It was around July or August last year that I started to think about what I might do to recognise the 25th birthday of Elefant Traks. I had previously written a blog about Elefant Traks in the lead up to ET18 in 2016 and followed that up in 2018 with a blog reflecting on the ET20 experience I enjoyed in Melbourne.

This time around I thought it might be good to do some playlists/compilations of my top 25’s to align with the 25-year theme. So, I started thinking what my 25 favourite songs and/or artists and/or albums are and how I might go about creating such lists. I started compiling some playlists on Spotify to start organising my thoughts on what might make the cut.

So, I had commenced some preparations but given I was working as well as still writing a book last year I didn’t do much else as I awaited the announcement I assumed would be made for a 25th birthday celebration at some stage in 2023.

But there was no event.

We now know why.

Sadly, Elefant Traks in March this year announced that they have had to make the tough decision to pull up stumps, marking the end of a remarkable 26-year era of creating quality Australian independent music. The impact of Elefant Traks on the independent music scene cannot be overestimated, during the ET era, they released over 1300 songs across 66 albums and 40 EP’s.

To recognise this achievement and to pay tribute to the Elefant Traks fam, I have selected my top 25 (well actually its 26) Elefant Traks songs. This was quite a task given the amazing array of tracks produced by this remarkable roster of artists. But it has been a process that I have enjoyed in the days leading up the Elefant Traks 25th Anniversary – The Finale at the Opera House … and how cool is that, we are off to the Opera House on Sunday, easily the most iconic venue in Australia. A old friend of mine, Jimbob, used to work at the Opera House and I remember him given me and another mate a ‘no holds barred’ tour into the depths of this amazing building. It was a great experience and now I get to see the ET fam do their thing there for one last time.

I did have plans to create several top 25 lists and release them in the lead up to this event. But I really needed to focus on my book, so I have decided to let these other lists wait until later in the year once the book has been completed. But I’m pretty excited by these other top 25’s so I will just indulge myself and give a bit of a sneak peek at what I’ll be sharing in the future.

The first list I was going to release was my Top 25 Favourite Female artists. I must confess that female artists have traditionally not been well represented in my music collection. That changed ever since a conversation with an old friend of mine about 15 or so years ago. When looking through my CD collection she observed that my collection had no females in it. And she was pretty much right. Of the 600 or so CDs I had at the time the only all-female band in my collection was Nitocris and the only band with a female lead singer was Kosheen. I guess there was also Jane Tyrrell who is a member of The Herd. I took my friends point on board noting that this oversight of mine was not on purpose. But ever since that conversation I have made a point of introducing more female artists into my music collection. So now, I am quite proud to say that there are numerous female artists in my CD collection culminating in 2023 when for the first-time female artists (6) outnumbered male artists (4) in my top ten for the Hottest 100.

My favourite female artists now include the likes of Aurora, Jess Harlen, Barkaa, Lisa Mitchell, BENEE, Mallrat, Tones and I, Sampa the Great and Spinifex Gum. Aurora would definitely be in my top 10 all-time favourite artists and to highlight the impact of Elefant Traks, 5 of my top female artists are from the Elefant Trak fam … Jane Tyrrell, Okenyo, Coda Conduct, Caiti Baker and Nardean. Also in my top 25 are Mirrah, Vida Sunshyne, Parvyn and Thelma Plum who have all collaborated with ET artists.

Here is a link to My top 25 Female Artists playlist.

I have also been trying to come up with a top 25 favourite artists and top 25 favourite tracks. As far as artists go, my number 1 favourite band is The Herd and the likes of The Last Kinection, L-Fresh the Lion, Horrorshow and Jimblah would also be in my top 25 favourite artists of all time. My top 5 favourite artists would be The Herd, Henry Rollins, Peter Tosh, Public Enemy and Nick Cave.

There is an Elefant Trak song in my current top 5 favourite ever tracks. I wont name it here as that will give away what my top ET song is, but the other four of my favourite ever tracks are We Deserve To Dream by Xavier Rudd, Shine by the Rollins Band, Three Little Birds by Bob Marley & the Wailers and Pick Myself Up by Peter Tosh.

Here is a link to my 50 All Time Favourite Songs, yep, I need to get this down to 25 songs.

As I have done for the last few years, I have also created a 2024 playlist of new music which will inform my top ten for the Hottest 100 this year. At this stage my top 5 songs for 2024 are Palestine Will Never Die by Lowkey and Mai Khalil, The Conflict of the Mind by Aurora, Dreaming by Tones and I, Banamba by Ziggy Ramo and No Thank You For The Music by Frank Turner.

Here is a link to my 2024 playlist.

