Alexis Taylor
from Lost And Sound Hosted by Paul Hanford
Alexis Taylor has somehow racked up 25 years now as a founding member of Hot Chip and is about to release his seventh album, the rather magnificent Paris In Spring. How did that happen? I spoke to Alexis about balancing songcraft with production. We talk about how a busy year sharpened his focus, why finishing isn’t real until the music meets an audience, and how a strong melody and a few true lines can carry a track across any arrangement. Alexis opens up about writing from feeling without turning songs into diary entries. He shares the stories behind darker cuts that circle self-distraction and drinking without exploiting pain, and he explains how Scott English’s Brandy and pop’s long history of reinvention influenced his approach. We get into one about how to approach covers: taking the Stones’ Wild Horses into a dub-soaked slow-burn shaped by Rhythm & Sound textures and Euro-pop reggae echoes, built with producer Pierre Rousseau and recorded at Nicolas Godin’s studio. We also rewind to early London shows and why refusing the uniform of the era helped Hot Chip find its own lane—irony beside tenderness, dance beside detail, authenticity without cosplay. From Beastie Boys devotion to Royal Trux revelations, Alexis maps the influences that mattered and how they were absorbed rather than imitated. Alexis Taylor on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexishotchip/?hl=en Alexis Taylor on Bandcamp: https://alexistaylor.bandcamp.com/album/paris-in-the-spring Huge thanks to Audio-Technica – makers of beautifully engineered audio gear and sponsors of Lost and Sound. Check them out here: Audio-Technica My book Coming To Berlin is a journey through the city’s creative underground, and is available via Velocity Press Follow Lost and Sound on Substack You can also follow me on Instagram at @paulhanford for behind-the-scenes bits, guest updates, and whatever else is bubbling up. Support the show
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What this episode covers
Alexis Taylor has somehow racked up 25 years now as a founding member of Hot Chip and is about to release his seventh album, the rather magnificent Paris In Spring. How did that happen? I spoke to Alexis about balancing songcraft with production. We talk about how a busy year sharpened his focus, why finishing isn’t real until the music meets an audience, and how a strong melody and a few true lines can carry a track across any arrangement. Alexis opens up about writing from feeling without t...
Chapters
- 0:00 Host Intro And Setup
- 2:27 Why Alexis’s Voice Endures
- 4:03 Sponsor And Episode Context
- 4:32 Alexis’s 2026 Workload
- 6:17 Balancing Solo And Hot Chip
- 8:11 Reflection Versus Forward Motion
- 10:31 Songwriting Core And Production Choices
- 12:46 Stripping Songs Back Live
- 16:08 Writing From Life And Imagination
- 19:27 Dark Pop, Alcohol, And Influence
- 22:03 Cover Philosophy And Reinvention
- 25:12 Wild Horses Through Dub And Reggae
- 28:35 Paris Sessions And Studio Serendipity
- 33:16 People, Gear, And Process In Paris
- 36:01 Paris As Backdrop, Not Concept
- 39:12 Instruments Of Funk, Themes Of Solitude
- 42:02 Palette Limits And Past Album Contrast
- 45:01 Early London Years And No-Scene Identity
- 49:25 Authenticity Beyond Rock Uniforms
- 53:10 Royal Trux And Building A Unique Sound
- 57:20 Craft, Impact, And Lasting Production
- 59:22 Closing Thanks And Release Details
- 1:00:05 Outro, Sponsor, And Sign-Off
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