With four studio albums under their belt and a new EP, “We Have Remixes,” English electropop band Hot Chip is sure to throw a crowd-engaging dance party when they descend on New Orleans this weekend for the 2010 Voodoo Experience. The band, known for hits like “Over and Over” and “Ready for the Floor,” have nearly perfected their formula of soulful, electronic dance tunes. Entertainment editor Ryan Buxton recently spoke with Owen Clarke, who plays guitar, bass and synthesizer for Hot Chip, about the band’s work and their upcoming appearance at Voodoo.
The Daily Reveille: Everyone on campus is buzzing about Voodoo. Are you and the other band members excited to be performing at one of Louisiana’s biggest music events?
Owen Clarke: Oh, yes. It’s a part of the world we’re very interested in. For Alexis [Taylor, Hot Chip lead vocalist], the music up there and the area is a fascination for him.
TDR: Louisiana is known for lots of soulful music, which is a word Hot Chip has used to describe its music often, especially on your latest album, “One Life Stand.” Does the Louisiana music atmosphere appeal to you or inspire you?
OC: I think it’s strictly with Alexis — music like that, he likes those sort of things. I think ‘soulful’ is a thing that’s maybe particular to the area [of Louisiana], but it’s also a general thing.
TDR: How does performing on an outdoor stage at a festival differ from playing smaller venues or clubs? Does Hot Chip have a comfort zone in a certain type of venue?
OC: We’ve been fortunate enough to play a range of venues, including very small clubs … and this year we went to Poland and played a festival with 90,000 people. With the festivals, it’s always different. With festivals, there might be a surprise reaction or something you don’t suspect, and that’s interesting. With clubs, it’s more set up. People have come to see your band. At a festival you may win people over.
TDR: When people head to Voodoo Fest, what can they expect from Hot Chip’s performance?
OC: We’ve been on the road quite a bit, so we’ve kind of honed what we do in a festival. Basically, its five English men playing keyboards and guitars and making sort of danceable pop music in an outdoor environment. It’s very simple, but quite interesting.
TDR: You guys have four studio albums now, so that’s a pretty sizeable catalogue of material. How do you build your setlist out of all those songs?
OC: It’s interesting that a lot of our songs, we can’t actually play, because of the way we sort of make and produce music. The music is, you know, built at a gaze and we never actually get around to playing the songs live. We play ones that become favorites. We started playing “Shake A Fist” on this tour, which we haven’t played for quite a while.
TDR: What songs would you say are the biggest crowd favorites when you perform?
OC: I think people know our band in different ways. Some people may only know one or two singles, and other people think of us more as an album band. [People love] “Ready for the Floor” and “Over and Over,” then “Boy from School” and more gentle songs people know from the record. Playing live is quite different, so [the songs] can all be big.
TDR: Hot Chip’s latest release is the “We Have Remixes” EP. Your music is already pretty danceable, so in your opinion, what elements make a good remix of a Hot Chip song?
OC: I suppose it’s curiosity, and you know, maybe the idea of creating another world for a song is quite important. … It’s nice when they shift it into a world where [the songs] are quieter or more spacey. And the ones that are completely skewed and you can’t tell what’s going on are quite fun as well.
TDR: You guys are on tour now, but are there any plans yet about heading back into the studio to record another album?
OC: We’re always working on new stuff. We’ll make some sort of concerted effort next year to round things up and start doing some recording.
TDR: “One Life Stand” was a bit different than Hot Chip’s other albums – it’s a little more serious and soulful. Is that the direction we can expect on the next album, or will there be a new twist on things in the future?
OC: I don’t know, really. I suppose you’ll have to see what happens.