Chromeo

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Chromeo

Background information
Origin Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres Electrofunk
Labels Turbo
Back Yard Recordings
Last Gang
Modular
Vice Recordings
Website Official Website
Members
David Macklovitch (Dave 1)
Patrick Gemayel (P-Thugg)

Contents

Chromeo is a Montreal based electrofunk duo composed of David Macklovitch and childhood friend, Patrick Gemayel. The two joke that they are "the only successful Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture."[1].

Gemayel and Macklovitch create music that is described as "a shameless return to the glistening, sex-saturated synth-pop which ruled the eighties."[2].

Their album "Fancy Footwork" is responsible for breaking in the Montreal synth-pop duo to mainstream media. Not only has the album been hailed by the industry's favorite publications, but Chromeo has infiltrated the YouTube and MTV crowds with their videos for "Bonafied Lovin" and "Momma's Boy."

[edit] History

[edit] Chromeo is Born (2002)

The two met in their high school years, when in a band together. "We met in high school. We were about 15, and we were all in the same high school, and I had started a band with a drummer. We were missing other musicians so we looked around the school, and Dave [Macklovitch] (aka Dave 1) was there playing guitar. He sat in with us, we started the band and we became best friends, we stuck together all these years." [3]

In high school, the two were in a band together. Their high school band was self described as "funk, but more ‘70s organic funk. Not like drum machines."[4] During the same time they were in this band together, Dave-1's brother A-Trak started winning the DMC championships. "At 15, A-Trak, from Canada, was the youngest DJ to ever win our DMC World Championships! He is a member of both the Allies and Invisibl Skratch Piklz crews."[5]

After the band, Dave-1 and P-Thugg started to produce hip hop together. Also, at this time Tiga was working with Dave-1 at a record store and asked Dave-1 to work on a project for his label, Turbo. "Then we started producing hip hop and became hip hop producers for like 10 years. From that, Tiga, who had a techno label wanted to try something new and approached us, and seeing as we were musicians it all worked out."[6]

Dave-1 and P-Thugg signed as Chromeo in 2001, and started creating tracks in 2002. They had no idea what they were doing and just crafted sound as they went along. They switched from hip-hop and focused on their passion. "...when they quit making hip-hop beats and gave into their love of obscure, electro-infused funk, disco and R&B, trading sampled drum breaks for lean 808 patterns slathered with vocal effects and sticky-sweet keyboards. The approach got them signed to Turbo."[7].

[edit] She's in Control (2004)

The debut album, defined Chromeo and started their music career. According to Rolling Stone, "...their debut, She's in Control, is such a big disco-boogie free-for-all... Drawing on the synthesizer-heavy funk pop of acts such as Klymaxx and Sylvester -- the stuff on the radio and played in clubs during hip-hop and house music's formative years -- the Montreal duo takes you back to a time when rollerskaters wore short shorts and danced in New York's Central Park. "Mercury Tears" sounds like the soundtrack to some robot death scene from a lost B movie..."[8]

The CD has a very 80's feel, "She’s In Control is their musical aphrodisiac, working your ass hard on the dance floor, and harder in the bedroom. Synthesized basslines, hypnotic drum programming, and-- Sweet Mother of Flirtatious Close Contact-- a talkbox! It’s all here, and it feels like it never left..."[9] "She's in Control, is an 80s-plundering scrapbook of talk boxes, gloopy synths and digital funk that proves Dave 1 and P-Thugg to be extremely keen-eared dilettantes. From the slightly unpolished quality of the recording to its carefully gated drums, the album doesn't simply appropriate the plasticky elements of the decade so much as it marinates in them."[10]

"Needy Girl" became a dj classic/world wide club hit, "Even better is the album standout "Needy Girl", a bright-lights-big-city cruiser..."[11]. Other album highlights are "Mercury Tears," "Rage!," and "Destination: Overdrive."

