News

LA BIEN QUERIDA is a finalist in the following categories: Album of the year Spanish artist of the year Best new artistBest Pop album

LA CASA AZUL in the following category:Song of the year

**The final decision is in the public’s hands, if you are a fan of our groups and you want to support them, you can vote here: http://www.premiosdelamusicaindependiente.com/categoríadest=9

All of the finalists have been selected by a Professional Jury in the first round <http://www.premiosdelamusicaindependiente.com/categoríadest=11>Now it is the public’s turn to decide who the winners will be, with their vote. You must register in order to vote <http://www.premiosdelamusicaindependiente.com/categoríadest=9#arriba> or Sign in if you are already registered <http://www.premiosdelamusicaindependiente.com/categoríadest=9#arriba>. 

LA CASA AZUL and LA BIEN QUERIDA: Finalists in the Independent Music Awards picture: La Casa Azul y La Bien Querida finalistas en los Premios másica Independiente 201007/06/2010 [ Read more ]

Already available on our Online store:http://www.elefant.com/shop/distribution

Extracted from the introduction to Club 45. By Alex Cooper“This book is not trying to reflect the whole mod universe, it is only focused on my devotion to the white 60s groups (…) It comes from the need to talk about what I’ve learned, with the hope that others will enjoy it as much as I do. I’ve been really lucky. As I’ve never felt nostalgic for an era I never knew, I’ve lived my life without being envious of other people’s lives. I have great memories of past times, and those memories aren’t borrowed, they’re my own. But it’s also true that other people, famous and anonymous musicians, who have excited and inspired me all these years, have marked my path. You will find some of them when you turn this page. I hope you enjoy yourselves in your visit to Club 45.

Prologue by Álex Oró [Chelsea Publishers]Álex Cooper, one of the Spanish pop scene’s fundamental musicians as the front man of such emblematic groups as LOS FLECHAZOS, and most recently as COOPER, presents his first editorial work, titled Club 45. In it, and with 90 songs that serve as a pretext to portray people and an entire effervescent era of pop culture, Cooper serves us up a sixties session that covers 1964 to 1968. Along with the representative protagonists and diehards of that emerging scene (the collection begins with The High Numbers, and [ Read more ]

LA BIEN QUERIDA’s debut album, “Romancero”, enchanted thousands of people in Spain, filled everyone with passion, was highlighted by the most important media and since it went on sale a little over a year ago, “Romancero” hasn’t stopped being praised and hasn’t stopped recruiting fans all over the world. Now it’s Mexico and the USA’s turn; “Romancero” is being released in Mexico on our new affiliate Elefant Records Mexico and in the USA on the well-known Latin American label Nacional Records.

The first reactions to the album’s release, both in Mexico and in the USA, have been spectacular. Ana is currently doing promotion in Mexico and she’ll be playing 4 special acoustic concerts there. As we’ve already mentioned, she was invited by Julieta Venegas to open in two concerts in Monterrey and Mexico City (in the Luis Elizondo auditorium in Monterrey and in the Metropolitan theater in Mexico City) and she will also be at the official presentation party for Elefant Records Mexico in the Imperial Club as well as another label presentation in the Centro Cultural de España in Mexico City.

This coming month of July she will travel to New York to promote the disc’s release in the USA and to participate live in the LAMC (Latin Alternative Music Conference), a festival-conference that is celebrating their eleventh edition this year, and that has become the most vital event in independent Latin [ Read more ]

A new adventure is beginning that fills us, at Elefant Records, with joy and excitement. It was a subject we were waiting to take on and, finally, after a long time of thinking every detail over and finding a team of incredible people, we can finally announce the birth of Elefant Records Mexico with all the hype it deserves. With the same spirit as ever, with the same, if not more, excitement and with a ton of plans and projects that we hope will satisfy all the fans of pop music in Mexico. In time we also hope to offer releases from outside of our catalog with the idea of turning Elefant Records Mexico into a point of reference for international independent music. We are aware of the extremely important moment in history that Mexico is going through at the moment, a tremendous cultural explosion across the entire country of groups, artists, creators… And a ton of people anxious to get involved in it and live the moment to its fullest, enjoying the euphoria of what’s been going on there for the last couple years as much as possible. Elefant wants to be a part of all that and to contribute with our albums, parties, group tours… We are aware of the great number of fans and followers Elefant has in Mexico and we have been waiting for this moment to arrive for years. Elefant Records, in these 20 years of existence, has reached almost every place on the planet, but in the Latin American countries it has always been really difficult for independent labels to mak [ Read more ]

