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Japanese label Rambling Records, which released in Japan NIZA’s “Canciones de temporada”, is well known and respected by its excellent editions of soundtracks (of such geniuses as Ennio Morricone), as well as deluxe compilations in diverse styles as easy listening or international pop. In fact, Rambling has used plenty times many songs from the Elefant catalogue for its compilations.

Since last year, Elefant and Rambling have started a collaboration which reflects in a series of compilations based in songs taken from Elefant’s big catalogue, chosen by both Rambling Records and ourselves. In 2004 came out “Amapola”, a compilation of quiet, relaxed atmosphere, which was very well received in Japan. In july this year, making the most of our visit to Japan for the Elefant parties with NIZA and LA CASA AZUL, Rambling will release a new reference on this series of compilations: “Candy Box”, in a much poppier and melodic style.

The tracklists from both compilations are as follow:

CANDY BOX01. Si me alejaste [ENTRE RÍOS]02. I love my Jean [CAMERA OBSCURA]03. Ups to you [ANNA & THE SPECTORS]04. Parasol [NIZA]05. Una mañana [ME ENVENENO DE AZULES]06. Yo quiero ser ye yé [ERNESTO RONCHEL y ANA CAINA]07. Niza [NIZA]08. No me digas que me quieres [VACACIONES]09. Un rayo de sol [LE MANS]10. C’est fini [LA CASA AZUL]11. La fille la plus douce du monde [LES TRÈS BIEN ENSEMBLE]12. Gérôme [PUR&Ea [ Read more ]

Mexican label Molecula Records is ready to release by the end of June two new references by Elefant recording artists who have already a big fanbase in that country. NOSOTRÄSH and LA MONJA ENANA will release there their most recent albums, both with some surprise bonus for good luck. “Cierra la puerta al salir”, NOSOTRAS most recent album, will be released in Mexico featuring the same number of songs as its Spanish release (featuring songs that are already classics in the band’s discography, such as “Dicen” or “Completamente sola”), but to these they will add up to four videoclips (“Dando vueltas”, “Gloria”, “Arte” and “Maldito espejo”). This Mexican release will also feature additional tracks with pictures of the band, cover artwork of all their records and the band’s biography.

As for LA MONJA ENANA, the album due to be released in Mexico by Molecula Records is the compilation “Un secret terrible”, just released in France by La Bulle Sonore (an album which features the songs from their singles, plus rarities, songs from compilations, demos and even songs from the “¡Qué mutada!” project, as well as the videoclip for “Amor cuántico”), but it will also feature two extra tracks: remixes of “Por amor al arte” (Monjatron mix) and “Números” (remixed by British artist DJ Downfall). [ Read more ]

If you ever go to Singapore, or if you live there (we know there’s quite a few Elefant fans over there), make sure you spend some time at Café Cosmo. The place is owned by a bunch of music fans, crazy for the music and aesthetic taste we also like so much here at Elefant Records. From their DJ booth they play music from Elefant’s releases, and on their walls hang posters from our parties and our artists. Besides of that, at Singapore’s Café Cosmo you can buy our records and T-shirts, whilst you have a cup of tea and listen to the best pop songs in all the universe.

Café Cosmo is a concept café located at Amoy Street. Its owners support the independent music scene and provide aplatform for music lovers to interact and share ideas. Independent DJs/Musicians are encouraged to get in touch with the Café to have a go at spinning at the cafe or playing an acoustic set.They operate from a beautifully conserved shop-house in the city. Neighbours are firms in the creative fields of advertising, design, marketing and public relations. Also in close proximity are a couple of old Chinese temples, which draw tourists and add vibrancy to the area.At Café Cosmo, the focus is on music, creativity and the arts. The interior of the Café corresponds with this unique concept and is eclectic and engaging at the same time. It is a place where you can buy that rare imported cd, check out music label tees, vintage curios from the 60 [ Read more ]

LA CASA AZUL have always found a great success in the Asian countries. There they love with passion the band’s hedonistic and colourful approach to pop music. This June has just been released in Korea the debut full-length album by LA CASA AZUL, “Tan simple como el amor”. Korean record label Happy Robot Records has released the album as we know it in its international edition (on Elefant’s edition), but as it is usual in these cases they have added an extra track for good luck: this time, the chosen bonus track has been “Viaje a los sueños polares”, the cover version of the original track by FAMILY that LA CASA AZUL play in a club pop style à la PIZZICATO FIVE. Korea can now singalong to the choruses griten by multitalented producer and composer Guille Milkyway.

