It’s been about a week after the Crookers extravaganza in NYC where Dave 1 was providing the beats in Magnum PR’s room. We were able to catch up with Dave over the phone while he worked in the studio in Montreal. We chatted about Chromeo’s recent projects, their influence, a tripped out kids show called Yo! Gabba Gabba, and what lies ahead after the Fancy Footwork tour has ended.

What did you think of the event last week?

Yeah, it was good. I’m happy for those dudes (Crookers). I’m a fan of what they do so I’m happy to see them do their thing.

You guys are going to be hitting a lot of summer festivals soon…

I guess we’re going to do all the Canadian and American ones first and then we’re going to Europe in late August.

Are they any different in Europe than they are here?

Yeah, they’re definitely more of a festival culture there then they are here but at the same time, some of the best festivals are in North America, like Coachella, you know? But the festivals in the U.K. are always a bit of an adventure, you know? My brother’s a dj as well [his brother is A-Trak] and he was at Glastonbury this weekend and he was stranded over there until 5 in the morning and he had to sleep in a tent. You know, and you don’t get that over here.

Do you two ever end up at the same festivals?..

We end up at the same festivals; I mean we did Coachella together. And we did… what else did we do together? When my brother was just doing more hip hop stuff, I guess we were catering to different audiences but now, it’s weird because we get the same audience. So, I mean, there’ll be more. But yeah, we did Coachella together which was a blast.

How did you see your audience start changing? Are you getting more of a hip hop crowd too?

Yeah. It’s strange, they’re crossing over a little bit. It’s more of a mainstream audience sometimes. I mean parts of it you know. People that wouldn’t be into other electronic music but would be into, like Gym Class Heroes or something, you know? But the thing is you can’t criticize your fans and you can’t choose them either. I mean, we don’t care.

Is there any collaboration that you would want to do?

I mean there are friends of ours; French people that have remixed us in the past. There’s a kid called Surkin, we just finished a joint for him. Another guy named Yuksek, we just finished a joint for him. We just did a Vampire Weekend joint. We just did a joint for that TV show for kids, Yo! Gabba Gabba. You know that kid’s TV show?

Say that again?

Yo! Gabba Gabba? It’s a kid’s show on Nickelodeon? If you go on our myspace page that picture of us that’s on there now that’s us on the set of the show.

It’s like the new Sesame Street. It’s great. They have all these bands and Biz Markie is on there. He teaches you how to do beat-boxing. We did a song about how it’s important to wash your hands.

Earlier this month, MIA announced she’ll be quitting touring due to exhaustion? She said she’s still going to be working on music but that the whole touring part has taken a major toll on her reality. Can you see how touring can take a major toll on an artist or on an act?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. We refuse 3 or 4 shows every week. That’s because I’m also in school. Pee and I, since the beginning, we always told ourselves that money wasn’t a main objective for us. It was just to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And we tour when we really want to be touring. And we stop when we feel that it can be harmful but it hurts the exposure of our band. I mean, it sabotages how large we can be. You know? I mean remember when we were on MTV? I think it was in the fall, in October. You know, when they ran those little bumpers of us every 5 seconds? We were on MTV all day. If we had a massive U.S. tour at that time, our profile would have been so much bigger than it is now. And our manager tells us that. But we also know that we would be depressed or we would be fighting all the time or wouldn’t be inspired to work on new material. But at that time? I didn’t know Maya said that because I actually haven’t seen her in a bit but I understand. I perfectly understand where she’s coming from on that because you have to know when to stop. The problem is, nowadays, artists aren’t really making money off other sources than touring because you can’t really make any money off record sales anymore. So, there’s really this pressure to be on the road all the time. Unfortunately, there are going to be more scenarios like these, where artists are just burnt out.

Do you see yourself having any newer influences or new artists that have inspired you musically?

We’re always listening to new stuff. We’re kind of an oddity because if you look at our friends, you look at our peers, our sound is way more retro than them, you know? So, for us it’s also about rediscovering old classics that we draw our inspirations from. So, for me, I love someone like Boys Noize. I mean, I’m a huge fan of his music and I do learn from a lot of the stuff that he does but I’m also really into, like, Billy Joel at the moment. And I want our next record to sound like a Billy Joel record.

And you were saying, rediscovering new classics. Is there any artist that you’ve found that you maybe didn’t know was around from back then?

I mean we were always really big Hall & Oates fans. But I mean, last week, we actually went to Darryl Hall’s house and spent 2 days like jamming with him. It kind of gave me an even greater appreciation for him. Because, of course, I already knew all his songs by heart and was already, like, a massive fan. But to talk to him and to see him play live and to hear all the anecdotes from him, really made me appreciate how much of a visionary he is. I mean, you know, this is the guy; he influenced everyone in modern pop music. I mean, Michael Jackson said “when I heard ‘I Can’t Go For That’ that’s when I decided to copy it and write ‘Billie Jean’.” That’s what Michael Jackson told Darryl Hall. And I mean, when he tells you anecdotes like that and the fact that his mentor was Smokey Robinson. All of that makes you really appreciate him and admire him even more.

Where do you see your next album going, musically?

