train” (Ennio Morricone,Nico Fidenco,Gino Paoli, Piero Umiliani and Burt Bacharach). The second side of the triangle is the soft-pop inspiration of the second album, “Cosmos” from 2013 (Paul Williams, Marcos Valle, Serge Gainsbourg and Lucio Battisti), and the third side is the dark, classical names from the Italian-disco tradition scratched from the shelves of the most intrepid music lovers (NUMBER ONE ENSEMBLE, KANO, LE STREGHE, EVA EVA EVA, Alberto Radius,Adriano Pappalardo,Enzo Carella,Franco Califano,Filipponio). And the triangle is wrapped in a dose of the current and contemporary, and the ambiance you can find in bands like JUSTICE, THE GO! TEAM, METRONOMY and DAFT PUNK. 

We already gave you the advance single of the title track, “Tonight”, with the participation of Vincent Mougel, K [ Read more ]

If we broke the big news about FITNESS FOREVER’s new album “Tonight” a few weeks ago, now we have “Canadian Ranger” in our hands, the second single from what will be their third and highly anticipated album. We already told you this super numbered-limited-edition, 250-copy, 7” vinyl release would quickly become a gem on the shelves of corresponding music lovers.

The first time we heard “Canadian Ranger” our jaws dropped. Stupefied. Amazed. There are very few songs like this one, these days. Because “Canadian Ranger” is an eternal song. Universal. The syncopated rhythm, the lyricism of the strings, the melodic play between major and minor chords. This would definitely be included on an ABBA greatest hits album, on a list of the best Diana Ross songs, in the BEE GEES’ pantheon, and in all of Guille Milkyway’s majestic nocturnal DJ sessions. Nicoletta Battelli’s voice here is inspiring like never before. The Italian-disco touch with the synthesizers gives it a captivating personality, like a dream. An instant classic.

And to top things off, the B-side of this single is another stroke of genius, this time with Italian roots. It is a previously unreleased track that will not appear on the album. “Nico” goes back to the more cinematographic music of FITNESS FOREVER, reminding us in equal parts of the movies of Jacques Demi and Blake Edwards, of Truffaut and Godard. The clavichord, the v [ Read more ]

We are full of good news. One of our favorite bands is back with a super-Italian but also internationally-spirited album under their arm. The thing is, Carlos Valderrama grabbed a hold of his FITNESS FOREVER and, after that psych-funk journey from that surprising “Cosmos”, dove head-first into an exercise in Italian-disco, flooded in equal parts in dance and invocation. “Tonight” is a path toward the dancefloor, flooded with the diverse references already in play on their previous albums. From Morricone to the BEACH BOYS, from Lucio Battisti to Adriano Pappalardo, from Serge Gainsbourg to Marcos Valle. From the most popular names in disco music (CHIC, TAVARES, MFSB or even Michael Jackson himself), to the most peculiar and fascinating references coming from Italian territory (NUMBER ONE ENSEMBLE, KANO, LE STREGHE or EVA EVA EVA), with that current touch and attitude that gives them just a drop of STEREOLAB, JUSTICE, THE GO! TEAM or METRONOMY.

To make an album like this they didn’t only rummage through their own roots, they also made a strong connection with their French neighbors: Anna Jean, vocals and guitar from JUNIORE, lends her voice to the group on “Arbre Magique” (with Juliette David and Joackim Polack of PEARL & THE OYSTERS joining in on backing vocals), while Vincent Mougel, front man of KIDSAREDEAD gives us an unforgettable “Tonight”. And to finish things off, the album was mastered by &ldquo [ Read more ]

Release date: 10-03-2014

Ever since we first heard their marvelous “Cosmos”, we are melting at the thought of the groove-pop that FITNESS FOREVER’s new album takes it shape from. And is if we needed anything else, the group fronted by Carlos Valderrama are feeding the flames of our passion with a new digital single, for the album’s title track, and a video that is equal parts surprising and fun. 

The song, the only one on the album that Scialdone sings, evokes the funk hallucinations of SUN RA or Stevie Wonder with a carefree spirit, reflected in crystal balls and ultra-bright neon. Our hips are still shaking from the first time we heard them. To complete the digital single, there is a spectacular remix by MODULAR, that gives our Argentinian band that spacey touch with a cocktail flavor they know how to work so well. Mariana and Pablo have created a spacey Dub to float on the most exclusive dance floors on Saturn. And to wrap things up, there’s a live acoustic version, produced by DUO BORDÉL (guitar and viola) that includes the participation of FITNESS FOREVER’s flute player, Francesca Diletta Iavarone, and the vocals of Carlos Valderrama himself. It’s a totally different, intimate version, but surprising and full of emotion. The cherry on top is the sparkling new video full of sequins, bright signs, and 70s-styled visual effects. Like an old, found VHS of the recording of a group simulating a live studio perfo [ Read more ]

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Release Date: 11th November 2013

