A huarache is a type of leather sandal, originally worn by Mexican Indians, which were popular among '60s hippies. The name was adopted by Nike for their Air Flight Huarache sneakers. So why have Hot Chip attached the word 'huarache' to the titular lights that they sing of here? Co-vocalist Alexis Taylor explained: "I was trying to capture the feeling of excitement I get when hearing Joe (Goddard)'s new music for the first time, and collaborating with him on it." "Huarache Lights are some trainers I love - but in the song they're a shorthand for something modern, something very London, and for the kind of escapism and fun of a Friday night at Plastic People - which is where we were heading to DJ when we were making that track."
The "I got something for your mind your body and your soul" lyric is sampled from "Let No Man Put Asunder," a 1983 track by First Choice. Some of the drums come from Lyn Collins' much sampled 1972 James Brown-produced track "Think (About It)." The best known uses of the song were when it was utilized as the main vocal hook on Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock's 1988 hit tune "It Takes Two" and were used for Janet Jackson's 1990 single "Alright."
The accompanying video is based around a light installation by artist Robert Bell and filmed in one take by Andy Knowles. The director said: "The challenge was to bring something new to an existing sculpture, respecting Robert Bell's work whilst adding a Hot Chip influence." "I wanted to do the whole thing live, so even though it may not look it, everything was shot in camera using video projection mapping. For such a brilliant song, I wanted to keep it stripped back and let the song speak for itself."
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