[edit] Fancy Footwork (2007)

"After spending the three years since the release of their debut album, She’s In Control, jet setting, globetrotting, and embarking on an overall sensual conquest of planet Earth, Chromeo headed back to their Montreal lab to put together album number deux."[12] The result, Fancy Footwork. "rolls you through a sleek, melodic world where all you need to worry about is whether you’ve got your sunglasses on and the right moves to keep up."[13]

This second iteration of the duo, shows progress from their first album, " Chromeo are in even more control of their sound than they were on She's in Control. The duo's debut was undeniably fun, but it was such a slave to the rhythm...Chromeo take their electro textures and funky beats in a very pop direction, topping them with memorable melodies and witty lyrics."[14]

They keep the 80's feel experienced in She's In Control, but add more polished production and sophisticated song writing. According to URB, "Chromeo’s sophomore effort, like She’s in Control, is a glorious homage to the 1980s, from the 8-bit drums to the campy guitar riffs and analog synth. Standouts such as “Call Me Up” and “Tenderoni” promise to fill dance floors while “My Girl Is Calling Me (A Liar)” and “Momma’s Boy” have all the tongue-in-cheek fun of the duo’s breakout hit, “Needy Girl.”[15]

Fancy Footwork finds our charismatic sartorial opposites Dave One and P-Thugg at the top of their game, both musically and stylistically. Tracks like “Tenderoni” and “Bonafied Lovin’” highlight the bravado of Dave One’s innuendo filled lyrics coupled with P-Thugg’s rock solid synth and vocoder work, while “100%” and “Momma’s Boy” reveal the tender side of Chromeo in the form of effortless slow jams. To top it off, legendary producer Philippe Zdar (Cassius, Motorbass) mixed the record, adding a sophisticated French touch to the atmosphere and perfectly complementing Chromeo’s heightened attention to songwriting detail. Fancy Footwork is a trans-continental love affair that represents the duality of the group best: a catchy yet intense pop album delivered with disarming sincerity.

The album took them on a two-year world tour performing in festivals such as Reading and Leeds and Dot to Dot in the UK, Fujirock in Japan, Iceland Airwaves in Iceland, and Roofs Festival in Belgium.

[edit] DJ Kicks (2009)

Most recently, Chromeo contributed to K7's compilation titled "DJ Kicks." "Montreal duo Chromeo gathers a treasure trove of sparkling curios on their contribution to K7's DJ Kicks series."[16] Pitchfork comments on their work, "Chromeo's entry into !K7's DJ-Kicks, the 30th in the storied mixtape series, seems acutely aware of the distinction. Filled with early-80s funk and R&B-infused pop (including bygone classics like Cheri's "Murphy's Law" and Val Young's Rick James produced "Seduction"), the disc serves as a legend for Dave 1 and bandmate P-Thugg's musical evolution"[17]

The CD captivates their influence from growing up in Montreal and does so in a way that appeals to a mass audience, "One of the most interesting things about the mix is the way that the duo try to make the very local Québec sound of the '80s universal."[18] The group completely understands the 80's and the DJ Kicks work exemplifies this, "this DJ Kicks is further proof the Chromeo guys know more than a thing or two about their '80s pop...more importantly, they know how powerful reminiscing about pop can be—no matter where (and when) it comes from. And you don't even need a personal attachment to any of the tracks on here to viscerally understand that."[19]

Along with the work for DJ-Kicks, Chromeo is working on their third studio album set to release in the summer of 2010. The released track, "Night by Night" will be on this album. "Chromeo is headed back to work...to record the follow-up to Fancy Footwork." [20]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio Albums

[edit] Compilations

  • Un Joli Mix Pour Toi (2005)
  • Ce Soir On Danse (2006)
  • DJ Kicks (2009)

[edit] Singles

[edit] She's In Control

  • You're So Gangsta 12" (with Playgroup remix)
  • Desination: Overdrive 12" (with DFA remix)
  • Me & My Man 12" (with Whitey remix)
  • Needy Girl 12" (with Zdar dub)
  • Needy Girl UK 12" (with Bloc Party and Paper Faces remixes)

[edit] Fancy Footwork

  • Fancy Footwork 12" (with Thomas Barfod and Surkin remixes)
  • Fancy Footwork UK EP (with Zdar dub and Guns N Bombs remixes)
  • Fancy Footwork UK 12" (with Laidback Luke and Kissy Sell Out remixes)
  • Tenderoni 12" (with Etienne de Crécy and Proxy remixes)
  • Tenderoni UK 12" (with MSTRKRFT and Sinden remixes)
  • Bonafied Lovin' 12" (with Riot in Belgium, Les Petits Pilous and Jori Hulkkonen remixes)
  • Bonafeied Lovin' UK 12" (with Yuksek, Teenagers and Headman remixes)

[edit] DJ Kicks

  • I Can't Tell You Why 7"

[edit] Videos

  • Needy Girl, directed by: Tomorrow's Brightest Minds
  • Tenderoni, directed by: Surface2Air
  • Bonafied Lovin, directed by: Nina Nourizadeh
  • Fancy Footwork, directed by: Ben Levine
  • Momma's Boy, directed by: Stephane Manel
  • Night by Night, directed by: Surface2Air

[edit] Remixes

[edit] Samples
"Fancy Footwork"
from Fancy Footwork
Problems listening to this file? See media help.