Anyway, I have digressed enough, back to my top 25 ET songs. Whilst I tried to share the love, I couldn’t find room for a track from B Wise, Sky’High, Nardean, Sietta and Coda Conduct. But I do have a favourite track from each of these artists, they are:

I guess I couldn’t find room for the above tracks as I couldn’t let go of 6 Herd tracks that have been included, 5 of those tracks are actually in the Top 10.  The Herd have been my favourite band for over 20 years now and I have had the pleasure of seeing them perform live on many occasions. The most memorable probably being the time when they performed out front of the Art Gallery of South Australia for the opening of the Ben Quilty Exhibition. Another memorable gig was when The Herd played at the Enmore Theatre alongside Yothu Yindi and the Treaty Project and Baker Boy. This was the first time I saw Baker Boy perform and I’ve been a massive fan of his ever since.

The Last Kinection and L-Fresh the Lion each have 3 tracks in my top 25. Horrorshow, Astronomy Class, Jimblah and Urthboy have 2 tracks each while Hermitude, Okenyo and Jane Tyrrell each have 1 track.

However, given that Elefant Traks have gone into their 26th year I thought I could sneak one more song into my list … so to start things off at number 26 is ….

  1. Colours – Elefant Traks All Stars (Hermitude, Solo, The Tongue, Ozi Batla & Urthboy)

Colours by the Elefant Trak All Stars (consisting of Hermitude, Solo, The Tongue, Ozi Batla & Urthboy) is a track on the Australian Hip Hop Supports CanTeen Compilation which was released in 2011.

This compilation supports cancer charity CanTeen and was the final project that Hunter had been working on prior to his death in 2011 following his own battle with cancer.

The documentary, Hunter: For the Record about Hunter and his battle with cancer is one of the most moving documentaries I have ever watched. I recommend it but its hits you in the heart.

Anyway, I wanted to kick off my top 26 with a collaboration track featuring several ET artists and this is the one I chose. I also considered selecting the All-in-Freestyle – Live at The Forum featuring The Herd, The Tongue and Horrorshow. This is the last track from the Elefant Traks 10th Anniversary DVD. I also thought of Better Alive by The Herd which features Thundamentals and Sky’High. but I guess I already have enough Herd goodness in this list, so Colours it is.

  1. Face the Fire – Jimblah

I love Jimblah.

He would be in my top 25 all time favourite artists.  He has featured 5 times in my top ten for the Hottest 100 with tracks such as Treaty 2015 (2015), My Island Home (2017) as well as his collaboration with Marlon and BLKMPIRE, Lean on Me (2021)

I thought the most important track to be released in 2019 was Black Life Matters by Jimblah and Ellie May. This was my number 1 song for the year. It was written in just two days and was born out of the grief and sadness following the shooting of Kumanjayi Walker and contains the message that enough is enough and that it is time to treat our indigenous people with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Jimblah was also in my top ten in 2020 but you’ll have to wait to hear more about that song later in the list … it might come in at number 13 actually.

Anyway, I was close to choosing Black Life Matters but instead I have chosen Face the Fire which is the title track from Jimblah’s debut album released in 2012 and was the first Jimblah song that I fell in love with.

  1. Four Barang In A Tuk-Tuk – Astronomy Class

This track comes from Astronomy Class’s 3rd album, Mekong Delta Sunrise. This album was released in 2014 after the members of Astronomy Class (Ozi Batla, Sir Robbo and Chasm) spent time in Cambodia. During this time, they came across vocalist Srey Channthy, who became central to the sound and vibe of this album.

Astronomy Class and Srey performed at Womad in 2015 on the Moreton Bay Stage and they were awesome. Srey was just brilliant, so captivating on stage. Whenever I hear this album, I think of this performance. My favourite song from the album is Four Barang In A Tuk-Tuk so I just had to include it in my top 25 ET tracks.

Sadly, Srey died in a vehicle accident in 2018. My condolences go out to all those who loved her. 

  1. Small Stuff – The Last Kinection

I could only find room for 3 The Last Kinection tracks in my top 25. The Last Kinection are close to being in my top 10 favourite ever bands and if I had to choose, are maybe my second favourite ET artist following The Herd. The other contender as my second favourite ET artist is L-Fresh the Lion, but Horrorshow is also in the mix.

Anyway, to choose 3 favourite The Last Kinection tracks is quite a challenge. They have released two albums, Nutches (2008) and Next of Kin (2011) and both albums are full of bangers.

Small Stuff is a track from the Next of Kin album and reminds us to not sweat the small stuff, to keep focus on our priorities and keep perspective.

