Tag: Hot Chip

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Music

Hot Chip – These Chains

They call me “The Grinch Who Hates Christmas Music.”

Unless it’s choral and recorded before 1950, count me out. My office internet crapped out yesterday, and I had to work out of a Famima (is it a national chain? Think up-market 7-11). Chintzy, overwrought Christmas music for hours…how do the cashiers not go insane?

Christmas has become defined by clichés, and this breed of music is one of them. People can’t let go of creepy creshe scenes, buying people shit they don’t want and have to pretend to like, or, apparently, a white, male, human Santa.

[Briefly on that topic: the Santa Claus character is born from a combo of a 4th century Byzantine bishop (Saint Nicholas), nordic mythology (Odin) and 20th century American commercial advertising. In all of his forms, throughout history, “Santa” has been more or less a European white guy.

But I fully support the switch to a penguin Santa. This gender neutral being raises conservation/climate change awareness while putting to an end the tradition of parents lying to their children and pretending that’s okay “because its not really lying.”

In summary: Penguin Santa. Yes.]

One of the tracks playing in Famima was “Little Saint Nick” by The Beach Boys. Is this overplayed garbage heap The Beach Boys best known song? How depressing that it’s even a possibility.

In the era of big data, we should be able to know, once and for all, if playing Christmas music actually gets people to buy more stuff. I, for one, am driven from the offending business establishment. Anyone else in that boat? (Let me know in the comments so we can start our grassroots movement. Fox News will love this)

When those analytics confirm what is already clear – that Christmas music is the bane of all shoppers and all humans – I submit the following Hot Chip track as a replacement: smooth, appealing, slightly depressing (quick, buy something to feel happier 😀 !!!!!)

Next time you go into a Macy’s and hear the latest Nicolas Jaar or King Krule, you’ll know who to thank.

Hot Chip – These Chains

Categories
Music Video

The 2 Bears – Heart of the Congos

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0ZRrAWRwHI]

I would venture to guess that most EMPT readers are familiar with Hot Chip, the excellent, enduring brainchild of Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard. One of my favorite bands, Hot Chip have brilliantly managed to become popular internationally without becoming “mainstream.” They headline festivals, but you won’t hear them on the radio (unless you listen to the good shit in the UK and Australia, or KCRW).

Both Taylor and Goddard are musical geniuses, in very different ways. Taylor’s melodies always sound slightly off, and yet are right on the money. Goddard’s productions are dance-y in spite of their often melancholic, street-facing moods.

Yet they too fly under the radar. Most Hot Chip fans wouldn’t recognize either man on the street, and they aren’t exactly performing at the Grammys. And that’s fine. Fronting a successful band while avoiding public recognition is the ultimate success (exemplified by Daft Punk) for many artists, as they maintain freedom to operate without immense public pressure.

In ’09, Taylor formed a “supergroup” called About Group and recorded a fully improvised album. The group released a second LP in 2011, to little fanfare. Both albums are romps into the mind of this specific artist, and if you dig his thing, you will enjoy them.

Goddard’s side project, though, takes the cake. The Two Bears is he and Raf Rundell, who you definitely haven’t heard of, producing subdued garage two-step and generally having fun. They released three EPs in 2010-2011, and a full length, “Be Strong,” in 2012. Their discography counts as a must-listen. Every song is different, and every song is great.

Today I share with you my favorite track, “Heart of the Congos,” which shares the story of a man who grows up listening to The Congos, an early reggae group, and eventually gets to see them at a concert. Sounds random, and it is, but Rundell’s crooning over Goddard’s late-night house beats bring the story to life in vivid color. And I’m not even touching the crazy vocoded chorus and bridge…

“I said it was the sound/that kept me on the ground.”

The 2 Bears – Heart of the Congos

Categories
Music

Foals – My Number (Hot Chip Remix)

foals my number

I’m a pretty grounded guy most of the time. My nature is such that I’m the type to live in my own head, to seek out and process all the angles before moving forward. Today is different. Today I don’t exactly know what to do with myself.

I’m basically coasting in the afterglow of my good fortunes. I received some good news the other day and I’m really just starting to feel the effects. It’s go me a bit tweaked is what I’m saying.

Perhaps it’s just an effect of the mind. Apparently the nerves in our bodies, the lines that carry electrical impulses across our bodies move kinda… slow. Like I’m only talking a few miles and hour slow. Some of the slower ones are found in our brains, like the neurons transmitting info to the rewards center. You don’t get to experience something as you’re really doing it, in other words. Our minds tease us a little bit, in other words, keeping us from getting what we want and delaying us the sensation of the moment.

