Alexis Taylor

Last updated

Alexis Taylor
Hot Chip Lollapalooza 2015-1.jpg
Taylor performing in September 2015
Background information
Born (1980-04-20) 20 April 1980 (age 44)
London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • synthesizer
  • drums
  • percussion
  • piano
  • guitar
Years active2000–present
Website Alexis Taylor

Alexis Taylor (born 20 April 1980) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, keyboardist, and guitarist of the band Hot Chip. He is also the keyboardist of the band About Group and has released solo material.

Contents

Early life

Alexis Taylor was born in London on 20 April 1980, the son of a Greek mother and an English father. His mother is a psychoanalyst, while his father is a professor of English at a university. [1]

Career

Taylor formed Hot Chip with Joe Goddard while at Elliot Secondary School in the Putney area of London. He studied English at Jesus College, Cambridge from 1999 to 2002, during which time Hot Chip played a variety of gigs (with various line-ups) at Cambridge's live music venues. In 2007, Taylor and Hot Chip produced a two-song album, Doubleshaw, as Booji Boy High under the pseudonyms Georgios Panayiotou and Mother Markzbow. The name Booji Boy comes from the character created by Devo. [2]

After the release of Hot Chip's second album, The Warning , Taylor released his first solo album, Rubbed Out , in 2008. [3] The same year he formed the improvisational quartet About Group with Spring Heel Jack's John Coxon, pianist Pat Thomas and former This Heat drummer Charles Hayward. [4]

A solo EP, Nayim From the Halfway Line, was released on Domino Recording Company in 2012, [5] and in 2014 the same label released the album Await Barbarians. [6]

In June 2016, Taylor released Piano, the follow-up album to Await Barbarians. [7] An accompanying album, Listen With(out) Piano, was released in March 2017. It features re-works of tracks from Piano with other musicians; both albums can be played separately or at the same time. [8]

In February 2018, Taylor announced his new album, Beautiful Thing. The album was produced by Tim Goldsworthy, co-founder of DFA Records. [9]

In 2021 Alexis released the album Silence, which was preceded by the singles 'House Of The Truth', 'Death Of Silence' and 'Dying In Heaven'. In November 2023 he released the single 'Wedding Song (Palace)'.

Albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thom Yorke</span> English musician (born 1968)

Thomas Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his falsetto. Rolling Stone described Yorke as one of the greatest and most influential singers of his generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Chip</span> British electronic music band

Hot Chip is an English synthpop band formed in London in 2000. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former member Rob Smoughton for live performances and studio recordings. The group primarily produces music in the synth-pop and alternative dance genres, drawing influences from house and disco.

<i>The Warning</i> (Hot Chip album) 2006 studio album by Hot Chip

The Warning is the second studio album by British band Hot Chip. The album was released in the UK on 22 May 2006 by EMI Records and in the United States on 3 June 2006 by Astralwerks. Notable tracks include the UK singles, "Over and Over" and "Boy from School", as well as "(Just Like We) Breakdown", which was featured and remixed on the DFA Records compilation album The DFA Remixes – Chapter One. The album was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize.

<i>Coming on Strong</i> (Hot Chip album) 2004 studio album by Hot Chip

Coming on Strong is the debut studio album by English electronic band Hot Chip. It was released in the United Kingdom on 24 May 2004 by Moshi Moshi Records and in the United States and Canada on 29 November 2005 by Astralwerks, as an extended version with three additional bonus tracks. The album was re-released by Moshi Moshi Records in the United Kingdom on 3 May 2009, as a digital download with four additional bonus tracks. In 2014, it was awarded a silver certification from the Independent Music Companies Association, which indicated sales of at least 20,000 copies throughout Europe.

Tim Goldsworthy is a British record producer, DJ and recording artist.

<i>DJ-Kicks: Hot Chip</i> 2007 compilation album by Hot Chip

DJ-Kicks: Hot Chip is a DJ mix album, mixed by Hot Chip. It was released on the Studio !K7 independent record label as part of the DJ-Kicks series on May 22, 2007. It features a new song by Hot Chip, "My Piano".

<i>Made in the Dark</i> 2008 studio album by Hot Chip

Made in the Dark is the third studio album by the English indietronica band Hot Chip, released on 4 February 2008 through EMI Records internationally and Astralwerks and DFA Records in the United States. Comprising 13 tracks, a defining feature of the album is the strong presence of romantic ballads. The title ballad was described as "sublime" by one critic, although not all the ballads received universal praise. Alexis Taylor, the main contributor to the lyrics, said he was proud of the album lyrically and felt that feeling of love and happiness, partly the result of his recent marriage, had contributed to the album's romantic tone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ready for the Floor</span> 2008 single by Hot Chip

"Ready for the Floor" is a song by British electronic group Hot Chip, and the second single from their 2008 album Made in the Dark. It was released on 28 January 2008 and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart in February 2008. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boy from School</span> 2006 single by Hot Chip

"Boy from School" is a song by the English indietronica band Hot Chip. It was released on 8 May 2006 in the UK as the second single from their second studio album, The Warning (2006). The original title of the song was shortened for the single release at the request of EMI. The song was covered by Portastatic in 2006, Maritime in 2007, Grizzly Bear in 2010 and Tears For Fears in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sian Alice Group</span>

Sian Alice Group was an English post-rock band with roots in experimental music and the avant-garde.

