Hot Chip
Hot Chip is an English synthpop band formed in London in 2000. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former member Rob Smoughton for live performances and studio recordings. The group primarily produces music in the synth-pop and alternative dance genres, drawing influences from house and disco.
Hot Chip
London, England
2000–present
- Alexis Taylor
- Joe Goddard
- Al Doyle
- Owen Clarke
- Felix Martin
- Rob Smoughton
Hot Chip began as a bedroom recording project for Taylor and Goddard, who met while students at Elliott School, Putney; their earliest lineup included Smoughton as their drummer. After completing two EPs, Mexico (2001) and San Frandisco (2002), the group released their debut album, Coming on Strong (2004) and added Doyle, Clarke, and Martin to their lineup. The band's second album, The Warning (2006), was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Their follow-up, Made in the Dark (2008), included the single "Ready for the Floor", which was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. The band have subsequently released the albums One Life Stand (2010), In Our Heads (2012), Why Make Sense? (2015), A Bath Full of Ecstasy (2019), and Freakout/Release (2022).
Outside of Hot Chip, the band members, individually and in partnership with each other, are active in other musical acts and occasionally perform DJ sets.
History[edit]
2000–2005: Early releases and Coming on Strong[edit]
Hot Chip were formed around 2000 by the duo of Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard, who met as students at Elliott School, Putney.[1] With a shared love of R&B and house music, they started collaborating on music around 1998, initially playing in a more stripped back acoustic style before gradually becoming more electronic over time.[2] Early formative releases included 2001's Mexico EP on Victory Garden Records (VG14),[3] and the self-released San Frandisco EP in 2002.[4] After years of self-releasing records, they signed with Moshi Moshi in 2003 and released their debut LP Coming on Strong in 2004.[5] During this period, they were joined by Owen Clarke, Felix Martin and Al Doyle. They started working on their second album and signed a UK and US record deal with DFA Records and EMI. DFA and Astralwerks released their debut album for the first time in the United States in late 2005.
The Guardian names Roxy Music, Prince, Royal Trux, Arthur Russell and Madonna as influences on Hot Chip;[6] the band have also paid "tribute and... homage" to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD).[7]
Other recordings[edit]
Hot Chip released a DJ-Kicks compilation album in 2007, and the mix album A Bugged Out Mix by Hot Chip in 2009 on the Bugged Out label.[26]
In 2007 some official remixes were released, which they produced for Kraftwerk.[27][28]
In 2008, the band released an EP which included collaborations with Robert Wyatt. Wyatt sang and reworked versions of three tracks from Made in the Dark, and the Hot Chip with Robert Wyatt and Geese EP also included a remix by Geese, a string quartet based in London who have regularly contributed to Hot Chip's recordings.[29]
Alexis Taylor released a solo album in 2008, Rubbed Out, which saw him focusing more on the fundamental sounds used by Hot Chip. This led to a more downtempo and bluesy album than his works with Hot Chip.[30]
Joe Goddard has also released solo productions including "Bassline '12" and "Gabriel", the latter of which was featured in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V.[31] He has also remixed songs from other artists including Disclosure, Breach, Dirty Projectors, Nneka, and Kanye West.
The band covered the William Onyeabor song "Atomic Bomb" for the Luaka Bop compilation What?! in 2014.[32]
Current members
Former members
Guest members
In popular culture[edit]
Hot Chip were parodied in an episode of pre-school children's TV show Hey Duggee, as an a capella band Hot Cheep, made up of four birds.
The band was mentioned in a series 8 episode of Peep Show, with Mark playing the Name Game and incorrectly guessing their name as Hot Potato.
Their song "Flutes" from their 2012 album In Our Heads was featured in the re-release of Grand Theft Auto V on the fictional radio station Radio Mirror Park.
Their song "Straight to the Morning", featuring Jarvis Cocker, appeared in the game Forza Horizon 5 on the fictional radio station Horizon Pulse.
Their song "Boy From School" was featured on "A Totally Fun Thing That Bart Will Never Do Again", an episode of The Simpsons.