robert wyatt & hot chip make it in the dark

I heard about this dream collabo ages ago, and I was rubbing my thighs in sweaty anticipation. First a remix, and now an EP, with free download. Oh Domino, how I love you! What next from my dreams? Tom Waits and Anthony Braxton? (If you are someone who can make this happen, I strongly advise you to DO IT.)

Made in the Dark comes out spidery; cracked melancholy and whimsy carried in Wyatt’s voice, and intense useless hopefulness carried in the sloping off-kilter ballad that falls from the lips of Alexis Taylor.

Robert Wyatt & Hot Chip - Made In The Dark

This remix of Wyatt’s track recorded with off-centre French producer and musician Bertrand Bergalat proves Hot Chip are hitting their stride with remixes. It’s got weight behind it’s eight and a half minutes; the punchy beats and synths sit uncomfortably behind Wyatt’s mottled crooning, but instead of jarring it comes together as a strangely formed whole, moving forward without compromising that most distinctive of sounds - Wyatt’s voice.

Robert Wyatt & Bertrand Bergalat - This Summer Night (Hot Chip Remix)

Today I spoke to someone who hadn’t heard this - probably one of the best cover versions of all time in my opinion. There’s a really sharp cynicism in the track when Wyatt plods assuredly through it. This person also pointed out that there’s a depressing irony in Wyatt singing the line “I couldn’t leave her if I tried”. I converted in from vinyl for your ears and mine, dear listener.

Robert Wyatt - I’m A Believer

To get both tracks at 320kbps from the Robert Wyatt and Bert Burgalat 12″ (they’re really both worth having I assure you) go to Domino, it’s only £1.50 for the pair. Get your free track from the EP here. All the kids on the right hand list stock Wyatt and Hot Chip too.