[edit] Collaborations

  • In 2006, the group was featured in DJ Medhi's song "I am Somebody."
  • Chromeo and Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates teamed up in the Summer of 2008 for a jam session on Live from Daryl's House. "Their set included the Hall & Oates songs "Family Man" and "Adult Education" and a pair of Chromeo songs: "Tenderoni" and "Waiting 4 U." "Chromeo guitarist/singer Dave 1 said of the experience. "Given that he pretty much wrote half our songs, it was about time we met Daryl Hall in real life."[21]

[edit] Awards & Nominations

Chromeo awards and nominations
Award Wins Nominations
mtvU Woodie Awards
 1 0
CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards
 1 0
MTV Video Music Awards
 0 1
Totals
Awards won 2
Nominations 1

[edit] Appearances

  • In 2007, they passed through California, and stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live on October 17 for a performance of their track “Bonafied Lovin’.”[24]
  • On June 17, 2008, they made a second appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live and performed "Fancy Footwork."[25]
  • "Dave 1 and P-Thugg appeared Friday, November 7, 2008 on NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien performing a special unplugged (or as they like to call it unthugged) version of Momma’s Boy with the added compliment of an eight piece string section."[26]
  • In February 2009, they appeared on the Nickelodeon JR show, Yo Gabba Gabba, "Chromeo appeared on an episode of the Nick Jr show Yo Gabba Gabba! that premiered today. The episode was about good hygiene, and the guys offered up an original song about washing your hands."[27]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.myspace.com/chromeo CHROMEO on Myspace Music
  2. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/8bvr/ BBC - Dance Review - Chromeo, Fancy Footwork
  3. ^ http://www.jambands.com/features/2009/09/30/kicking-it-with-chromeo
  4. ^ http://www.jambands.com/features/2009/09/30/kicking-it-with-chromeo
  5. ^ http://www.dmcdjchamps.com/worldchamps.asp
  6. ^ http://www.mvremix.com/urban/interviews/p_thugg_chromeo.shtml
  7. ^ http://www.djdownload.com/mp3-detail/Chromeo/DJ+KiCKS+ReMix/K7+Records/874700
  8. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/5150523/review/5942819?utm_source=Rhapsody&utm_medium=CDreview
  9. ^ http://www.tlchicken.com/view_story.php?ARTid=2025
  10. ^ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1754-shes-in-control/
  11. ^ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1754-shes-in-control/
  12. ^ http://myspace.com/chromeo
  13. ^ http://www.myspace.com/chromeo
  14. ^ http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Chromeo/Discography/album/P577712/R1068972/
  15. ^ http://www.urb.com/reviews/cd/feature.php?ReviewId=402
  16. ^ http://www.k7.com
  17. ^ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13561-dj-kicks/
  18. ^ http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=6728
  19. ^ http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=6728
  20. ^ http://www.prefixmag.com/news/chromeo-plans-fashion-collabs-new-album/22097/
  21. ^ http://newsroom.mtv.com/2008/07/28/chromeo-and-daryl-hall-8212-yes-of-hall-oates-8212-team-up-for-sure-to-be-epic-jam-session/
  22. ^ http://radio3.cbc.ca/
  23. ^ http://espot.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/mtvu-woodie-awards-winners-announcement-paramore-motion-city-soundtrack-chromeo-jacks-mannequin-and-more/
  24. ^ http://www.culturebully.com/chromeo-on-jimmy-kimmel-live
  25. ^ http://elbo.ws/video/JBrzD4dRCIQ/
  26. ^ http://www.nt2099.com/J-ENT/news/music-entertainment-news/chromeo-on-conan-obrien-performing-mommas-boy-with-an-8-piece-string-section-this-friday-november-7th/
  27. ^ http://themusic.fm/2009.02.27/chromeo-yo-gabba-video

[edit] External Links

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