But I’m not mad about it. I’m still swept up in good vibes, less coasting and more getting pushed along. What was inertia is now momentum; the interstitial gulf between what I wanted and what I’m striving is starting to shrink just a little bit.

And I find that this Hot Chip remix of Foals’ My Number is a solid accompaniment to the sublime giddiness I’m experiencing.

“Cause I feel
I feel alive
I feel, I feel alive.”

Pure class.

That’s all I really need to say on this track. But what did you expect? Hot Chip is about as solid a stamp of quality there is in the electropop game. I must admit, I’m not entirely familiar with the source material. I used to bump Foals a lot more in my early college days, way way back in 2008 when their debut Antidotes was fresh and new. But my tastes would shift, as they’re wont to do. In a funny bit of timing it looks like the band changed direction as well. However, their catalog is a sonic dive for another day.

Onto the matter at hand. This thing is positively buoyant, bolstering the soaring vocals of Yannis Phillppakis under some synths that are equally mannered and indulgent. The beat is pulsing but never overextends its reach, pushing the track along without distraction. There’s a bit of a nagging sadness, but weaving clashing emotional currents into compositions? That’s just a hallmark of strong songwriting.

Here’s hoping fortune smiles upon you today.

Foals – My Number (Hot Chip Remix)

Categories
Music

Hot Chip – Don’t Deny Your Heart

This is one of those songs that I can’t get enough of. It’s been my summer anthem. The first time I really got into it was an amazing day right in the middle of the summer where the universe was in total accordance with my soul. That is to say, all the people I saw and encountered, all the interactions I had with life, and all the things I did (including a fabulous haircut from a lady named Freedom followed by a solo-venture to Central Park under perfect skies) were so beautiful and enjoyable. It’s not everyday that this kind of happiness exists — I soaked in every bit of it. At the end of the day, I came home after listening to this song several times throughout the day but never over speakers. I made a huge dinner for myself, sat in a candle lit apartment, and let this song play over the speakers. After listening to it several times over the course of the day, I had an emotional connection: I now associate a lot of happy moments with this song.

It was uncontrollable the amount of movement that flowed through my body, and I found myself jumping up and down to a pulse that matched my heartbeat. The vocals never get old, nor does Hot Chip’s musicianship, always apparent in their sound. Odd tidbit: Hot Chip was one of the first bands I started listening to when I converted from CD players to MP3. One of their music videos came free with the Zune (yes I owned that brick of a musical force), and if my memory serves me correctly, the video was for Over and Over. I was hooked almost immediately after, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

This is my pick for Thursday. Hot Chip has never disappointed, and Thursday beckons smiles, life loving, and sensual interactions.

Hot Chip – Don’t Deny Your Heart

Categories
Music

Hot Chip – How Do You Do (Todd Terje Remix)

Hit songs are supposed to be < 3:30 in length. If a pop song exceeds this length, it’s breaking this rule, and it becomes unfriendly for radio play. Fortunately, “Remaster of the World” Todd Terje just doesn’t give a rat’s ass about pop aesthetics. No, by bringing back old school synths (Mogs?) and thumping in new school grooves, the Scandinavian Synth Slayer is creating his own brand of “pop”
…-ular music. No, you won’t find this 9+ minute song on z100 or K1SS FM anytime soon, but thanks to SoundCloud and the bloggosphere, it’s getting it’s due play (over 20,000 plays in a day).

What does this mean? Well, I guess it means in the ADD generation that people do still have some kind of attention span. And that a lot of people still know how to appreciate really, REALLY good music. Because Todd Terje is making some of the finest in the world.   And showing absolutely no signs of slowing down.

With Terje, there’s no drops nor gimmicks. Just pure class. And this thorough re-work is just that good that for almost 10 minutes, you won’t really be thinking about what’s coming next–and that may be cause you have this one stuck on repeat.

Hot Chip – How Do You Do (Todd Terje Remix)

Bonus:

If you’ve ever heard Phish (guilty as charged) play “Boogie on Reggae Woman,” this will ring a couple bells:

M – Pop Muzik (Todd Terje Remix)

Categories
Music

Diplo – Hot Chip vs Major Lazer (Extended Version)

OBSESSED!  This is almost all I want to say but that would be a big no no, but that word pretty much sums up this track for me.  I know I have been holding out on this one all weekend, but I really wanted to give you something that will make you feel so F*&cking alive as it does for me.  Literally this has been on repeat for the past few days on every stereo system I can play it on, my car, my computer, my phone, Hector’s amazing studio sound system and sometimes two of those at the same time…Umm ya I am excited, so what!!

