If you napped through fall break and happened to miss The Pageant’s Oct. 24 guest, I’ve got a lot to share with you. SLU community, meet Chromeo. Chromeo, meet SLU community. This electro-funk duo will surely help you get back in shape for the second half of the semester.
Hailing out of Montreal, Quebec, these guys will make you shake it, whether you like it or not. The two men of the band are Dave 1 (David Macklovitch) and P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel). Dave 1 holds it down in the guitar department and also heads the vocals, while Mr. P-Thugg plays all the keyboards and synthesizers, the bass guitar and the talk box.
P-Thugg was born in Lebanon in 1979, and relocated to Canada when he was 8 years old. He first crossed paths with Dave 1 in the mid-1990s, when they became best friends in high school. Since their initial meeting at age 15, the two have been full-time funkers. They started off playing covers of legendary funk acts such as The Commodores, the Ohio Players and Earth, Wind & Fire. Over time their musical repertoire has expanded to include flavors of hip-hop, rock, R&B and jazz.
When asked about Chromeo’s past expectations of success, one will receive an unexpected response.
“We weren’t expecting anything to come out of Chromeo,” P-Thugg said. “We both had jobs, a fine life, and for us it was just another fun project.”
In fact, P-Thugg said that it wasn’t until midway through the recording of their second album, “Fancy Footwork,” that the idea of Chromeo became permanent.
“We realized we could do this for a career,” P-Thugg said. “Chromeo became everything we wanted in one band.”
It’s hard to believe that a band with such a strong identity and so much talent could start off as “just another fun project,” right?
To date, Chromeo has released three studio albums, and like a fine wine, they continue to get better with time. The release of their debut album “She’s in Control” in 2004 brought comparisons to the 80s super-duo Hall & Oates and, although it received positive reviews, according to P-Thugg, the guys were very displeased with the result of the album. It was not until dance halls and clubs around the world began frequently playing the single “Needy Girl” that they took themselves seriously.
“Fancy Footwork,” released in 2007, was the game-changer. It peaked at No. 11 on the Top Electronic Albums and earned the group American popularity. It was a step forward for the two and a maturation of the group’s sound. More elaborately crafted hooks and riffs took the place of the repetitive ideas of the first album.
Their latest 2010 release, “Business Casual,” is the acme of their musical career thus far. With electro-soultastic melodies and retro groovin’ rhythms that will make your body rock, the duo takes us to a place that our generation rarely experiences. Put the record on, and you’ll be magically whisked away to an episode of “Miami Vice,” or a city night where neon lights are your only guide. Hall & Oates comparisons resounded, and the guys of Chromeo said that they are “completely okay with it.” In fact, they love being compared to their musical idols.
Presently, the duo has been placed in a genre reserved for few called “electrofunk.” However, P-Thugg said he doesn’t care much for labels, self-describing the band as “sexy-funk-jazz.”
And with a name like that, you know it’s got to be good.