Release a new digital format single:“Suena el Teléfono”, one of the most meaningful songs of the group let by Ana and Felipe Fresón, is the protagonist of a release that includes two more never-before recorded songs: “Libertad” and “Dinero” follow the musical path marked by their last album, “Guitarras y Tambores”, which is to say, classical pop leanings, with loving proximities to the sixties sound, full of careful vocal melodies and delicious guitars. Lyrically, these new songs have a surprising corrosive breath hidden under a certain vindicating pose, acid and sarcastic, about such transcendental concepts as those that give the titles to the songs. These are definitively two new delicacies to add to their incredible repertoire, which has already triumphed in national music festivals (Indyspensable, Contempopránea) as well as international ones (our greatly admired Indietracks).

It will be available on all the major digital platforms: iTunes (http://www.itunes.com), e-music (http://www.emusic.com) or 7 digital (http://www.7digital.com)

** They will release a vinyl single very soon with two versions in English of the songs “En esta pista ya no se puede bailar” and “El sueño de mi vida”.

Video “Suena el teléfono”:“Suena el Teléfono” enjoys the unquestionable position of being the protagonist of COLA JET SET’s new video-clip. The clip [ Read more ]

If you’re going to be at Primavera Sound Festival, stop by the Elefant Party. It’s happening on Saturday the 29th from 19:30 to 21:00, in the Myspace room. There will be special performances for the occasion, like unique mini-concerts from: PAPA TOPO (who everyone is talking about), LINDA GUILALA (this year they’ll also be in our favorite festival, Indietracks in England, “an indiepop Festival”) and BLA (the new group from Luis and Belén from L KAN’s). GUILLE MILKYWAY will make the party even better as an exceptional DJ! Really, can a party get any better than thiscategoría The meeting point for all of pop’s craziest, loudest, freshest fans. Yeah!!!!!

Saturday, 29 MayPrimavera Sound Festival – Guateque ELEFANT PartyPapa Topo + Bla + Linda Guilala + Guille Milkyway DjBarcelonatime: de 19:30 a 21:00Salón Myspace [ Read more ]

Unstoppable. Inexhaustible. Unclassifiable. Raise your hand if you know a group with a more punk attitude today. Weren’t we just talking about that Spanish-sung compilation disc that was “No Controles” a few months agocategoría The thing is, is that that pair of pop culture agitators (and terrorists) that are Françoise Cactus and Brezel Göring are back with a new disc. And they have nothing less than 40 songs recorded for it. But the point is that they’re here again with an uncontrollable punk and techno-pop feeling, singing in German, Spanish, French and English, on tune and shouting, agitated and unusual.

We can enjoy “No Controles” from OLÉ OLÉ again, and “Voy a Ser Mamá” from ALMODOVAR Y MACNAMARA (this time in English!!), revisitations of incomparable characters (Divine in “Divine’s Handtasche” and Andy Warhol in the song named after him), versions of all kinds, from Brigitte Fontaine (“Barbe À Papa”), to KRAFTWEERK (“Tour de France”), including Rita Pavone (“Wenn ich ein Junge wär”, which was also made popular by Nina Hagen in 1979) and the Canadian trio SOUPIR (“Larmes De Mêtal”), impossible punk (“Babyboom Ohne Mich”), special journeys to unforgettable melodies (“Baby Ouh”), but above all their on-target quality that is as identifiably theirs as a flag and that only they can s [ Read more ]

Coming of age, as longed for as it may be, is still a difficult, complex and complicated process. That must be what Andrew Laidlaw, compositional mind of the Greenwich (England) sextet, thought when, upon returning to his hometown after two intense and successful years, both critically (media like The Times, The Guardian, Uncut and Pitchfork were captivated by what they declared to be an innovative and complex pop album) and with the public (more than 50,000 copies sold all over the world can testify to that), for “The Great Unwanted”, and found he had no place of his own there. Living in the band’s studio, where he constantly played the piano until the wee hours of the morning, showering in the local community pool and concentrating entirely on making a second album that, as he himself recognizes, brought him to moments of fleeting madness, debating between the confusion that such contrasts provoked in him.