I mean, it’s still going to be a Chromeo record. Our music has a very clear aesthetic and we don’t stray away from it very much. Off the top now, we’re just thinking of incorporating a little more piano. Maybe more vocal harmonies, you know? There’s always a new challenge we like to give ourselves when we make a new record. The second record was to sound slicker and more accomplished, more mature, and more sophisticated than the first one. I think on the third we’re going to try and give it more finesse and more vocal harmonies. Maybe more ballads, you know? Who knows?

FIN

Wanna thank Dave for taking some time to chat with me and I’m leaving you with a different clip of Yo! Gabba Gabba so you can get an idea of what its like.

“Needy Girl” is one of those songs that just gets better with age — and damn, who can’t relate?? FRANKMUSIK recently remixed the Chromeo classic. A little less funky, it’s totally reworked and fucked up into that signature Frankmusik sound. This girl comes off a little bit more needy than the original… and maybe even vengeful. Easily though, my favorite mix of this song:

Chromeo – “Needy Girl” (FRANKMUSIK remix) (mp3)

Chromeo’s new video for “Bonafide Lovin’” is a nice nod to Dire Straights — right down to the dog. Although it’s probably pretty easy to guess which we prefer.

Oh and here’s that Sinden remix of “Tenderoni” that has been featured on just about every single blog out there… with good reason too. It’s pretty damn super. I have to say I like it a lot more than the original Sinden remix. It seems a bit more fleshed out, and hey… Kid Sister is always a nice bonus.

Chromeo featuring Kid Sister – “Tenderoni” (Sinden remix) (mp3 via Vice)

Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing (Chicks for Free)”

I think I first got familiar with Tronik Youth a year or so ago when I would discovered his mixtapes and listen to them nonstop. He has since stopped doing them so frequently, but still has a few on myspace (and top song lists) that you should definitely go check out. Not only does he have impeccable musical selection, he also makes f*uckin good music….

Tronik Youth – We Are”¦

Tronik Youth has worked pure magic on this track. Somehow he managed to completely rework ‘Bonafied Lovin’ without losing the heart of the song. It’s so distinctly him, yet still so distinctly Chromeo. Is it bad to say that I maybe prefer this version to the original?

Chromeo – Bonafied Lovin’ (Tronik Youth rmx)

And this is just the beginning…looks like he has almost eleven different remixes in the works, including one for NYPC!

Bigstereo approved Chromeo show and Beauty Bar San Diego….

Chromeo!!! “Tenderoni” is getting it’s UK release next week on Back Yard records with remixes from MSTRKRFT and Sinden. I am sure you’re gonna hear both mixes played out like all the time.

The MSTRKRFT mix is pretty damn near perfect… in typical MSTRKRFT fashion. The track is already huge, but they make it… more funky, more dancey, more sweaty. Roll down the windows and play it loud. I’m pretty much convinced MSTRKRFT does no wrong (except touring with Digweed, whatever).

Chromeo – “Tenderoni” (MSTRKRFT remix) (mp3)

Sinden’s remix is signature Sinden… glitchy and slick, it’s pretty bangin and will sit comfortably in most sets. I have to say though, it’s not my favorite from Sinden, but I do totally love the vocals on this one…

Chromeo – “Tenderoni” (Sinden remix) (mp3)

Pictures

Kiiiiiii

Yo Majesty

Matt and Kim

Lo-Fi-Fnk

Datarock

Kid Sister

Peaches, Lola of Spektrum, and Yo Majesty

Johnny Love autographing Melissa’s titty.

Scanners

Walter Meego

Spektrum

Lesbian’s On Ecstacy

Junior Senior with JD Samson

Peaches

Johnny Love and me

and some pictures of the BigStereo family

Bands and DJ’s seen but not pictured:
Bonde Do Role, Lazaro Casanova, MSTRKRFT, The Horrors, Spank Rock with Amanda Blank, Le Castlevania, DJ Paparazzi, Macromantics, Juice Boxxx, Chromeo, and a few that get lost in my drunk haze.

Oh bats! Justice on Vice. Chromeo on an Ed Banger record. It’s like when neighboring schools get together for a mixer. Like the last few Ed Banger releases, nothing totally groundbreaking here. Don’t expect to be like Justified up. Mehdi has created a harmless dance track to fill your night.

DJ Mehdi with Chromeo – “I Am Somebody” (mp3)

Purchase: Juno

Of course, while we’re on the subject of Ed Banger, the night wouldn’t be complete without yet another rehash of Simian’s “Never Be Alone.” This time around they’re calling it “We Are Your Friends”… paying homage to the album it originally came from. Ok guys, even though it’s starting to get totally played out, this track still sounds fresh. I don’t know if I’ll ever really tire of it… no matter how many times it is repackaged, reshaped, whatever. I’m starting to forget what Summer was without “Never Be Alone.” Maybe that’s the point.

I know Justice is already big to most of you… but I feel like we’re about to see some kind of LCD Soundsystem size explosion. Like… that same feeling circa 2003-4 right before James Murphy’s head exploded. Coming soon to an Abercrombie & Fitch near you:

Justice vs Simian – “We Are Your Friends” (Lee Cabrera’s “Lower East Side” Remix) (mp3)

Watch the video: Real | Windows