LA CASA AZUL: conquer Koreapicture: La Casa Azul conquista Corea12/07/2005

LA CASA AZUL: conquer Koreapicture: La Casa Azul conquista Corea12/07/2005 [ Read more ]

Last year, Taiwanese label Avant Garden Records released several selected record from Elefant’s recent catalogue: “Satélite 99” by Ana D (in a similar edition to that released by Argentinian label Índice Virgen some years ago, featuring extra songs from the live album Grimsey Records released in the States), “Idioma suave” by ENTRE RÍOS, “Popemas” by NOSOTRÄSH, “Canciones de temporada” by NIZA, “Underachievers please try harder” by CAMERA OBSCURA…

The results of this collaboration has proved very satisfactory for all the parties involved, and it’s going ahead now with new releases from our catalogue in Taiwan. Next july, Avant Garden will release there “Cierra la puerta al salir” by NOSOTRÄSH (with the addition of the videoclip for the song “Dando vueltas”) and “Onda” by ENTRE RÍOS, also with a video and two extra tracks: “Si fuimos” (song taken from the “This is my country” compilation, formerly released on the Jabalina label) and “Por ti”, one of the first songs ever composed by the Buenos Aires trio, previously released on the first vinyl single the band did on Elefant.

The exchange between Elefant and Avant Garden isn’t over yet. Later on in time, our Taiwanese friends plan to release a compilation by NIZA, which will include songs from their singles, unreleased tracks, live takes [ Read more ]

Mexican artist Ernesto Moncada has used the lyrics to “Amor cúbico” (a song by NIZA as featured in “Canciones de temporada”, the duo’s only album) for an installation exhibited as a part of the collective exhibition “Fake fur” in Monterey’s Arts Centre.“Fake fur” is an exhibition of installations where Moncada participated with a piece (Imaginary Films Studios 2002-2003 – Música para hacer burbujas / Música para chupar paletas): an exhibition featuring art which uses music as a motto. According to the exhibition’s curator, in these installations “graphic design, contemporary arts and banality walk together. Contemporary art is saturated with more and more ambitious, and in many cases completely absurd objects and projects. Here we play under the same rules”. [ Read more ]

Revista 69, a Peruvian magazine dedicated to independent music, will give Hawai its readers along with the June issue an exclusive CD, “Como un fan”, featuring twenty-four songs taken from the Elefant Records catalogue. An excellent introduction into our label for the Peruvian fans, given away inside a magazine which has dedicated its two alternative covers (they’ve got no back cover) to Beck and NEW ORDER, and which also includes on this issue other interviews, articles and reviews on such artists as LOS BELKING’S, Rufus Wainwright, THE ARCADE FIRE, Daniel Melero, KINGS OF CONVENIENCE or Juana Molina.The website of Perú’s Revista 69 is http://www.revista69.comThe tracklist for this CD is as follows:

01 El bello verano [FAMILY]02 Rimas [ENTRE RÍOS]03 Canción de si tú me quieres [LE MANS]04 Los amantes [ANA D]05 Amor cúbico [NIZA]06 Honey [SINGLE]07 Keep it clean [CAMERA OBSCURA]08 Cierra los ojos [COOPER]09 Poppy girl [VACACIONES]10 Lady Dilema [CARLOS BERLANGA]11 El sol no brillará nunca mas [LA CASA AZUL]12 The sea is so quiet [TREMBLING BLUE STARS]13 Sunday Sahara Spain [IBON ERRAZKIN]14 I love my Jean [CAMERA OBSCURA]15 Rabia [COOPER]16 À Hélène [LES TRES BIEN ENSEMBLE]17 Tantas cosas que arreglar [LA CASA AZUL]18 Volverás [JUNIPER MOON]19 Open Skies [TREMBLING BLUE STARS]20 Los días de Perky Pat [LA MONJA ENANA]21 Paradise lost [METRO]22 La balada de la primavera [L [ Read more ]