This is the birth of “A Coming of Age”, the second album by LUCKY SOUL, a disc that abounds in spot-on melodies, the ability with arrangements and the ease with which they create hits, adding that special touch of complexity to an album full of nuances, artists, songs that talk about melancholy and loss, following the path set by those bittersweet sentences on “Pet Sounds”, full of mixed emotions, of that purifying process that moves from darkness to the most blinding light. This light shines on songs like “Woah Billy!&rd [ Read more ]

The times mark the fashions, and Elefant Records is releasing not one but two singles exclusively in digital format. The chosen groups are COLA JET SET and LINDA GUILALA, and both have selected previously unreleased material from recording sessions from their respective albums to make these exclusive releases, that come out this coming April 26th on the world’s major digital platforms, iTunes ( HYPERLINK http://www.itunes.com), e-music ( HYPERLINK http://www.emusic.com) and 7 digital ( HYPERLINK http://www.7digital.com) among many others.

“Suena el Teléfono”, one of the most meaningful songs of the group let by Ana and Felipe Fresón, is the protagonist of a release that includes two more never-before recorded songs: “Libertad” and “Dinero” follow the musical path marked by their last album, “Guitarras y Tambores”, which is to say, classical pop leanings, with loving proximities to the sixties sound, full of careful vocal melodies and delicious guitars. Lyrically, these new songs have a surprising corrosive breath hidden under a certain vindicating pose, acid and sarcastic, about such transcendental concepts as those that give the titles to the songs. These are definitively two new delicacies to add to their incredible repertoire, which has already triumphed in national music festivals (Indyspensable, Contempopránea) as well as international ones (our greatly admired Indietracks).

On the other hand, L [ Read more ]

When Corin Ashley, ex-bassist of THE PILLS and one of the biggest BEATLES fans left on earth, decided to start his solo career, his was obsessed with an idea: to record in the historic Abbey Road studios, where the Fab Four had recorded their songs. The Abbey Road studios have recently returned to the front pages of the world press since EMI announced their intention to sell the studios this past February. In the end, in response to the negative reaction to this news, the British Government declared the studios a “historic monument.”

After releasing the debut album, “Songs from the Brill Bedroom”, the opportunity to record a special and exclusive single for Elefant came up (just before the controversy that finally prohibited the sale and above all the demolition of they legendary studios). Accustomed to ceaselessly writing, he focused on getting his two best compositions, extensively perfected and purified, and planned the recording sessions with an exceptional band. Because for this single, which is an authentic and unique gem, a collectors item, Mr. Ashley is ultimately accompanied by no less than: Ken Stringfellow (THE POSIES, REM, BIG STAR) singing on “Badfinger Bridge”, Martin Carr and Rob Cieka (THE BOO RADLEYS), Edward Ball (TV PERSONALITIES, THE TIMES) and on the technical board is Charlie Francis, who recently worked with Martin Carr and has an unbelievable curriculum that includes artists like REM, Robyn Hitchcock, WILCO, SU [ Read more ]

Carlos Valderrama and crew gave us one of the most marvelous pop discs we had heard in a long time last year; taking influence from the great Italian pop singers of the sixties and seventies, and combining it with modern influences like BELLE & SEBASTIAN and LA CASA AZUL, the made a fierily lit disc, full of dreamlike arrangements, tremendously immediate and inevitable melodies. Now we get two compositions in green color vinyl, limited edition format as a continuation of that great debut album. On side A we have “Mondo Fitness”, a song that reminds us of the Italian group’s ability to make indubitable hits while, at the same time, filling them with elegance and delicacy. On the other side, side B, “Diego Mon Amour” offers a more restrained facet of the band, that fills itself with a Mediterranean sound between Marseille and Salvador de Bahía, between the French chanson and bossa nova: a seaside cocktail while we watch the sunrise, after spending the night dancing in the most unimaginable bars. Because, as you know, staying in shape is important

Audio HERE [Deezer] [ Read more ]

You can watch the video HERE:http://www.youtube.com/watchcategoríav=hleYkbSfjeg

After so many characters typed into webs and blogs and being one of the most-searched-for-groups on the internet, this past March 15th PAPA TOPO finally released their highly anticipated debut single in Elefant’s new collection, “New Adventures in Pop”. The TOPO-fever has spread all over the planet, from one end to the other, at dizzying speeds, the single is practically sold out after less than one week and the release of their first video has become an previously unseen phenomenon on YouTube, with more than 19.000 visits in the first few hours and awards for the most important video portal in the world, from the number 1 spot in “superfavorite music” videos to the number 2 spot in “most seen today” as well as other important ones like “most liked”, “most commented”, “most seen” and superfavorites…

