2008 Woodie Awards
Getting hot for electropop
Hot Chip guitarist Owen Clarke discusses life on the road, recording, and a growing US fan base
Krystina Lucido
Arts | 4/13/08
Hot Chip, an electropop band from London, took the stage Friday, April 11 at the 9:30 Club in D.C. to promote their new album, "Made in the Dark." Despite the fact that the band was formed in 2000, their first album was not released until 2004.
Since then, Hot Chip has taken over the dance floor and experimented to create a new sound on each album.
"The temptation with making music with dance in it is that you have to keep people dancing and you also have to keep people interested," Hot Chip guitarist Owen Clarke said. "I think that's important. We can't keep doing the same thing for long."
Much of the sound Hot Chip creates and produces is using synthesizers or computers. Since much of that cannot be reproduced on stage, their live performances tend to differentiate from the album itself.
Because of this, changing the songs around is not unusual.
"It has a different life than on the record," Clarke said. "When you go to a concert it's a totally different experience. It tends to be a faster physical energy with the people involved. Also it's fun changing big things around rather than just playing a CD."
Recording for "Made in the Dark" began after the release of their second album, "The Warning," in 2006. The band said they grew musically during this period, and tried to integrate what they had learned about live shows with what they had gathered from DJs to produce a different sound.
"'Made in the Dark' tried to incorporate some of the live setup," Clarke said. "We recorded three songs that way and as a whole band contributed to the tracks."
With their growing American fan base, the band's touring schedule has grown and the crowds are getting larger.
Clarke said that despite the differing cultures' appreciation for music, there is no real difference between European fans and American fans.
"I think people are people the world over," Clarke said. "Some of the most influential music has come out of America and it works both ways, exports and the reflection they exercise. In terms of audiences there are differences in purpose but generally people go to a show in order to see what they like and what they are interested in. It is naturally set up for a good thing. The only times audiences are different is if people go not for the right reasons."
Since then, Hot Chip has taken over the dance floor and experimented to create a new sound on each album.
"The temptation with making music with dance in it is that you have to keep people dancing and you also have to keep people interested," Hot Chip guitarist Owen Clarke said. "I think that's important. We can't keep doing the same thing for long."
Much of the sound Hot Chip creates and produces is using synthesizers or computers. Since much of that cannot be reproduced on stage, their live performances tend to differentiate from the album itself.
Because of this, changing the songs around is not unusual.
"It has a different life than on the record," Clarke said. "When you go to a concert it's a totally different experience. It tends to be a faster physical energy with the people involved. Also it's fun changing big things around rather than just playing a CD."
Recording for "Made in the Dark" began after the release of their second album, "The Warning," in 2006. The band said they grew musically during this period, and tried to integrate what they had learned about live shows with what they had gathered from DJs to produce a different sound.
"'Made in the Dark' tried to incorporate some of the live setup," Clarke said. "We recorded three songs that way and as a whole band contributed to the tracks."
With their growing American fan base, the band's touring schedule has grown and the crowds are getting larger.
Clarke said that despite the differing cultures' appreciation for music, there is no real difference between European fans and American fans.
"I think people are people the world over," Clarke said. "Some of the most influential music has come out of America and it works both ways, exports and the reflection they exercise. In terms of audiences there are differences in purpose but generally people go to a show in order to see what they like and what they are interested in. It is naturally set up for a good thing. The only times audiences are different is if people go not for the right reasons."
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