This is a multimedia project that spanned three years. Honoring the esoteric legacy of the Elephant 6 Recording Company, I created a sprawling collection of carefully refurbished print media from the 1990s, rare music, & supplementary original artwork.
PACKAGING
Photos of the project housed inside its box, showcasing two original illustrations on the front and inside flap.
RESEARCH ESSAY
This is a fifteen page essay that documents and streamlines the history of the Elephant 6. Largely my own research, with additional information provided by three founding members of the company. Eric Allen (bassist for The Apples in Stereo) described the essay as a "wrangled and streamlined version of a multi-headed hydra that spins out into tangents very easily.” I also have included the Majestic Harmonious Umbrella, an extended list of Elephant 6 bands and their offshoots, plus Tiny Portrait Heads, a gallery of miscellaneous images I came across in my research.
MUSIC
Three CDs and their respective cases, as they were included in the project. The first two CDs (housed in a single jewel case) serve as the Interstellar Pop Underground itself, a sprawling two disc CD mix of the best and catchiest songs the Elephant 6 has to offer. I attempted to mix together each song to create a special flow that you wouldn't find on just some YouTube playlist or typical "best of" collection.
The third CD is Nocturnal Half-Serious Delirium, a selection of rare and hard-to-find tracks, often sourced directly from the musicians themselves. Featuring selections from the most peculiar and outlandish music projects around, including childhood cassette ramblings from Robert Schneider and the only officially released piece by the aloof Korena Pang.
ORIGINAL ARTWORK
A selection of the original artwork I created for this project.
Cover artwork used to represent the entire project. Done as a collaborative piece between me and Jules Hutson.
Portrait of the five founding members of the Elephant 6 (featuring an iconic 6-foot metronome). Done as a collaborative piece between me and April Rae.
Hand-lettered text done for the project
A cleaned up, colored & vectored version of the logo that adorned many albums throughout the 1990s
The front side of a "dust jacket" design that would be used in a hypothetical vinyl release by the recording company
The back side of a "dust jacket" design that would be used in a hypothetical vinyl release by the recording company
ARCHIVED & REFURBISHED ARTWORK
Pieces crafted by using Xerox machines and typewriters by the band members themselves.
These archives are some of the only digital scans of the pieces.
A scan of the winter 1994 Elephant 6 catalog. Many of the items listed on the catalog are either hard to find, or unconfirmed if they exist.
A scan of the winter 1994 Elephant 6 catalog. Many of the items listed on the catalog are either hard to find, or unconfirmed if they exist.
One of the first prints for the band the Apples (later renamed the Apples in Stereo), included in one of their first EP releases.
Artwork created for a 7" release by the Music Tapes, meant to be printed as a double-sided poster.
Artwork created for a 7" release by the Music Tapes, meant to be printed as a double-sided poster.
The first ever Elephant 6 mail order catalog, sent out in the summer of 1993
A scan of a pamphlet handed out at an Olivia Tremor Control show. These pieces were commonly scrapped after shows or lost/damaged over time. This was discovered by a fan, tucked inside a used album.