You all surely know “The Gilmore Girls”, and if you don’t you should get updated as son as posible, because you would be missing one of the best TV series that can be seen in the last years. Here at Elefant we’re big fans of Rory and Lorelai Gilmore, the sensible teenager and her lunatic mother who live in Stars Hollow, Connecticut. They always have some exquisite cultural reference (records, movies, books) with which they can explain the most varied situations in life, and their musical taste is excellent. It’s not strange, then, that the series soundtrack airs as web many songs that have a lot in common with what we offer from this record label: from the theme song by Carole King to songs by Claudine Longet, THE LA’s, THE MONKEES, Ric Menck from VELVET CRUSH, THE PERNICE BROTHERS or BELLE AND SEBASTIAN.And it fills us with pride and joy that, in one of our favourite series, they’ve cosen a song by one of our artists: “Suspended from class”, by CAMERA OBSCURA, is played on the chapter “Girls in bikinis, boys doin’ the twist”, of the series fourth season.

And now we’re talking about CAMERA OBSCURA and American TV series (the ones we end up watching sooner or later everywhere else in the world), another song by the Scots, “Keep it clean”, is aired on “The Shower”, a chapter on “The O.C.”, a youthful series about the relations and stories of a bunch of teenagers in [ Read more ]

Elefant Records has always had an important presence and recognition in Japan. Bands like LE MANS or LOS FLECHAZOS saw their records licensed there, and were considered as true stars among the many European pop lovers in Japan.

Now, thousands of Elefant Records’ Japanese fans will have the chance to meet and enjoy their favourite pop music by attending the Elefant parties which will be happening this summer at different points of the Shibuya district in Tokyo.

As a part of the activities organized around ExpoAichi 2005, the international Expo taking place in Japan this year, club CAY (at Spiral Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo) will host on July 23rd and 24th two free entrance theme nights dedicated to Elefant Records: two twin parties featuring live shows by LA CASA AZUL and NIZA, plus DJ sessions by DJ Polar and screenings of videoclips from the label’s discography.

As many of you already know, NIZA had recently announced their split, but the enormous success their album has experienced in Japan (where it has been licensed to Rambling Records) has forced this one-off reunion of the couple, which will only do these two important dates in Tokyo. Roberto and Silvia will also attend interviews with the Japanese press in order to promote their record.

Apart from these dates included in the ExpoAichi activities, we will take advantage of our visit and will also organize other parties in the Japanese capital: the first one, already confirmed for July 17th at Shibuya’s clu [ Read more ]

Autopop is Elefant Records’s own sublabel, through which our aim is to help and work with bands and artists who share our label’s philosophy and aesthetics and are ready to self-produce their recordings taking advantage of our structure. We can’t release everything we like, but we can help release a lot of recordings that are really worth seeing the light of day. That is undoubtedly the case with the two new references on Autopop: the long awaited first long-player by LOS SOBERANOS, and the great soundtrack from the movie “See you later Cowabunga”.

“Maratón ye-yé”, the album by LOS SOBERANOS, features fifteen cover versions from the most famous artists in Spanish and international pop music from the 60’s. Songs by Bruno Lomas, Juan y Junior, Rocío Dúrcal, LOS MUSTANG, Arthur Alexander, Caterina Caselli, etc… Fifteen direct, simple songs, fresh and full of humour; fifteen songs that will appeal to all and any kinds of public, from the toughest of the rockers to the most respectable of the family mothers. The record features as well a videoclip where LOS SOBERANOS perform “Yo no tengo a nadie”, originally by the great Spanish crooner Raphael.

“See you later Cowabunga”, on the other hand, ” is a tribute to the music films from the 60’s, specially to legendary Spanish film “Un, dos, tres al escondite inglés”, by cult director Iván Zulueta [ Read more ]

Very soon we’re leaving for Japan, where we will hold a few Elefant parties in Tokyo. As we recently informed, as a part of the celebrations organized for ExpoAichi 2005, club CAY (at Spiral Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo) will hold on July 23rd and 24th two club nights dedicated to Elefant Records: two twin parties in which there will be live shows by LA CASA AZUL and NIZA every night, DJ Polar will DJ, and videoclips from the label’s history will be screened.

Apart from these official parties, included on ExpoAichi’s activities, to make the most of our visit we have organized two other parties in Tokyo: the first one, organized with the help of our friends at the Apple Crumble record shop, will be held on July 17th at club CHU! in Shibuya (the trendiest district in the world), featuring sessions by DJ Polar and DJ Guille Milkyway (LA CASA AZUL) sharing the decks.

