Hot Chip : Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Story from BBC NEWS: By Damian Jones , Newsbeat reporter , Published: 2008/09/10

Hot Chip cover Joy Division song

Hot Chip have revealed details of a series of covers they have been working on in the studio. The electro five-piece are reworking a Vampire Weekend single and recording a version of a Joy Division track for a charity album.

Frontman Alexis Taylor said the band are doing their own take of Transmission for a new War Child album after being approached by New Order. He said: "It is totally different from Joy Division's original version." Alexis went on: "It is much more Caribbean sounding because it features steel pans as the lead instrument." War Child last released an album featuring Radiohead, Coldplay and the Manic Street Preachers in 2005. All proceeds were raised to helped children in war torn countries across the world.

Alley Cats

Hot Chip also recently teamed up with Peter Gabriel for a cover of the Vampire Weekend single Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa and they are currently working on their fourth studio album.

"We have got demos for about six or seven tracks but we haven't really started work on it in earnest with the whole band working together in the studio," explained Alexis. We've got one track called Alley Cats which is about losing someone whilst on the dancefloor and trying to find them and one called Thieves In The Night. That track was written by Joe (Goddard) and it has the feel of an Arthur Russell mid tempo disco tune. It's about people being like Alley Cats."

The singer said that unlike their last eclectic effort, Made In The Dark, the next record would see the five-piece returning to their disco roots. He added: "The songs are more mid-tempo and disco influenced at the moment. Made In The Dark was all over the place mood wise and quite aggressive at times. But things are a bit calmer this time."

Hot Chip are set to head into the studio to start further recording sessions in November before working on the album again early next year.