Flamingos of Steel – The Beat is the Law Mixtape #1

July 4th, 2011

‘Flamingos of Steel’ is the first in a series of specially designed The Beat is the Law mixtapes bringing together curated music and contemporary art from the best in Sheffield troublemakers. DJ and stylist Ralph Razor, who’s currently tour managing Pulp’s Russell Senior on the band’s summer tour, takes in fifteen years of lurid glamour and fashion dandyism from Cabaret Voltaire to The Yell via sea shanties, absinthe sessions and a Nick Cave cover version.

We’re presenting ‘Flamingos of Steel’ as a pair of Spotify links –

Flamingos of Steel – Side A
Flamingos of Steel – Side B

And a ready- to-print piece of original cassette inlay art by artist Jim Connolly (click on the image below to view and download).

Jim is best known for his darkly humorous series of sci-fi reimaginings of Sheffield landmarks – including Escape from the Moor and Terror at Tinsley Towers – but his website demonstrates the real breadth of his work. We loved this portrait of Kurt Cobain.

We spoke to Ralph and Jim about the project, William Shatner and that surprise Glastonbury appearance.

tBitL: Why ‘Flamingos of Steel’, Ralph?

Ralph Razor: The juxtaposition of the flamboyant and the industrial. Flamingos stand out wherever they are and look slightly ridiculous and out of place even when in their natural habitat. They are iconic outsiders who refuse to blend and there is nothing quite like them, so it felt like quite an apt metaphor.  It also thought it sounds a little bit like it could be the title of a Sheffield music compilation from 1981…

tBitL: Were there any tracks you weren’t able to fit on the tape?

RR: Actually not really. The cuts which made the final selection more or less chose themselves as they were all songs which reminded me of stories based on my experience of living in Sheffield. They’re all tracks I’d describe as ‘very Sheffield’ in the sense that Sheffield isn’t just a place, it’s a state of mind. Something can come from Sheffield and not be very Sheffield at all, whereas something can come from New York, Berlin, Tokyo or anywhere else in the world and embody the Sheffield sensibility.

tBitL: Jim, what are your thoughts on Ralph’s musical selections?

Jim Connolly: ‘First Man in Space’ is a personal fave of mine, and ‘Dear John’ is a fun but tragic tale. I liked Nick Cave’s cover but I’d have to hand the Pulp-cover-version gold medal to William Shatner’s stunning rendition of ‘Common People’.

tBitL: How did you approach the piece?

JC: We thought that the mixtape tBitL theme would lend itself well to a slightly DIY looking comic-book film noir approach. Ralph used to run the club-night Razor Stiletto and have some lightening bolt side burns so I decided a few jagged-ey edges were the way to go. The Sheffield background comes partly from my series of Sheffield pictures. I wasn’t sure how to illustrate a ‘Flamingo of Steel’ but think this sultry fire-walking bird has enough attitude to lay claim to that label.

tbitL: How’s it going with the tour?

RR: The Pulp tour has been an amazing experience so far, and every show has been incredibly well received. As someone who has only been involved in it all for a few months it is incredibly moving to see such a phenomenal response from audience. At times feels more like a political rally than a gig (in a good way!), so I can only begin to imagine what it must be like for members of the band.

Their music seems to have aged well and they have become somewhat of a national treasure. Jarvis has still got the moves and his banter between songs is probably funnier than it was in the Brit Pop days; the band are incredibly tight and better rehearsed than ever and Russell Senior- who I’ve been styling- was described in a recent review as “ever suave”, which made me feel proud.

tBitL: So how did you manage to keep quiet about Glastonbury?

RR: There was plenty of speculation so I just pretended that I didn’t know what was happening. I am generally very good at keeping secrets and deal with everything on a ‘need to know’ basis, to the extent that very few people actually know anything much about me, or even my real name…

Visit Ralph at www.ralph.uk.com and Jim at www.jimcportfolio.co.uk

Posted in Events, Film News, Upcoming | Comments Off