July 2, 2009 16:54

Foals embrace 'uncool' funk sounds for new album

Yannis Philippakis says the band 'don't really listen to rock music' anymore

Photo Gallery: Foals
Photo: Guy Eppel

Foals' Yannis Philippakis has revealed that the band are shunning traditional rock music on their new album, instead focusing on funk, dub and classic soul.

Speaking after Foals' intimate show at London's Lexington last night (July 1), which acted as a warm-up for tonight's support with Blur at London's Hyde Park, Philippakis said the band have been listening to the opposite of what people might expect them to.

"Basically, everything that we didn't like before, we've got into now," he said, adding, "we don’t really listen to that much rock music at the moment."

Philippakis went on to describe some of the new music he's been gaining inspiration from.

"We're listening to a lot of hip-hop, stuff like Donald Byrd and some long disco edits, Donna Summer, James Brown, stuff that before we would have always felt was too part of the canon."

The frontman admitted that isn't worried if some fans are put off by the new influences.

"With a lot of funk records, it's kind of seen as being uncool in some way, and it's just a challenge for us. We see it as being a chameleon basically," he told BBC 6Music.

He added that the band are working on the record at their Oxford base, with a view to releasing it in 2010.