Diplo is nothing less then incredibly amazing, and Major Lazer puts me on the sexiest mood, pretty much all the time, these dudes know how to get everyone undressed, literally, shaking and dancing so hard that it looks like a hurricane might have just hit.  He has been touring with MAD DECENT and as disappointing as it is for me to say that I haven’t been a part of this amazing tour yet, everyone I know that has is speechless especially when Diplo gets the sound systems bumping with his ability to take anything that is already riveting and you feel like your on a different planet..WOOOOO!

This entire track is filled with Diplo’s little surprises, sounds and technique you just didn’t expect and for me with so many tracks, by the last 20 seconds I will switch to a new track but the end of this one is my favorite ending that I have heard in a really long time!  OK, enough with my excitement, I have decided since hearing this that it’s going to be my Monday anthem, Monday is the new Friday, so press play and you will see what I mean, enjoy!

Diplo – Hot Chip vs Major Lazer (Extended Version)

Categories
Music

Hot Chip – Motion Sickness

The sound of a crowd and the inaugural rhythm provide the gateway into Hot Chip’s fifth full-length, In Our Heads. Layer upon layer of drums and synths teleport you through the history of the universe. Don’t reach for the barf bag as you spiral through the space-time continuum.

“Motion Sickness” exhibits the band’s innate ability to create music that pours emotion and danceability. The rest of the album follows suit. If you’re already a fan, let this new one transport you. I found myself two-stepping on the deck of a pirate ship sailing through an ocean of nostalgia.

Remember when people thought the world was round…Remember when we both first felt the world is sound?”

If this is your first time, don’t be scared. Let your body do the thinking.

Hot Chip – Motion Sickness

Categories
Music

Joe Goddard – Gabriel (feat. Valentina)

Enter the sanctuary of Joe Goddard.

This one felt appropriate since Hot Chip just released In Our Heads. I’m still not sure how Joe does it. Five studio albums with Hot Chip and the recent release of The 2 Bears’ Be Strong have tempered him in the fires of electro-indie-dance-tronica.

I walked 2.5 miles in the rain today mulling over the lyrics, seeking the greater meaning of it all. The clouds parted, and I drank a limeade. Maybe Gabriel is just a dude named after an angel.

Meanwhile, the heavenly vocals meet the unavoidable beat, and Valentina croons some heavy duty rebuke:

Do not come to give me counsel. You should beg forgiveness of me, Gabriel.”

Angel or not, she sounds over him, and I just want to dance.

Ponder the moral of the story later.

Joe Goddard – Gabriel (feat. Valentina)

 

Categories
Music

Get Out There…

Excuse the lack of post this week, I was stuck in the Dominican Republic since Sunday because of Irene so now I’m back in the city playing catchup with my bizz. Anyways, I kept it under wraps but some of yall might have noticed that EMPT was shut down for a good 12 hours last week. Basically, we maxed out our traffic and bandwith limits, again! So once more, I was introduced to some seriously nerdy server system that we have to upgrade to in order to keep this shit afloat. That said, congrats for consuming so much damn music, it cost us a boatload but it makes me extremely happy to see that people are seriously tuning in.

I’ve been out and about more than ever in the last few months and it’s changed my whole outlook on things. Basically, life happens out there, so get out there. The internet makes everything so easy, you don’t have to go to the movie theatre to catch a flick, you don’t have to go outside to catch up with your friends and you can order food while doing that so you don’t have to interrupt your lounging. That’s all fine and dandy but as with all things balance is key so don’t spend your time imitating a life that’s right outside of your door. Technology is amazing but pale in comparison to nature and that mind blowing creations that we are.

Long story short stop looking at this screen and GO OUTSIDE! I’ll leave you with a playlist compliments of the good folks at ShaveUrLegs.com, it’s perfect for this Friday afternoon, enjoy.

Velvet Elvis (RAC Remix) – Alex Winston

Set Sail (Worship Remix) – LexiconDon

Touch Too Much (Fake Blood Remix) – Hot Chip

All Of This – Naked And The Famous

Yellow Missing Signs – Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

The Place Where You Belong – Lemonade

Slow Death – The Denzels

Ring My Bell (DJ Hotsauce Remix) – Donnis ft. Dev

Swimsuits Ft. Mayer Hawthorne – The Cool Kids

Singin’ – Cosmonaut Grechko

Categories
Music Remixes

Hot Chip – Hold On (D.I.M Remix)

This is from a Digitalism live set @ N-Joy. Sick remix, can’t listen to it enough.

I’m only going to heaven if it feels like, hell.”

Hot Chip – Hold On (D.I.M Remix)