Chromeo, the quintessential masters of 80s inspired electro funk. If you don’t know who they are, you’ve probably been living in Alaska. But even there I’m sure eskimos would get down to tracks like Needy Girl. Self proclaimed “walking hip-hop encyclopedias” Dave-1 and P-Thugg have come a long way since their humble beginnings as two music nerds with a talk box.
With their first album She’s In Control setting a whole new standard for cool, the childhood best-buds were given the opportunity to jet set the world, playing both headline spots and huge support slots around the globe. But, amongst all the squealing synths and uber-cool press shots, how are we supposed to really take Chromeo?
Sure the first album was good fun, but are they for real? Or, is this some sort of ongoing parody aimed at taking the piss out of Prince and California Love? Their second album, Fancy Footwork, finally puts these queries to rest, as there ain’t nothing “ironic” about the music they’re making. It’s Hall & Oates riding on 22s, busting caps in the air with Quincy Jones at the steering wheel. That shit ain’t funny.
Set for their second coming to the land of the blue navy singlet this summer, ITM was lucky enough to catch up with Synth Master P-Thugg on a cold Montreal afternoon recently, gaining a bit of an insight into what to expect this summer.
So what’s been going on in the world of Chromeo since releasing the second album?
You know man, just touring all over, promoting the album… working hard, but yeah mostly touring.
I read that the way Chromeo started was Tiga asked Dave to do something “hip-hop” for his label Turbo. Did you guys play music together before then? What was it like?
Yeah we did, we played together since we were teenagers. I don’t really know what it was like. We just used to listen to all the music that we liked and tried to work out how to make the same sounds.
She’s In Control had heaps of hooks and big sounds, but Fancy Footwork seems to be a lot more musical and melody driven. Was this a conscious decision or more of a natural growth for the band?
She’s In Control was all about the big sounds and discovering what we wanted to sound like, and sort of finding out what Chromeo was. The new album is a lot more musical, we know who we are and what we want to sound like. It was definitely just a natural progression.
My mum digs Bonafied Lovin, do you find that your music appeals to a wide range of age groups? Ever caught some oldies twerkin’ in the crowd?
Haha, that’s great. We definitely get people from all ages diggin’ our music, I’m not sure about Bonafied Lovin, but definatley Needy Girl and some others seem to span the ages. I think different people can take different things away from our music so it’s good.
The sounds you use all seem so thought out and sought after, like you know exactly the vibe you want to make with your music. How did you guys learn to reproduce those sounds?
It’s the equipment, man, you need to start with good equipment. Good analogue synths; you can’t get the right sounds with anything but that. I use old Moogs and vintage synths, but it has to be analogue. Equipment was definitely the key, and then heaps of time learning [the synths].
You guys have been using the whole 80s synth sound since the beginning. It seems everyone is adding synths into their music these days for a bit of extra flavour; what do you think about that?
Ahh man, as long as it’s done well then more power to them! I’m definatley not looking at it negatively, a lot of indie bands do use synths but it sounds good, so until it sounds shit there is no worry from me.
How does your music carry over to a live performance, there are no doubts that you would have trouble recreating it on stage; are you happy with how it’s sounding?
Yeah, we are real happy with our live show. We have tried alot of different things, live drums, full live bands, but it doesn’t really work for us. People come to see me and Dave, and we know how to do it best, so we like to stick to that.
I don’t think I could do an interview with you guys without touching on the voiceboxes. Where did the inspiration come from to feature them as a main component of your first album, and what is the appeal to keep it going?
I remember hearing talkbox sounds on old tracks and thinking how they did it, I just fell in love with the sound. I really wanted to be a singer, but I can’t sing, so using a talkbox was a great way for me to be a singer without sounding like shit. Chromeo is all about the talkbox and it’ll be here to stay.
So tell us what excites you most about coming back to Australia?
The weather man! I can’t wait. And the people, of course.
You can catch Chromeo doin’ it live in Oz at the following shows this summer:
Dec 30 – Pyramid Rock Festival, Victoria
Dec 31 – Killer NYE, Melbourne
Jan 1 – Field Day, Sydney
Jan 5 – Festival First Night, Sydney
Jan 6 – Summadayze, Perth
Jan 7 – Beck’s Festival Bar, Sydney
