Eboi - Immigrants

This afternoon I checked in with Eboi and Thomas from RMH in Stockholm. They told me about the new video they had created for the new track 'Immigrants' and we talked a little about the thinking behind the track and the video.

As you can see when you watch the video there is a strong message in here that Eboi wanted to put out there as he explains:

"Europe is going through a lot of changes and the segregation in many countries is on the rise, especially in areas where a lot of immigrants live. I wanna show the world what it's like up here, especially in a place like Sweden where most people picture tall blond people and no conflicts. There's a big gap between that perception and reality out here."

As some of you will know the track is Eboi's take on the massive Slang Like This - True Tiger Feat. P Money (Big shout to Verena / Kids of Grime in the vid too!) and when Eboi heard the track he knew he had to put his own Swedish interpretaion down:

"I got the idea when I listened to Slang Like This and I felt they captured the feeling perfectly and I wanted to apply the concept to Sweden. I even used the term "slang" in there just to make that connection because as soon as I heard P Money slaughter his verse, I could relate. 

I mean to me the original track (Slang Like This) is already an anthem, and I'm surprised more people across the international hiphop scene haven't already given us their interpretation of the song."

The video has a real 'raw' feel to it and that is exactly what the director Thomas wanted to get on this:

"It's my first music video ever and I wanted to make sure that people all over the world get to see how it looks in the hoods in Stockholm, Sweden. The place where Eboi grew up. I sparked up a J and just started filming the people that kick it in Ebois hood. That's it."

It is always interesting to hear different artists' takes on a track and we love both P. Money and Eboi on this one. Coming from a similar angle but done in totally different ways. The two videos also have the 'real' feel to them that is always really interesting to see - real people doing real things somehow always feels more powerful, especially for a track that has the same vibe.

You can download the track here 

Leeds in Barcelona: The Showcase

Last month we headed out to Barcelona for Leeds in Barcelona: A Creative Encounter. Here we concentrate on the second part of the project - Leeds Taylor which was a showcase event of creative talent from both Leeds and Barcelona. (You can check out the first part of the project here: The Conference)

Leeds Taylor was held at the amazing Hotel ME in Barcelona. The idea behind the event from our point of view, was to showcase Leeds creative talent to massive audience of international opinion leaders and, more broadly speaking, further develop ties between the two cities. But rather then just go to Barcelona and try to 'sell' we wanted to create an experience that was more of a collaboration, something that was a one-off special project. To do this we teamed up with Marketing Leeds and our good friends LeLook and set about creating a platform where Leeds and Barcelona creatives could be seen together. For the fashion talent involved in the project this was in the form of a photo-shoot and catwalk show. 

Photoshoot at Hotel MECatwalk featuring Dom Dick & HarryA piece from the latest James Steward collectionDom Dick and Harry and Nicholas DeakinsJames Steward A/W

The soundtrack for the event was supplied first of all by Barcelona DJ and all round superstar DJ Mustache. Then followed a live performance from Leeds band ICS and they absolutely smashed it! Their performance included material from their new EP mixed up with some really cool covers including Nelly - Ride With Me, and Tinie Tempah - Pass Out. Then the showcase moved up to the 6th floor where the sounds of legendary Leeds club BacktoBasics and more specifically Dave Beer and Tristan Da Cunha kept the 1000 strong crowd entertained for hours more.

ICS left a lasting impression on the Catalan crowd

The showcase attracted more then 1000 people

The reaction to the event in Barcelona was amazing. Loads of people from the Barca creative scene now want to visit Leeds and hook up with designers, artists, bands and DJs here. The directors of the European Institute of Design want to travel here this summer and discuss ways we can collaborate further. Spanish national television will feature the project in a show later this month, introducing millions more to what we created and drive more interest and awareness of Leeds as an interesting international creative city.

Over the coming weeks we will report back on further fallout from the event including some of the next steps people are taking and we will post a copy of the spot on Spanish television. Discussions are taking place involving the talent featured in the project and we are sure that in the immediate and long term, some really cool things are going to emerge from this project.

Adam Tensta - Scared Of The Dark Video

As regular readers of the blog will know: We love Adam Tensta! We love him not only for his music but for his ability to regularly produce kick-ass videos. Check the video above for his latest: Scared of the Dark (w. Billy Kraven)

Some of our friends have worked with him on videos for Dope Boy and Back Before You Know It but this new video takes things in a different direction and feel (as does the music on his new album) and we think it is cool. Check out another of our posts here, where we have a chat with Adam and look at another video from the new album (Like a Punk!) 

Standby for more Tensta / Hebe news coming soon!

Blackpool

A couple of weeks back four of the members Team Hebe headed over to Blackpool. Having two international members of the team we wanted to show them a different side to England. Speaking honestly, we went for a little bit for the fun and to show them the 'tacky' side of England... what we found however was a place with unbelievable potential and character.

As some of the regular readers of the blog will know we are obsessed with cities and towns, their brands and how they function. We often talk about our home city of Leeds or places in which we are currently creating projects like Barcelona, Manchester, Taipei, Stockholm and loads more, but Blackpool has never been on our radar. Sure we have been there loads of times for a laugh or night out in our teenage years but now, profssionally speaking, we like to work with places who have a strong interest in developing their creative economies and a global brand around that and we never thought that Blackpool fell into this category. It still does not, but what it does have is a canvas, a stage, a platform that with the right plan, could create something new for the town.

First impressions

What struck me when I arrived was how dead the place was. As we walked along the front we could see more hotels closed then open. Many of the shops and restaurants were closed. It may have something to do with the season but this was mid-April so you would expect some life there. We had a walk out on the peer and most of the shops and cafes there were closed but lots of the rides were working. Immediately with our creative brains running into over-drive we were talking about all the spots on the peer that would make for a great photo-shoot. The overall feeling was so retro, not in a 'hipster taking-the-piss' way, but in a 'this is so cool that it has not changed' way. 