The second party will be on July 22nd at club AOI HEYA (a few minutes walk from Shibuya station), and it will take place from midnight until five in the morning. In this party we will enjoy up to five live shows by METRO, APRILS, ADVANTAGE LUCY, MINISKIRT and Dr. USUI (MOTOCOMPO). We are specially illusioned to see a live show by METRO, a Japanese duo of which we have already released a single on Elefant, and who are currently working on new recordings to be released on our label.Along with these shows, before they start and in between shows there will be some DJ sessions by LAS DONETTES (an all-girl ban [ Read more ]

“Alegra la cara” (“Put a smile on your face”) is the title cosen for the tribute album that has just been done in Peru, paying homage to the songs of AEROLÍNEAS FEDERALES, one of the funniest punk-pop band from the 80’s in Spain, whose leader was Spanish pop guitarist Miguel Costas (SINIESTRO TOTAL). On this tribute we will find bands from Spain Mexico, Peru, Chile and Argentina, with styles ranging from indie-pop to electro-pop or punk. Bands from our label, like LA MONJA ENANA, or who have been part of it in the past, like TECNICOLOR or CECILIA ANN, share space with others like LAS DESIS or QUE OUT. If you want to buy this album, you must contact Ya Estás Ya Producciones on: nomastoros@hotmail.com

This is the complete tracklist:

1- Soy una intelectual [PISCINA, Mexico]2- No me beses en los labios [LOS LICUADORAS, Mexico]3- Mi video no tiene mando a distancia [POSTURA 69, Spain]4- Déjame salir [INDIGO, Spain]5- Hop hop [LA MONJA ENANA, Spain]6- Te fuiste con otra [LOS DESGRACIAUS, Spain]7- Oh qué pena me das [TECNICOLOR, Spain]8- Rollo porno [L-KAN, Spain]9- Lárgate [PESTAÑA, Peru]10- Sí mamá [INSULINA & THE PONNY GIRLS, Spain]11- Mucho güisqui y rock n roll [LAS DESIS, Spain]12- Vacaciones [ROPA INTERIOR DE ALPAKA, Peru]13- Quiero rock n roll [FOCOMELOS, Spain]14- Sólo quiero divertirme [THE CASETS, Chile]15- Gualberto (día y noche) [LOS FULANITOS DE TAL, Spain]16- T [ Read more ]

Japanese label Passed Out Recordings will release by the end of June the compilation “This Planets Rolls”, which bears the appropriate subtitle of “International pop compilation: 13 artists, 8 countries, 4 languages”. Among those four languages there’s Spanish, and among those eight countries there’s Spain and Argentina, countries of origin for such Elefant Records artists as LA MONJA ENANA, LA CASA AZUL and ENTRE RÍOS. “Los días de Perky Pat”, “El sol no brillará nunca más” and “Salven las sirenas” are respectively the tracks included of each band in a compilation where they share space with people like Australia’s ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI, USA’s STARLIGHT MINTS or Japan’s ELEKIBASS, among other Italian, Swedish and German outfits. Elefant Records has always been very active and present in the international pop scene, and this is a good example of it. [ Read more ]

Apart from singing like an angel with her dream pop band ENTRE RÍOS, Argentinian singer Isol is a well known illustrator. Her drawings and paintings have been published in renowned publishing houses in Mexico, Spain and France, and her reputation keeps growing every day. On Tuesday May the 10th she presents an exhibition at the Panta Rhei Bookstore and Gallery in Madrid (on their new addres at Hernán Cortés, 7). The material she will exhibit there will consist mainly of originals from already published work, but we will also find some unpublished stuff. The exhibition consists of twelve canvas of 0,80mx1m, so we can have a wide idea of where she’s at as an illustrator at the moment. Some of the illustrations come from the books "Auggie Wren’s Christmas tale" (Editorial Lumen, with a text by novelist Paul Auster), "Aroma de galletas" (Editorial Media Vaca), "Mon corps et moi" (Editions du Rouergue), "Ser y parecer" (Editorial SM México), "Tic Tac" (Editions du Rouergue), "Secreto de familia", "El globo" (Editorial FCE, México), among others, plus unpublished drawings and other self-released projects.Most of the books will be on sale at the bookstore, and so will be some of the original drawings and silkscreened serigraphies.

Isol was born in 1972 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she still lives. There she studied Fine Arts at Escuela Nacional Rogelio Yrurtia.

S [ Read more ]