  1. Speak of the Devil – Hermitude

I couldn’t have a top 25 ET songs and not include Hermitude.

Whilst Hermitudes debut album, Alleys To Valleys was released back in 2003 it wasn’t until the release of their 4th Album, HyperParadise that I started to listen to their music more closely.  In particular, I just loved their track, Speak of the Devil. The music video is pretty cool too, you can check it out here.

Speak of the Devil is my favourite Hermitude track so I have selected it for this list.

Other Hermitude tracks that I enjoy include The Buzz and Through the Roof from their Dark Night Sweet Light album (2015) and Can’t Stop from the Tales Of The Drift album (2005).

  1. Echoes In the Aviary – Jane Tyrrell

Jane is a member of The Herd and released her debut solo album, Echoes in the Aviary in 2014. She has collaborated with many of my favourite hip hop artists including; Urthboy, Tuka and Horrorshow.

‘Echoes in the Aviary’ has been one of my most played albums over the last decade. I regularly listen to it at bedtime as it is such a great album to end your day on. I just love this album and there is really no standout track for me, but I have chosen the title track, Echoes in the Aviary as my favourite Jane Tyrrell track.

Jane is in my top 5 favourite female artists alongside Aurora, Jess Harlen, Barkaa and Lisa Mitchell.

  1. Unpredictable – The Herd

This is the first of 6 Herd tracks in this list, I may have gone overboard but I just love this band so much and I could have just chosen 25 Herd tracks to be honest.

Unpredictable is the opening track from The Herd’s third album, The Sun Never Sets released in 2005 and is probably one of the most fun tracks that The Herd play live. If I was to choose a set list for The Herd, then Unpredictable would be one of the first tracks I’d pick.

  1. Peace & Light – L-Fresh the Lion (feat Mirrah)

Peace & Light was my number 1 track for the 2020 Hottest 100. It is from L’s third album SOUTH WEST.

The thing that draws me most to this track are the lyrics, and I could just about quote every verse of this song but instead I will just encourage you to listen to the track, it’s a ripper.

There are 2 more L-Fresh the Lion track to go in this list.

  1. Shruggin – Urthboy (feat Jane Tyrrell)

Urthboy has released 7 albums and has many great tracks to choose from. Some of my favourite tracks of his include We Get Around and the title track The Signal from the album The Signal (2007), Second Heartbeat (feat Sampa the Great & OKENYO) from the The Past Beats Inside Me Like a Second Heartbeat album (2016), and On Your Shoulders (feat Solo & Jimblah) from the Smokey’s Haunt album (2012).

But my second favourite Urthboy track (as there is one more coming up in the top 10), is Shruggin (feat Jane Tyrrell), released in 2009 on the Spitshine album. I just love the vibe of this song and besides, any song that includes Jane is a beauty.

  1. DMT – Horrorshow

I think DMT may be the most recent track to make this list as it was released just over 2 years ago in March 2022. It was released as a single but is also found on the Good Problems, Bad Feelings album that was released later that year.

DMT is a song that just makes me feel good and I relate to several of the verses as I have quit working for a while to write my book. It is a reflective and empowering track that encourages us to be ourselves and to find fulfilment and happiness in doing our own thing.

DMT was one of my favourite tracks from 2022 and was included in my Hottest 100.

  1. Say I’m Good – Joelistics

This is a banger, not only does this song get me up and about it also contains a message of staying true to oneself and not conforming to societies expectations.

This track comes from Joelistic’s third album, Blue Volume, which is a contender to be amongst my top 25 favourite albums.

  1. Get Mine – L-Fresh the Lion (feat Parvyn Kaur Singh)

 Get Mine is the second L-Fresh track to make this list. It would be a toss up between this track and 1 in 100,000 as to which L-Fresh song is my favourite performed live. I have seen L perform live on several occasions now, most recently at Womad. Other highlights from Womad also include watching L and Mirrah cook as part of the Taste the World experience.

Anyway, this is a great track with lots of energy. L said this about the track, “The song is about smiling even when the odds are stacked against you; stylin’ on ’em, even when the game wasn’t made for you to win.”[1]

  1. Black & Deadly – The Last Kinection

The title of an article on Double J is, “The Last Kinection’s ‘Black and Deadly’ is a defiant middle finger to racism”. Enough said really. Its also a song that has a great energy that’s get you up and about.

One of my greatest Elefant Trak memories is talking to Joel Wenitong following one of their gigs at Fowlers Live in Adelaide. I reckon we chatted for at least ½ an hour. He was chatting about his studies to become a doctor and I was studying for an MBA.

