THE INSIDERS: CHROMEO

Get on the dance floor - the synth-pop duo is back.

Do some stretches, pose in front of the mirror, prepare to get your groove on, because new music from Chromeo is basically a summons to the dance floor. The duo from Montreal, otherwise known as P-Thugg and Dave, has a knack for creating genre-melding party anthems. Now, after a two-year hiatus, Chromeo is gearing up to release a third album this summer.

Luckily, the first single is already out to get you warmed up. “Night By Night” is classic Chromeo, with lyrics that pair suavity with wit. To sweeten the deal even more, they’ve released the song for free download via Green Label Sound. Just before their big CMJ show tomorrow at Brooklyn Bowl (alongside Green Label Sound mates lAmazing Baby, Holy Ghost!, and Solid Gold), NYLON caught up with Chromeo to get the inside scoop on the collaboration—and just when we can expect a new album.

You've been together for seven years - has the music process changed at all for you?
Dave 1: We've been listening to more ballads, just to get the song aspects of it. Obviously it's going to be a dance record, but we hear things differently than people who listen to our music.
P-Thugg: We’re still changing. We’ve been buying a lot of synthesizers and trying to push the envelope on arrangements.
D1: It’s gotten more sophisticated. There are more chord changes and more interesting chord progressions, not just straightforward riffs. I’m trying falsetto—I don't really know how to do it, but I try. We thought it came out very different, but then we read on some blogs that it’s the "same old stuff." But in our heads it’s different, we're approaching it differently by writing the whole record on piano and vocals, and then arranging it after.

What were the influences for your new single, “Night By Night”?
D1: Soft rock, the ‘70s, Michael McDonald, Billy Joel. The way we use references is pretty hidden—sometimes it just stays between P and I.
P-T: This song is the closest to Fancy Footwork—it’s like the bridge between Fancy Footwork and the Eagles cover we released on DJ Kicks.

Why release the single as a free download on Green Label Sound?
D1: It was important for us to give the song away for free. With so much available out there, it’d be so easy to get lost online, but what I like about Green Label Sound is they make an event out of it. It’s a cool platform to put out a song with a really big push behind it.
P-T: With this project, we could really get our vision across and do what we have in mind. It requires butting heads, but they were flexible and caved into all our demands [laughs].

Your videos are always really cool looking – do you have anything planned for "Night by Night"?
P-T: We have a treatment, it’s going to be directed by Surface 2 Air. They did our last album cover too. Let’s just say it's very Gregory Hines.

If you could recruit another member for Chromeo, who would it be?
D1: My brother, DJ A-Trak! And DJ Mehdi. They’re the two honorary members. We did something with Mehdi years ago on his first album, and we’re about to do a new song. Whenever he wants us to do something, we'd just jump in and do it.
 
What have you been listening to lately?
D1: There’s the same old funk stuff, and we’ve been listening to some new stuff as well—I like R&B like Neyo and the Dream. We also like a lot of music by Holy Ghost!, who are friends of ours.

So, the question everyone's asking: What’s the new record going to sound like?
D1: We can’t really say too much. The new album is still really early on, we’ve still got three songs to write completely and the rest is getting worked on. "Night by Night" is the first song completed. It won't be until the summer when the record drops, but we wanted a little palette cleanser.

Give us a teaser--three words to describe the upcoming album?
D1: Sophisticated, catchy, and unfinished.
MAI LYNN MILLER NGUYEN

Visit greenlabelsound.com for more info.



This story was published on October 22, 2009.