ALL IN THE MIX…

For this weeks blog post we're digging deep in to the archives… dusting off the 45s...
...and looking in to the close collaboration between good design and good (or sometimes bad) music.

Left: Kraftwerk 'Autobahn LP' [1974]
Right: Kraftwerk 'Tour de France LP' [1983]

Many of us at Higher Ground Creative have a passion for all things music & design related, and so often we find that the two go hand in hand. Whether you're keeping it real and hitting the record shops of Soho, or simply downloading it straight from iTunes (*cough cough* Pirate Bay!), record covers and artwork design is very much apart of the music itself, and in some cases has had a longer lasting presence than the music itself.

Left: The Shahib Shihab Quintet 'Seeds LP' [1968]
Right: Miles David 'Bitches Brew LP' [1969]

Some of the most iconic covers produced over years have been so simplistic in terms of concept or execution, yet have created that ever lasting longevity that can inspire a life time of people. Such portrait photography as seen on jazz classics released back in the early 50s/60s, to the slightly edgier Germanic movement of Kraftwerk, to the more recent complex illustrations produced by Erosie http://www.erosie.net for the ever prolific Dutch producer, Martyn.

From left to right: Martyn 'Natural Selection 12" (3024 Records)' [2009];
Addison Groove 'Footcrab 12" (3024 Records)' [2010];
Martyn 'Great Lengths LP" (3024 Records)' [2009]

Left: Pink Floyd 'The Dark Side of the Moon LP' [1973]
Right: Rolling Stones 'Let It Bleed LP (Japanese Release)' [1969]

From folk rock to jazz, latin samba to dustup… our iPod dock is eclectic as ever at HGC, so here's just a taster of some releases that have inspired us over the years, either musically, or graphically.

And on that note, we're all off to Urban Outfitters to buy some record cover frames and stick some of these gems up on our wall…

Left: Bobbi Humphrey 'Black & Blues LP (Blue Note Records)' [1973]
Right: Gil Scott-Heron 'The Revolution LP' [1974]

Left: Marvin Gaye 'Trouble Man LP' [1972]
Right: Herbie Hancock 'Headhunters LP' [1973]

Left: Average White Band 'AWB LP' [1974]
Right: Aphex Twin 'Window Licker LP' (Warp Records) [1999]