  1. What’s Going On – triple j Like A Version – Jimblah

I remember being blown away the first time I watched the video of Jimblah covering Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ for Like a Version in January 2020. It was immediately my number 1 song for that year, only to be being knocked off 6 months later when L-Fresh the Lion released his third album, SOUTH WEST … his song Peace & Light took the gong as my number 1 song for that year.

Anyway, do yourself a favour and watch the performance of this song, the vibe in the studio must have been so much fun and that comes through. Here is a link.

I was initially hesitant to include this track in my list due to it being a cover, but I just love this track. The vibe of this performance is what moves me the most, it’s hard to put a word to it, but it always brings a big smile. Perhaps it’s just the vibe the ET fam bring whenever they come together and do something special.

I see it in other ‘Like a Versions’ the ET fam have done, such as I Was Only 19 by The Herd, Bodies by The Herd & Okenyo or  Walk On The Wild Side/Can I Kick It? by Horrorshow to name a few.

Anyway, do yourself a favour and watch the performance of this song, here is a link.

  1. Where You At? – Astronomy Class (feat Kween G & Vida Sunshyne)

I love this track, Where You At? is from Astronomy Class’s debut album, Pursuit Of Happiness released in 2005.

It is probably my favourite Astronomy Class Track but the likes of A Bright Tomorrow, Vibe Wont Stop (feat Gina Mitchell) and No Drop to Drink from the album, Exit Strategy (2006) as well as On Your Mind (feat Vida-Sunshyne) and Pursuit Of Happiness from the Pursuit of Happiness album were all contenders.

It was this track that first put me onto Vida Sunshyne and I have been a fan of hers ever since.

  1. Eyes to the Sky – Okenyo

I had to include at least one Okenyo track in this list. I really enjoy her music, In 2018 she released her EP THE WAVE and the track 20 / 20 made my top ten for the Hottest 100 that year. The following year I selected her single, Buckle Up, for the Hottest 100.  Solo, the title track from her EP released in 2020 also made that year’s Hottest 100.

One of my Okenyo highlights was getting to watch her music video for Woman’s World at the Elefant Mansion. Dale had invited me to visit and was giving me a tour of the place when the video first came off the presses. It was a privilege to share the excitement with everyone in the ET office seeing this video for the first time.

But I have decided to choose Eyes to the Sky as probably my favourite Okenyo track. It was released as a single in 2019 but is also on the Solo EP.

Okenyo has recently released music under the name Zindzi and the Zillionaires. It’s good positive music for children. Okenyo is also an actor and presenter on Play School too.

  1. 2020 – The Herd

 This is the opening track to the Summerland album released in 2008.

It is a call to arms depicting our political struggles and challenges with a great beat, this is another Herd song that is great live.

  1. Not In My Name – Joelistics

Not in my Name is a very moving song and doesn’t make me feel good about our country as it hits the mark for me with regard to our inhumane treatment of refugees.

There are some poignant verses in this song, including this one …

Lately I’ve been losing all my faith in humanity

And to think I am part of it is embarrassing

I read the paper and I keep up with the news

I can’t recognise what we do is even human

It’s out of wack, out of balance, out of control

The lies told and the attitudes that unfold

This fucking country has a rotten bitter hard soul

We must face our demons so that we might mend our rotten hard soul. This song helps us do that. Not in my Name can be found on the  Blue Volume album (2014).

Not in my Name coupled with the next song in this list, Letters from Jamshed provide a great context for the way we treat refugees. Listening to these two tracks reminds me of how I felt when I heard Behrouz Boochani talk at Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. On one hand, I am filled with inspiration and awe at the human spirit and our ability to overcome all odds but also filled with the repulsive feeling of shame and guilt for being complicit in our inhumanity for putting people in these situations in the first place.

  1. Letters From Jamshed – Urthboy

 Letters from Jamshed is a beautifully put together song and should be listened to by everyone as it provides a human voice to the effects of our refugee policies which are the epitome of evil to me.

The song was originally released on The Key of Sea (2010) which is an album that explores different perspectives on the political debate on refugees and asylum seekers. It is a musical collaboration between artists and identifies how valuable all cultures are to Australian society.

I love the concept of the song whereby Urthboy took extracts from letters between his sister and Jamshed and turned it into a song. His sister participated in a pen pal program with asylum seekers which is such a cool thing to do and it’s great these letters inspired this song.

  1. States Of Transit – The Herd

This is the first of two songs I have chosen from The Herds An Elefant Never Forgets album.

I love the classic laid back groove of this track which depicts a typical urban story which appeals to me as it reminds me of my profession, town planning.

