Hot Toddy Interview + Album Sampler + DJ Mix + Free Track!

Posted by Lee Jarvis in Music News on Oct 15th, 2010

I was lucky enough to be able to fire a few questions at Hot Toddy, aka Chris Todd; Crazy P(enis) band member, musician, DJ and solo producer from the UK. His new album under the Hot Toddy Moniker is due out very soon, and you can preview is below, whilst reading some of his influences behind it. Also, check out our thoughts of the album in the Music Review section very soon.

LJ: How long have you been producing solo under the Hot Toddy name?
HT: Since about 1998, it was around that time I had my first releases on Nottingham’s Neon Heights label.

Why so long until this album?
Well, Crazy P takes up most of my time so I have to fit Hot Toddy in when I can.

How would you say your sound has evolved over the years?
I think my early stuff was very sample based, much of my sound palette came from old records. Now I play a lot more guitar and keys and have more analogue stuff at my disposal.

What influenced you whilst making this album?
Lots of different things. There’s an obvious disco feel, as there is with most of my stuff. I take a lot of my drum sound from 70’s productions. There a bit of acid and house in there also, always loved good acidy funk so there’s a few more contemporary nods to people like Daft Punk as well as Moodymann and Basement Jaxx.

I Love the sound of early 80’s electro funk, bands like Zapp and Roger, Prince Charles and the City Beat Band, Grand Master Flash and of course Prince, so that’s filtered in there also.

There’s also quite an ambient, psychedelic edge to it , with influences from Steve Riech, early FSOL and the Pixes to name a few!

Did you approach an album differently than you would a single? Do you see it as a process that enables you to experiment and explore a bit more?
Definitely. An album allows you to explore different angles, to stray from the path a little. I wasn’t trying to make every track a dance floor banger! It definitely has a few left field moments.

Do you differentiate between a ‘Crazy P feel’ and a ‘Hot Toddy feel’ when you first start an idea for a track?
I don’t really have to do anything consciously, the very act of working on my own makes it sound Hot Toddy I think, When I work with Jim it sounds Crazy P! The Hot Toddy stuff, to generalize, tends to be a bit more minimal, repetitive and maybe a bit more raw and funky, where with Crazy P there much more elaborate/ sophisticated melody.

Do you agree that the nu-disco / funk / electronica sound is going through a bit of an explosion of late? If so, what are some key signs / your experiences of this?
Yes it certainly has and it has been building over the last 3 or 4 years. Nights like Horse Meat Disco in London have been very successful. There’s been some notable acts that are almost crossing over, like Aeroplane, Hercules and Love Affair, Tensnake, LCD Soundsystem. The Garden Festival in Croatia is also worth a mention, for me it optimizes everything that is good about the “nu-disco” scene, an eclectic music policy covering the best in underground disco, house, soul, funk and balearica, enjoyed with passion and genuine love from all those involved.

Does this release on OM’s sister label mean that we’ll see more of you in the US?
Well I hope so, maybe a few DJ dates in the future.

Do you have other plans for touring with this album? Will you have a live setup?
No, if I had the time I’d be right on it, but Crazy P is my priority and it would be very difficult to do a HT live show justice.

Do you prefer recording or performing? Is one a necessary chore to enable the other?
I genuinely love doing both, never seen either as a chore thankfully! But they do influence each other in a quite invaluable way.

Which other musicians or vocalists did you you enjoy working with on Late Night Boogie?
I’ve kept it fairly in house on this one with 2 collaborations from Crazy P’s Danielle Moore and one from the P’s Tim Davies. There’s also a track I did with a very good friend of mine Jennifer Rhonwen, it’s the first release she’s ever been involved in so that was a real buzz for both of us.

Who would you like to work with in the future?
I definitely like to branch out away from familiar faces and try some more challenging collabs. There’s a Polish girl called Kasia who goes under the name of Novika, I recently did a remix for her, she has a brilliantly original voice and is a great lyricist so I’d love to do a track with her.

What else does the future hold for Hot Toddy?
I have no definite plans, just to keep building on what I’ve done. Been doing a lot of remixes recently and they can conveniently fit around Crazy P, so will hopefully be doing a few more. Another more ambitious album as well hopefully, if I can find the time!

Shout outs…?
Just one, Club Dave from Future Boogie, no-one else deserves a mention! Sorry, that’s a bit of a private joke so apologies to all my other friends and family who may be offended!

Hot Toddy - Late Night Boogie (Smoke and Mirrors)