Elephant Tracks

Ok, so here's the second part of our Croatian Elephant jaunt... This time, it's all about the music!

There were so many stand out moments of musical excellence over the weekend, but here's a quick attempt at narrowing it down to ten tracks. I might make a compilation tape out of this lot if I get chance. In the mean time, here's a few samples for you to listen to.

Here we go:

Sade 'Paradise' (Dreamtime remix)

First up, a dreamy start to the selection... You've got to love Sade anyway, but Mudd dropped the amazing Dreamtime remix of Paradise about half an hour before sunset on Sunday evening, just as the sky was turning warm pink, and we were all dancing bare-footed on the terrace, things couldn't have got much better.

Izzy Royal 'Corrie theme' (Ska Version)

From the utterly sublime to the mildly ridiculous, this little number summed up the fun we were having on bank holiday Monday. Most people were at home watching the Coronation Street omnibus. We were on a beach, listening to the Ska version. Eeeeaaazy now.

Karen Young 'Deetour'

If we ever release a Cosmic Truth compilation, this will certainly be on it. Deetour has been a massive tune for us since our very first party.

Moonboots played this in Barbarella's Discotheque just as things were getting going on Sunday night - If there was ever a tune to get a party started, this is it (This isn't the original, you'll have to find that for yourself, but it's still get the funk!).

Get dancing in your chair.

MIA 'Paper Planes' (DFA remix)

The first of many killer tunes from the Low Life boat party. This remix of MIA's Paper Planes seemed to bump along at the same tempo as the ship was bobbing along the Adriatic on our maiden voyage of 2008. Nice way to start the day!

Punkin' Machine 'I Need You Tonight'

A boat 'moment' for all aboard the good ship Low Life. Is that some CDJ trickery from DJ (Slip)Matt Burgess? Or a ghost in the machine? Spookily, when looking through collated video clips of the boat parties, it seems this track was when the filmmakers in attendence decided to get filming.

Same scenes...different angles

Escape From New York 'Fire In My Heart'

The final track of the Low Life boat brought on a singalong as we pulled in to the harbour and took time out from the seven seas til HMD vs HE.

EFNY were not exactly prolific producers in terms of quantity, managing only two singles in their blink-and-miss-it career. Like their contemporaries Punkin Machine (who knocked up a healthier four singles during their time in the fickle early-80s) it is definately a case of quality over quantity. If these acts had adopted a Madonna-like work ethic to churning out copious 'hits' then maybe these beuts would not have come about. Or, the other argument might be that we could potentially have a disco Beatles before us. Or maybe both acts had a massive case of beginners luck - who knows?? Am I rambling...

This clip (un)fortunately doesn't have the sing-along!


James Mason 'I Want Your Love''

No, not the Chic track.

In what was a Chair inspired event it was a surprise not to hear some of the more popular/classic/nostalgic/anthemic of the Una's clubnight and compilation tracks being played. [OK, we missed the Electric Chair Saved My Life boat!]. We did hear the closing track to the first Electric Soul album during the beach bar's impromptu Monday afternoon takeover. Beautiful low-slung sonic soul. And for some reason (!) it sounded better in the bazing sunshine with a flower vase of liquour than it did on my daily Central Line commute.

BTW - I don't know who played this, but if it was you please get in touch. The track before it was sublime on a similar future soul sound, but I was too horizontal to get up and ask what it was!

Tullio De Piscopo 'Stop Bajon'

This list is in no particular order, though it's fitting that we save this track for the end. Massive in the Cosmic Loft for years, perfect sunset tune, delivered by the man like Paul N Murphy, whooped along to by Baze!

Whoever said 'a picture tells a thousand words' wasn't lying...


No Photoshop trickery deployed here. This was the actual sky as seen from the beach bar.