Ready for the Floor

Single infobox
Name = Ready for the Floor


Artist = Hot Chip
from Album = Made in the Dark
B-side =
Released = 28 January 2008
Format =
Recorded =
Genre = Indietronica
Electro-pop
Length = 3:55
Label = EMI (UK)
Producer =
Chart position = #6 UK
Last single = "Shake a Fist" (2007)
This single = "Ready for the Floor" (2008)
Next single = "One Pure Thought" (2008)
Misc =

"Ready for the Floor" is the second single by Hot Chip from their 2008 album "Made in the Dark". It was released on 28 January 2008 and reached number six on the UK Singles Chart.

Lyrics

Alexis Taylor gave an explanation about the use of the line, "You're my number one guy" in the song, and also explained how it visually impacted the music video, (Taylor is dressed as the Joker):

Music video

The music video for "Ready for the Floor", directed by Nima Nourizadeh, was described by Pitchfork Media as being "all about duality", showing Alexis Taylor "going back and forth (and sometimes split down the middle) between mild-mannered tech wiz and, basically, the Joker." cite web| last = Hogan| first = Marc| title = Hot Chip's "Ready For Floor" Video Explained, Kind Of! | publisher = Pitchfork Media| url =http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/download/47441-hot-chip-ready-for-the-floor| accessdate = 2008-02-16]

Critical reception

"Ready for the floor" was generally well received by music critics and charted well in the UK, reaching position 6. "Drowned in Sound" gave the single a score of 9/10 and described it as one that "might not sell a million records" but that it could make "'household name' an achievable status".cite web| last = Dobson| first = Gareth| title = Hot Chip: Ready For The Floor | publisher = "Drowned in Sound"| url =http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/12239| accessdate = 2008-04-27]

"Drowned in Sound" said that it had "a chord change that uplifts the soul" and that the song was "a slice of sweetly insistent ‘80s Italo-house lite" but also said it could also be described "as a piece of sophisticated mainstream pop". musicOMH.com said that "Ready For The Floor" bore an "undoubted resemblance [...] at first glance" to "Boy From School" but said it was "more subtle in its use of brushed electro beats and clever countermelodies".

A number of reviews discussed the style of Alexis Taylor’s vocals. musicOMH.com described his vocals as "quietly dreamy" whilst "Drowned in Sound" said there was "something incredibly sweet about the way that Alexis Taylor croons 'you’re my number one guy'" and described his vocals as "full of nerdy sexual chocolate."cite web| last = Hogwood| first = Ben| title = Hot Chip - Ready For The Floor | publisher = musicOMH.com| url =http://www.musicomh.com/singles/hot-chip-4_0108.htm| accessdate = 2008-04-27]

Boomkat.com said that "Ready for the Floor (Smoothed Out on an R&B tip Version)", sounded "more in line with Morr-ish poptronica than R. Kelly" and was "undoubtedly tinted with a slightly more downbeat hue than the album and radio edits." Boomkat.com also commented on the B-side, "My Brother Is Watching Me", describing it as "a slow burning, exceptionally quiet electronic ballad". [cite web| last =| first = | title = Hot Chip - Ready For The Floor | publisher = Boomkat.com| url =http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=72636| accessdate = 2008-05-13]

Collaboration with Kylie Minogue

Some media reports incorrectly asserted that Hot Chip had originally written the song "Ready for the Floor" for the Australian singer Kylie Minogue. [cite web|last = |first = |title = Kylie Minogue writes song for Hot Chip|publisher = "NME"|url =http://www.nme.com/news/hot-chip/31783|accessdate = 2008-02-16] Alexis Taylor explained; "It started because someone asked me if we would ever write for Kylie. I said that we'd been asked to write for her but we'd never got round to it. And I said if we had to give her one of our songs, "Ready for the Floor" would probably be the most suitable. From that, I got misquoted. We didn't write "Ready for the Floor" for Kylie, didn't send it to her and she never heard it."cite web| last = Ryan| first = Gary| title = Geeky date with Hot Chip | publisher = "Manchester Evening News"| url =http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/music/rock_and_pop/s/1036645_geeky_date_with_hot_chip| accessdate = 2008-02-16]

Track listings

Enhanced CD

# Ready for the Floor
# Shake a Fist (Diplo's Noise of Art Remix)
# Bubbles They Bounce
# Ready for the Floor (Soulwax Dub)
# Ready for the Floor (music video)

7" single 1

*A: Ready for the Floor (radio edit)
*B: Bubbles They Bounce

7" single 2

*A: Ready for the Floor (Smoothed Out on an R&B tip Version)
*B: My Brother Is Watching Me

Chart positions

References