LP [Transparent Vinyl] [Numbered Limited Edition of 500 copies] The vinyl format includes a free digital MP3 download [320 kbps] / CD Digipak / Digital Album  

TRACKLIST: 01. Piano Fender Blues 02. Hotel Flamingo 03. Il Cane Ciuff 04. Le Intenzioni Del Re 05. Lui 06. Vederti Distante 07. L'amore Annegato 08. Laura 09. Cosmos 10. Disco Quiz 11. Il Mare 

Who didn’t melt with the youthful, colorful rejoicing that emanated from “Personal Train”categoría It has been years since we heard an album so capable of bringing together all those styles we like so much, from jangle to indie-pop, with a touch of Brazilian music, psychedelic pop, Italian sound tracks… And to do it that level of energy and elegance, class and inspiration in one amazing combination. Carlos Valderrama, FITNESS FOREVER’s frontman, says he was left empty afterwards, a blank slate, not really knowing what his next step would be.

After a while, they wanted to maintain the freshness and glow of their songs, but step it up a notch in terms of the riskiness of the songs’ architecture, complicating the harmonies and making slippery melodies that make just as much of an impression. That’s where “Cosmos” came from; it’s FITNESS FOREVER’s second album, and the perfect definition of what Valderrama wanted. The album is flooded with groove and disco, with a clear seventies sce [ Read more ]

Release Date: **CD Digipak and **Digital Album [10 December]  // ** LP White Colour Vinyl [Numbered Limited Edition of 1000 copies] [20 December] • The vinyl format includes a free digital MP3 download [320 kbps]

TRACKLIST: 01 Why Should Christmas Be So Hardcategoría (Attic Lights) 02 Holding Hands Around The World (Guille Milkyway And The Jelly Jamm Sound Orchestra) 03 Christmas Lights (The Magic Theatre) 04 La Luz Del Mundo (Single) 05 El Viaje Mágico De Santa Claus (Modular) 06 X-mas Song (Edine Avec Lisle Mitnik Et Son Orchestre) 07 I Just Wanna Hold Your Hand (On Christmas Day) (The Yearning)08 Let Me Be The Fairy On Your Christmas Tree Tonight (The School) 09 Los Anillos De Alcyone (21-12-2012) (La Casa Azul) 10 You Trashed My Christmas (The Primitives) 11 Te Espero En Navidad (Axolotes Mexicanos) 12 Bells To Ring And Jingle (YouDoMeToo) 13 Donde Todo Sigue Igual (Band À Part) 14 You're Coming Home Tonight (The School) 15 Let's Make Christmas Love (BMX Bandits) 16 Su Šventom Kalėdom (Fitness Forever)

Here at Elefant, we have always been huge fans of Christmas albums, so we finally decided to get our act together, and we’ve put a lot of energy and excitement into our first Christmas album. “A Christmas Gift For You From Elefant Records” is full of previously unreleased songs that look toward that luminous side of life, a fantastic excuse to feel optimistic, colorful, and, why not, irony a [ Read more ]

App iTunes [Free]

Song: Los Chicos Hoy Saltarán A La Pista (LA CASA AZUL)

It took many months of work but we can finally announce, with much joy and satisfaction, the release of “L-FUN 45 (Summer of love)”, the first independent musical videogame for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, a fun application that will get all of the label’s fans excited. The videogame is full of the Elefant universe and our groups. It was created and developed by Dolores Entertainment, a young and promising company that develops mobile phone applications and videogames, and that shares Elefant’s spirit of independent work and passion for music. Dolores Entertainment, who recently celebrated their first anniversary as a company, started their voyage with more classic-styled games with a more direct dynamic, like “Vectron” or “Spanish Chiringuito”. Now, they are official providers for TV3 and they are working on some different, very interesting projects that we’ll be hearing about soon, but L-FUN 45 is their most ambitious project so far.

L-FUN 45 is an interactive musical, a game where the music isn’t just an excuse to smash buttons, but instead it tells us a love story. The love story begins with a break-up, and includes friendship and summertime adventures. The game, which we are launching today, is the first part of a four-part series, since there were so many ideas at the beginning of the project, plus all of the [ Read more ]

The last night in 2011 programmed for Elefant Club will be on December 3rd, with performances by FITNESS FOREVER and PAPA TOPO, culminating the evening with these same artists as guest DJs, along with Luis Elefant. It will be a new chance to see Carlos Valderrama’s group after the marvelous summer hit single, “Con Fitness Forever En La Playa,” and the captivating performance in this year’s Lemon Pop Festival. We must not forget to mention the charming participation of two national icons which leave rivers of admiration behind them: Adrià and Paulita. We will keep you updated on the next celebrations following.

"Elefant Club – Fiesta 003: Capuchas De Lluvia"Saturday 3 DecemberFITNESS FOREVER (IT) + PAPA TOPO (SP)+ Guille Milkyway + Luis Elefant DJ (Elefant Records) 

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