Later in the day we hit some of the arcades along the front. Some were closed down but the biggest one, Coral Island, was alive and kicking. After checking out at least four games that didn't work and swallowed our money, we decided to get competitive on the 'Camel Race' game. It was great fun and made us all feel like kids again!

The Situation

As we walked around the city we discussed possible ideas and projects that could perhaps help to take Blackpool in a new direction, one that respects and incorporates the past, but looks toward the future and could help kick-start a new era for the city. This is not to say Blackpool is not improving in some areas because it is, but it seems that even though it is the UK's busiest sea-side resort, some things are not quite working. Some of this is through no fault of their own, the cost of taking a holiday abroad has fallen dramatically over the past 20 years and places like Blackpool have taken a hit.

On a more positive note, the council have bought up some of the main tourist attractions and features of the city and are putting some of them in hands of experts (for example the people who run the London Eye will now run Blackpool Tower). Blackpool's football team are currently in the premiership, Nickelodeon Land is coming to the Pleasure Beach and Madame Tussauds is replacing Louis Tussauds on the front. I am sure those things will help pull in some extra tourists and keep some of the hotels and shops in business for a few more years... but what about if during this time Blackpool developed something else?

Ideas

The visuals of Blackpool are amazing. The old buildings, the deserted spaces, the things that have been untouched for 20 years... these are so inspiring for creatives. We had more ideas walking along the front in Blackpool then we have had walking around many other cities. 

How can Blackpool attract a younger, creative crowd? Well look at the spaces they have/could have. We had already dreamed up photo-shoots for at least three brands we work with. It seems lots of the magic of Blackpool's golden period is buried under a layer of dust and decay, if that was removed it could be amazing again. It does not need rebuilding, only some TLC. Blackpool should be proud of it's past and where it has come from. But instead of only looking at tourist numbers, they should think about how to get people to come and stay. To develop ideas, projects, content and businesses in Blackpool.  If we are so inspired by the city, we are sure lots more would be. New people, ideas and projects can sit side-by-side with the more traditional stuff, in fact they can help in ways Blackpool may not even realise yet. 

In a global economy we in the UK sometimes take for granted our current position and think that replicating the past or attracting a new chain store is going to take a city or town to the next level. What we are ignoring is the fact that China, India, Brazil, Russia (and many more not just the BRIC) are developing at lightening pace. They are creating, they are innovating, they are spending. What we have in the UK is an amazing canvas and still some of the best creative minds in the world. We should be thinking about these two can fit together and Blackpool has all the ingredients to be at the centre of some of that thinking.

Adam Tensta - Like a Punk

The Hebe Media team are big fans of Adam Tensta. Since we first heard some of the tracks from his awesome debut album: It's a Tensta Thing, we have been following his movements closely. For a while now he has been working on new material and is about to hit the world with his follow up album: Scared of the Dark. We checked in with Adam for a quick word about the new video for Like a Punk and an update on his current plans.

The first track from Adam's new album to begin making waves online was OK Wow, which we felt marked a pretty big change and gave a different vibe to Adam's previous stuff. Like a Punk takes that a step further, giving perhaps a more edgy and dirty sound to tracks like Back Before You Know It and My Cool, which were two of the stand out tracks from It's a Tensta Thing. Adam explains the story behind the new album:

"The new album was created during a very long period of time. It took close to three years to complete and is a snapshot of my life, as it is right now. Being on tour for three years on three continents provided me with so many new impressions and experiences, that it's hard to view things like I did, as briefly as just a couple of years ago. For me, Tensta is not the same as before, all though I still live out here. This newly found "perspective" has also forced me to delve into thoughts that I buried a long time ago. Thoughts about my relation to my family, resulting in me opening a Pandora's box for many of my vices. 

I would like to see this album as the first step in a process, a process to become a more open and tolerant person."

One of our friends who we featured on the blog a few weeks back, Albin Holmqvist, had worked on an awesome Tensta music video a while ago for the track Dopeboy, which you can check out here. The director of both videos is a guy called Marcus Lundin, another big Swedish talent. Adam told us what it was like to be back working with Marcus again on the Like A Punk video and the thinking behind the video itself:

"It's always nice to team up with people that can make ideas come to life, as in this case. Marcus has the vision and know to make visuals enhance the impression of a song. For this video we wanted something scaled down, with an almost documentary feel to it. We wanted to capture the everyday life of these young and frustrated kids. Their situation reminds me of how it was growing up and having nothing to do, and the almost dumb loyalty I once felt for my friends. Right or wrong, standing by their side no matter what we got into. Even if hesitant (as the monkey in this video), we rolled through thick and thin."

We think if the first two tracks are anything to go by then Scared of Dark will be a really interesting album. It is really cool to see an artist evolve and develop his sound with more then just the dollar signs in mind. From the way he performs, acts and talks, you can see how humble yet confident this guy is. As one of my Swedish friends said recently "It is almost annoying how down to earth he is with that amount of talent" we think that is one of the best compliments we have heard!

I spent a day down in London a bit ago with Babak and Thomas from Adam's management company, Respect My Hustle and we immediately hit it off. They are a group of creatives who are intersted in making cool projects and trying new things above any kind of short-term commercial gain. There are other really talented people in the stable such as Eboi, a man with an unbelievable flow and a man who I think is destined for something special: Dida.

We are currently developing a project with Respect My Hustle and are looking forward to making some annoucements in the coming weeks. We can see some really interesting opportunities and collaborations for them here in UK and can't wait to help that happen!