Lluís Prieto and the whole team at Llaüt Digital (a young and promising production house from Palma de Mallorca) knew exactly how to get the most out of the audiovisual part of one of the biggest indie hits of the year. The video is equal parts fun, carefree, caustic and youthful, the same sharp humor that, like in the album cover photo, gives the clear message that, despite the young age of our heroes (Paulita is 15 and Adriá just turned 18), both have got their heads on straight and have more th [ Read more ]

This year is definitely going to be the year of THE SCHOOL, half the world is anxiously awaiting the group’s debut album, “Loveless Unbeliever”, and this new video is the perfect appetizer for the imminent indie invasion that our friends are going to be the stars of. Liz, in addition to having one of the most delicious and intoxicating voices of the new international pop, is an excellent song-writer and this album is solid proof of that; “Loveless Unbeliever” is full of exciting songs with resplendent melodies and arrangements that everyone who loves Pop will fall in love with immediately.

Tom Readdy is in charge of direction, composition and animation for the video-clip, with Nicky Brown, the director of photography, and Lucy Dawkins, the art director. Tom took inspiration from the modernist graphic design of the 60s, movie posters and album covers, to create the animation and plans for the video. Tom had already worked as an animator and effects creator in a multitude of videos, for artists like FRANZ FERDINAND, THE BEES, GOLDFRAPP, YOUNG KNIVES and SOULSAVERS.

We invite all of you to enjoy THE SCHOOL’s new VIDEO!!!:http://www.youtube.com/watchcategoríav=l5zlSyHAHjo

You can listen to the songs HERE [DEEZER]:http://www.deezer.com/es/#music/the-school/loveless-unbeliever-509117

Already available on our online storehttp://www.elefant.com/shop/new-releases

Release Date: May 2010

**There´s a limited edition of this album for vinyl love [ Read more ]

The best youth: L-KAN have given color to those interminable nights on the best techno-pop dance floors Madrid has to offer with albums like “Cosas Que Miden Poco” and “Discazo”. But the moment arrives to change direction, to open new doors, to try new things, and the irreverent immediacy turns into uncontainable restlessness. Luis and Belén (huge activists of the Madrid night-life, responsible for clubs like Ocho y Medio and Elástico) decide to form BLA (an L-KAN parallel project) to let loose all of those things that are going on in their heads, with music geared toward a more organic sound with slightly sharper lyrics. The first result of all this is “La Mejor Enfermedad”, an album that finds its two composers with much clearer ideas, with a new proposal in their hands, and with a highly uncommon ability with arrangements and melodies. From the fantasy of “Cómo Seremos” to the irreverence of  “Los Exnovios”, from the delicacy of “Yo Soy Como Portugal” to the introspection of “Mira Lo Que Se Oye Cuando Estamos Callados”. From the totally obvious reference to the dance floor in “Siempre Hay Una Más” to the perfectionist pop of “La Canción Que Nunca Llegó a Serlo”. Luis and Belén have brought us something refreshing, original, new, and above all fun, assimilating their inheritance of those who are most representative [ Read more ]

This Saturday 6th of March, THE SCHOOL begins a very special tour around the UK. The Welsh band will perform on twelve different dates, on which they will give a preview of their long awaited debut album to all their fans. “Loveless Unbeliever” will be released in Spain, Korea, Mexico, Canada and the USA in April, and in May it will come out in the UK and all other countries.

This tour will be an initial taste of the songs on the new album and of the group’s new line-up. In addition to the chance to enjoy the band’s new songs at the concerts on the tour, fans will also get an exclusive opportunity to purchase “Loveless Unbeliever” before its official release. These events will also feature special guests, including ALLO DARLIN (her new single “The polaroid song” released on Fortuna Pop is amazing!!) and PAGAN WANDERER LU (who who has released album "Fight my battles for me" on Brainlove Records and is now working on the follow up).

There will be twelve special concerts that will prepare our boys and girls for their world tour, which will begin after summer and will take them across half the globe, with performances in Spain, Germany, UK, Italy, Mexico and the USA, among other countries. We will soon inform you of the exact dates.

……

For years, all the fans of the best pop waited anxiously for that group that was going to occupy the space left between THE PIPETTES and BELLE & SEBASTIAN, heirs of the best [ Read more ]