  1. Thoughtcrime (Doin’ My Think) – Horrorshow

I think I’ve had 5 different Horrorshow songs in this slot, I have so many favourite songs it was hard to choose. I landed on Thoughtcrime (Doin’ My Think) from Horrorshow’s debut album, Inside Story (2009) I could also have picked Inside Story and The Rain from that album as well. I also toyed with selecting Own Backyard (feat Jimblah) or Free from the King Amongst Many album (2013). I also love Our Time and  Push (Taj Ralph) from the Bardo State album.

Push was one of my selections for the Hottest 100 in 2016, as was the single Right Here (B Wise, Omar Musa).

In 2015 I included Any Other Name (feat Thelma Plum, Jimblah, Urthboy) in my Hottest 100 and in 2019 New Normal was in my top ten.

Kendra Pearce probably wrapped up what Thoughtcrime (Doin’ My Think) means to me when she said this about the song, it “is a powerful and thought-provoking song that encourages listeners to think critically, embrace their uniqueness, and challenge societal norms. It serves as a reminder that originality and independent thought are crucial in a world that often prizes conformity.”[2]

  1. Millions of People – The Last Kinection

This track resonates with much of my own negative self-talk and feelings of isolation but also inspires me to remember I am not alone.

Millions of People was released on The Last Kinection’s second album, Next of Kin in 2011.

  1. The Heart, The Pen – L-Fresh the Lion

The lyrics are what draws me to this track, they resonate with me deeply and align with my own ambitions to write. The following verses inspire me greatly …

My life begins and ends with these sentences

The pen is my witness, it tempts me with its relentlessness

And it guides me to where the essence is

Inside, it invites me to release these messages

…

Eloquence, reverence and benevolence

No segregation of individual residents

I wonder what that would be like, that’s why I write

To bring my imagination to life

…

Burn wordly love

Rub the ashes and make ink of it

Make the heart the pen; the intellect the writer

Write that which has no end or limit

The Heart, The Pen comes from L’s debut album, One, released in 2014.

  1. The Sum Of It All – The Herd

The Sum Of It All comes from The Herds fifth and last album Future Shade which was released in 2011. The song makes me reflect on my life and the decisions, trade-offs, compromises  and choices I have made.

This song is a great reminder to pause, reflect and reevaluate.

“The Herd’s ability to craft such meaningful lyrics and deliver them with passion and authenticity is what makes this song truly special.”[3]

  1. 77% – The Herd

This song is still as relevant today as when it was released in 2003 on The Herd’s second album, An Elefant Never Forgets.

It expresses the anger and despair many of us are feeling. Joe Lyon summed up it up in his article about the song, here is a link. He said, “77% by The Herd is a powerful critique of racism and an impassioned plea for change. With its thought-provoking lyrics and intense energy, the song serves as a reminder that we all have a role to play in creating a more equitable and accepting society. Let us heed the call to wake up and shake up the prejudices that divide us.”

My number one favouritest ET track is the first one I ever heard ….

  1. Scallops – The Herd

“Fatty cells expand as I take the mic in hand”

And with that opening line from the first song I ever heard by The Herd I was hooked.

Scallops is such a fun song, and it resonates with my love of the potato scallop/potato cake.

I am one of those idiots at a Herd gig yelling out for them to play this song, I’ve been lucky enough to see them play it live on several occasions.

The music video for Scallops seemed to have gone missing from YouTube for a few years but I recently came across it again, here is a link.

So, they are my top 25 Elefant Traks songs, hopefully we will get to hear a couple of them on Sunday night.

Whilst it is sad that the ET era has come to an end I am really just grateful that they existed. I am a better person because they existed. Elefant Traks represents everything I think is great about Australia and Australian Music and I wish everyone associated with the label all the very best for the future.

The Elefant Traks roster of amazing artists have inspired my intellect, spoken to my heart and nourished my soul … and for that I am eternally grateful.

It’s the end of an era. But one last point. I have bought loads of ET merch over the years. So much so that I have several t-shirts that have yet to be worn. Probably a good thing as I will be able to represent Elefant Traks for at least another 25 years. That’s if I live that long anyway.

Thanks for reading this blog.

All the best.

 

Here is a link to my playlist of 26 Favourite Elefant Traks.

Here is a link to My top 25 Female Artists playlist.

Here is a link to my 50 All Time Favourite Songs

Here is a link to my 2024 playlist.

[1] Quote found in this Guardian article, L-Fresh the Lion: Get Mine – video premiere

[2] The Meaning Behind The Song: Thoughtcrime (Doin’ My Think) by Horrorshow – Old Time Music

[3] Barbara Sparks, 2023, The Meaning Behind The Song: The Sum Of It All by The Herd – Old Time Music