Hot Chip is a group that defies easy categorization. Their unique and ultra-postmodern approach to composition connects the dots between funk, hip-hop, electro, pop, and indie rock. This eclectic style somehow manages to translate into charming, danceable songs that sound good at home and in the club. Each member of the band has a different musical background and personality, which helps the group sound fresh and unpredictable.

Formed in 2000 by longtime friends Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard, Hot Chip released their debut LP Coming on Strong in 2004. The album's mixture of soulful vocals and smooth 2-step beats was well received by critics and the duo decided to add three more members and go to work on a follow up record, The Warning. Their second effort was a success and songs like "Over and Over" and "Boy From School" quickly became dance floor staples around the world. The group has released a third album this year called Made in the Dark, which finds the group exploring a heavier sound while still maintaining their mellow vibe.

Hot Chip is well known for their stellar live shows and are favorites at many major festivals throughout Europe and North America. They recently kicked off a new tour and played an awesome set last Saturday at the Treasure Island Music Festival. Joe Goddard was nice enough to sit down and answer a few questions before his group went on.

Metrowize: Hey Joe, thanks for lending some of your time. So, tell us about a few of your favorite cities to perform in.

Joe: Well, there's a lot. Barcelona is a fantastic city. It has an interesting history and the city is very beautiful and very ancient. There are a lot of people there who are into dancing and techno. Actually, Spain is one of my favorite countries. Berlin at the moment is a great place for dance music and going out. It's a good place to DJ and for us to play. Over here we love playing in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, and Montreal. We enjoy any city that has good food and second hand records.

MW: Give us your impressions of San Francisco. You've played here a few times now, what do you like about this city the most?

J: I like the atmosphere in the city. It's a very liberal, open place and always has been. The music history here is great. Alexis and I came here right after we finished school in 1998 and visited all of the old hippie places in the Haight Ashbury. I like the spirit of all that stuff. It's maybe not the same as it used to be but it still has a great history.

MW: How has your live show evolved over the years? What sort of equipment are you using on stage these days?

J: Well, the most interesting thing we've added recently is a live drummer. The show today will have live drums. This is something we've done in the past on occasion, but most of the times we've just used drum machines. Playing with a live drummer gives us a great burst of energy and our drummer, Leo Taylor, is an incredible player. Previously he's played with Zongamin and a fantastic group called Gramme, who were on Output Records.

We've actually been trying to mix live drums with the drum machines that Felix uses to try and create something interesting between the interplay of those two things. We really like that idea, it's something that Sly Stone and people like that did in the past, having the live drummer play along with the drum machine rhythms. I like the way those things work together if you get it right. Then we have a load of synthesizers that we use on stage. I play a Moog Voyager and we also have a Moog Little Phatty and various other old synths.

MW: You're running Ableton Live too right?

J: Yeah, Felix runs Ableton to help sequence the drum parts from his drum machines. So, basically we're trying to create a vibrant and exciting fusion of a lot of real playing mixed with drum machine stuff and synthesized sounds.

MW: Can you describe your creative process? What inspires you and what are some of your influences?

J: There are a few different ways we write songs. Sometimes Alexis will just write the song. He'll write the basic chords and lyrics. Something like a "Boy From School" or "Made in the Dark" off the new record are basically songs written by him. Then he'll come over to my house and we'll produce the songs on my computer and I'll add drums and synthesizers. Other times I'll write a song or we'll both sit down and write a song together. It goes back and forth, we add parts to the songs one by one.

In terms of inspirations and influences, I think the biggest things are probably stuff we were listening to when we were teenagers. A lot of classic stuff like the Beatles and the Beach Boys. The Beastie Boys are also a big influence. I was into a lot of grunge. I particularly loved Pavement and then we were massively obsessed with Will Oldham and Smog when we were teenagers. Royal Trux is a big one for Alexis. He had been listening to Prince since he was a little kid and I got into Prince through him. I was also really in love with UK Garage around 1999 and 2000.

MW: Tell us about your new album. It seems like a few of the songs are little bit heavier than your previous material. "Shake a Fist" is almost like a metal track.

J: Well, for a few years we've had this thing where people have said to us that the music on our records is really gentle and relaxed. When we play live it's generally very heavy and aggressive. We were trying to get some of that energy into some of the album tracks. With "Shake a Fist" we just wanted to make a banging electro hip-hop track. It's very much inspired by producers like Timbaland with all the percussion layers and the way he uses synths so well. There are a few other tracks on the album that sound like this as well. We also wanted to express the fact that we love folk music.

Alexis listens to a lot of gentle stuff like Willie Nelson and Will Oldham so some of the songs he was writing came out like that. Then there are some pure pop songs where we just wanted to have fun. So, with all our records it's just been about expressing our love for different types of music.

MW: What bands are you looking forward to seeing here at the festival today?

J: We played in San Diego yesterday at the Street Scene Festival and saw Nortec Collective from Tijuana perform. We thought they were incredible so I would like to watch them again. They reminded us of this Parisian group called Noze who mix techno with accordions, the same kind of instruments Nortec was using yesterday. Both groups mix old folk music with techno, which I think is a really exciting sound. I'd also like to see TV on the Radio and Foals.

Catch Hot Chip On Tour:
09-25 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
09-26 Austin, TX - Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Festival)
09-28 Chicago, IL - Metro
09-29 Chicago, IL - Metro
09-30 Toronto, Ontario - Koolhaus
10-01 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
10-03 New York, NY - Terminal 5
10-04 New York, NY - Terminal 5
10-05 Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero
10-07 Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live!
10-08 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club

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