made in the dark

Hot Chip brought their live sound into the studio and broadened their dance pop sound to include atmospheric balladry for this transitional techno testimonial. After the breakthrough success of 'The Warning', the band was looking to change their creative process.  'Made in the Dark' was produced by Hot Chip with Alexis Taylor on vocals, synthesizer, guitar, percussion, and piano; Joe Goddard on vocals, synthesizer, and percussion; Owen Clarke on guitar and bass; Al Doyle on guitar, synthesizer, percussion, and backing vocals; and Felix Martin on drum machines; with Emma Smith on violin on saxophone.

Taylor considers:   "There was quite a lot of tension within our minds, as you don’t want to keep making records the same way. But then again, you don’t want to throw away a songwriting and production partnership that has worked before. "

Goddard recalls:   "A lot of the tracks were based on my laptop, so I’d do a lot of work editing and moving things around, but everyone plays, everyone makes decisions. Most of the album was made in the same way we made 'The Warning' and 'Coming on Strong'. A lot of stuff was started in my bedroom, and significant things were done in Al's and Felix’s and Alexis' recording rooms in their home studios. Most songs are started in Cubase by making rhythms with drum samples, and then on top recording live synthesizers and guitars, percussion, other drum machines and keyboard layers, and vocals–just literally sitting in front of my computer in my room."

Doyle says:   "There were quite a lot more sort of 'long takes' in the process; where previously I think we were cutting things up a little bit shorter, you could maybe sometimes hear the loop a little bit. This time we tried to do mostly long takes that went across the whole of the song, so even those songs that weren’t recorded in a 'live' way still have more of that feel."

'Made in the Dark' crept up to number one hundred and nine on the US Billboard 200; eighty-nine in France; thirty-five in Sweden; thirty-four in Germany; twenty-five in Australia and Belgium; nine in Ireland; four in the UK; two on the US Electronic Albums chart; and number one on the US Top Heatseekers chart.










http://hotchip.co.uk/












"Out at the Pictures" 





"Shake a Fist"





"Ready for the Floor" went to seventy-three in Austria, twenty-two in Ireland, and number six in the UK.





"Bendable Poseable" 






"We're Looking for a Lot of Love" 





"Touch Too Much"




"Made in the Dark" 







"Hold On" 








"Don't Dance"






"Whistle for Will" 




"In the Privacy of Our Love" 






full album:




All songs written by Hot Chip, except where noted.

"Out at the Pictures" – 4:26
"Shake a Fist" (Hot Chip, Todd Rundgren) – 5:11
"Ready for the Floor" – 3:52
"Bendable Poseable" – 3:46
"We're Looking for a Lot of Love" – 4:43
"Touch Too Much" – 4:05
"Made in the Dark" – 3:00
"One Pure Thought" – 4:53
"Hold On" – 6:20
"Wrestlers" – 3:45
"Don't Dance" – 4:42
"Whistle for Will" – 2:23
"In the Privacy of Our Love" – 2:52
bonus tracks
"So Deep" – 2:34
"With Each New Day" – 2:58
"Touch Too Much" (Fake Blood Remix) – 5:52
"Hold On" (Switch LDN Remix) – 4:01
"Touch Too Much" (Ewan Pearson Remix) – 9:32
"Bubbles They Bounce" – 5:53
"My Brother Is Watching Me" – 3:49
"Touch Too Much" (Kollektiv Turmstrasse Remix)