Mr Elephant Presents

Its been a while, and these have been at elephant hq for a while now, so hope they still have the same impact they did on the test plays. We’ve been waiting for the talented Aart to make the cd cover, but its almost been a year now, so i think its about time!

This third mixtape is a journey as Mr Elephant explores his heart. Not knowing where to begin, he soon finds the broad street crew, the then various nightlife,  and the further he goes the more knows, until he finds out what love is, and finds true love. A bit like Forest Gump in a lot of respects.

Anyway i hope you enjoy his lickle story, and as ever comments are welcome. If the narrative doesnt hit you i hope that the music does. Enjoy

Mr Elephant’s Falling In Love

Or if the player isnt working - click here to play

1. Where Do I Begin (Away Team Mix) - Shirley Bassey - http://www.last.fm/music/Shirley+Bassey+And+Away+Team

2. Irony Of It All - The Streets
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Streets?q=the+streets

3. Fuck Me Pumps - Amy Whinehouse
http://www.last.fm/music/Amy+Winehouse

4. Subbacultcha - The Pixies
http://www.last.fm/music/Pixies?q=The+Pixies

5. Hey Big Spender - Shirley Bassey
http://www.last.fm/music/Shirley+Bassey

6. Irene - Mama Matrix
http://www.myspace.com/mamamatrix

7. When She Loved Me - Sarah Mclaughlin
http://www.last.fm/music/Sarah+McLachlan?q=+Sarah+Mclaughlin

8. Unravel - Bjork
http://www.last.fm/music/Bj%C3%B6rk?q=Bjork

9. Protection - Massive Attack
http://www.last.fm/music/Massive+Attack?q=Massive+Attack

10. Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
http://www.last.fm/music/Tracy+Chapman?q=Tracy+Chapman

11. You Belong To Me - Bob Dylan
http://www.last.fm/music/Bob+Dylan?q=Bob+Dylan

12. Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
http://www.last.fm/music/Jeff+Buckley?q=Jeff+Buckley

13. You, Me and The Alarm Clock - Johnny Dangerously
http://www.last.fm/music/Johnny+Dangerously

14. Distractions - Zero 7
http://www.last.fm/music/Zero+7?q=Zero+7

15. In Love With You - Ericka Badu
http://www.last.fm/music/Erykah+Badu?q=Ericka+Badu+

16. Aqueous Transmission - Incubus
http://www.last.fm/music/Incubus?q=+Incubus

If you listened to or downloaded this mix, please drop us a comment below, and if you like any of the artists, please think about buying one of their tracks.

One Love

For part 2 this month we are pleased to showcase Marc Reck’s latest mix, which is based on the heroes journey. He recently hosted it on his own website, so i’ll pass you over to him to describe it.

Finally after almost a year, i decided to finish a breaks mix i worked on last year, which was showcased at our last big Project X Presents event in November, and which was based on the Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey. It was also a set that i reopened the Que Club with, and part of it was featured in my first review at Custom Made, so as you can imagine it feels really good to finish it!

It was ony waiting for one mix, but there was nothing in my box that seemed to fit, so i’ve left it for…..well for months now.

Last night though, i managed to finish it by trying a couple of new tracks with it, which i think fits the narrative perfectly, and by 6am, i had a couple of covers and the tracklisting all done. (The cover incidentally is something i made at school when i was 7!)

So for your listening “pleasure” may I present - “Journey to the Edge of Somewhere”. I really hope you enjoy it, and i also hope you can see some of the hero’s journey in it.

It’s not supposed to be pretty, for obvious reasons, and music wise its based around the heavier end of breaks and drum and bass, as similar to my Fear and Love Mix, it is designed to work on an underground dancefloor, as well as have a narrative.

I didnt have room to put the stages on the cd cover, though i do want to, so until then, here they are for your reference.

• The Ordinary World

• The Call to Adventure

• Meeting The Mentor

• Crossing The Threshold

• Approach to the Innermost Cave

• The Supreme Ordeal

• The Road Back

• The Shadow Challenge

• The Freedom To Return

• The Reward

And here’s the tracklisting.

I wanted to host it on my server, so downloading it would be quick for anyone that wants to, and the file size is only 33 meg, so should be fairly quick.

The only downside, is that it wont tell me how many people have downloaded it, so if you do download it, or listen to it online, all i ask is that you drop me a comment, (even its just “downloading/listening now”) so i can get some idea of how many people are interested to hear it.

Many thanks, i hope you enjoy it, and i really appreciate your comments

Of if the players not working - Click Here to Play

First up is the mighty Autobots with their block rocking set recorded live at Rockfall vs city Breaks @ The Custard Factory in July 2007

Of if the players isn’t working - Click here to play

And for the 2nd half is a beautiful live recording from a gig that Rich Batsford played at the old joint stock theatre

Of if the players isnt working - Click here to play

You can find more of his work on his site or on his last fm page - http://www.last.fm/music/Rich+Batsford

If you enjoy this radio show, again please comment or get in touch with the artist.

Also please have a listen to the other two radio shows by clicking on the radio category on the right hand side.

Thanks for listening.

Report #2

I recently asked Carl if he would comment about regeneration in Digbeth:

“Whilst regeneration of Digbeth can be a good thing I believe that it must integrate sensitively with the historic landscape and work carefully with established manufacturing businesses and licensed premises especially. Digbeth and Deritend are working areas and I am concerned that both are in danger of being transformed into another part of ‘apartment Birmingham’, an entity which has no connection with the past and which does not have an affinity with manufacturing and pubs.” (Carl Chinn, June 2008).

Carl highlights concerns that many of us are presently tackling and taking up issue with.

The Big City Plan will affect the lives of all those living and working inside the middle ring road for at least the next fifteen years. This process is not unique to Digbeth. Other towns in the West Midlands are undergoing comparable changes and in every industrial city in Britain we see similar patterns of transformation in the name of regeneration.

Common distaste for regeneration stems from the failure of Governments to acknowledge the selling out of British manufacturing and the ongoing denial of a working class supports and expands this ignorance. The instrumentalised decline of industry outmoded the labouring population of Britain, leaving traditional trades and skills surplus to requirement in a working climate based on commerce alone. The infiltration of such business systems destroying workers solidarity and now eating into the core of national services- service no longer a duty or helpful action, but a measurable commodity.

Industrial belts like Digbeth, in the wake of British industry, are earmarked for branding as ‘lifestyle quarters’, the new industry of Digbeth- the ‘Creative and Cultural’. Existing businesses that do not correspond with the desired lifestyle stereotype are encouraged to diversify and buy into imagined communities rather than finding support in their existing state. This state of flux and impending decline sends visual messages to onlookers who then back stark regeneration rather than renovation and restoration as an option for existing local enterprise.

Digbeth’s ‘Creative and Cultural’ status and the inevitable expansion of the Custard factory will continue to effect the immediate location and the working community. This brings into question not only the historical context, but the focus that is now put on artistic labour and the influence this will have on trades excluded from the ‘Creative’ sector. The arts and the art not’s. The elevation of the ‘Creative’ role will further alienate the function of the worker. How will the arts funded under the conditions of Bourgeois reality cope with an essentially contradictive environment that is fundamentally hostile to art?  (RHR July 2008)