<i>One Life Stand</i> 2010 studio album by Hot Chip

One Life Stand is the fourth studio album by English electronic music band Hot Chip, released digitally on 1 February 2010. The physical album was released in the United Kingdom on 1 February 2010 by Parlophone and in the United States the following week on 9 February 2010 by Astralwerks. The album's lead single from the album, "One Life Stand", was released on 30 November 2009. Vocalist Alexis Taylor described the album as "the most warm and soulful sounding record we've made" and expressed hope that people would also say it was "a soulful quality that ties [the album] together".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Life Stand (song)</span> 2009 single by Hot Chip

"One Life Stand" is a single by Hot Chip from their 2010 album of the same name. It was released digitally through the iTunes Store on 30 November 2009. The physical release date was 1 February 2010. Vocalist Alexis Taylor said of the song, "I'm talking about turning a one-night stand into someone's whole life and I think that's quite a nice thing to say".

<i>Rubbed Out</i> 2008 studio album by Alexis Taylor

Rubbed Out is the first solo album by the leader of British indie electronic band Hot Chip, Alexis Taylor. It was released on October 13, 2008 in the UK. According to Taylor, he "just made it there wasn't any thinking behind it really." The album was "tailored in places, planes, hotel rooms and at home."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Blake (musician)</span> English singer and record producer (born 1988)

James Blake Litherland is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first gained recognition following the release of three extended plays—The Bells Sketch, CMYK and Klavierwerke—in 2010. He signed with A&M Records to release his self-titled debut album (2011) the following year, which was met with critical praise and peaked within the top ten of the UK Albums Chart.

<i>In Our Heads</i> 2012 studio album by Hot Chip

In Our Heads is the fifth studio album by English electronic music band Hot Chip, released on 6 June 2012. It is the band's first album to be released by Domino. It was recorded in a span of five months at English producer Mark Ralph's Club Ralph studio in London. The promotional single "Flutes", for which a video debuted on 15 March 2012, was made available as a free download when pre-ordering the album through Domino. A limited-edition 12-inch vinyl of the song was eventually released on 2 April 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savages (band)</span> English rock band

Savages are an English rock band that formed in 2011 in London. Their debut album, Silence Yourself was released on 6 May 2013 via Matador Records. It reached number 19 in the UK Albums Chart in May 2013, and was critically acclaimed. It peaked at number 5 on the Irish and the UK Independent Albums Chart, and at number 13 on the US Billboard Independent Albums chart. The band's second album Adore Life, was released on 22 January 2016. Both albums were nominated for the Mercury Prize, in 2013 and 2016 respectively.

<i>Julia with Blue Jeans On</i> 2013 studio album by Moonface

Julia with Blue Jeans On is the third album by musician Spencer Krug under the alias Moonface. It is the follow-up to 2012's With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery and features only Krug on vocals and piano. The album was released on 29 October 2013 by Jagjaguwar in the United States and by Paper Bag Records in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Goddard (musician)</span> British musician, songwriter, and DJ (born 1979)

Joe Goddard is a British musician, songwriter, and DJ. He is best known as a member of the English synth-pop band Hot Chip, which he co-founded with Alexis Taylor. In 2007, he co-founded record label Greco-Roman, which has released albums by artists such as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Disclosure. Goddard is also a member of electronica group The 2 Bears, and produced three solo albums, Harvest Festival (2009), Electric Lines (2017) and Harmonics (2024).

<i>Beautiful Thing</i> (Alexis Taylor album) 2018 studio album by Alexis Taylor

Beautiful Thing is the fourth studio album by British musician Alexis Taylor. It was released on 20 April 2018, under Domino Recording Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Smile (band)</span> English rock band

The Smile are an English rock band comprising the Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood with Tom Skinner (drums). Critics likened them to Radiohead, with more jazz, krautrock and progressive rock influences and a looser, wilder sound.

References

  1. "Hot Chip: 'Escapism is the opposite of what we should be doing' | Music". The Guardian . Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  2. "Booji Boy High". Discogs. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  3. Howe, Brian (21 November 2008). "Alexis Taylor: Rubbed Out". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  4. Rogers, Jude (31 March 2011). "About Group: Alexis Taylor swaps Hot Chip for jazz improv". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  5. Neyland, Nick (2 January 2013). "Alexis Taylor Nayim From The Halfway Line". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  6. Fitzmaurice, Larry (25 June 2014). "Alexis Taylor: Await Barbarians". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  7. Pearce, Sheldon (21 April 2016). "Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip) Announces New Album Piano, Shares "I'm Ready"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  8. Day, Laurence (12 January 2017). "Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor announces new Listen With(out) Piano album". The Line of Best Fit.
  9. Hakimian, Rob (20 February 2018). "Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor announces solo album produced by Tim Goldsworthy; listen to title track 'Beautiful Thing' now". The 405. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  10. Clarke, Patrick (15 September 2021). "Alexis Taylor - Silence review: the Hot Chip frontman shows his sensitive side". NME. Retrieved 20 September 2021.