Picture by: May Truong

Words by: Sarah Wolfson and Yo Mama

How did you guys meet? What keep you guys tight all these years?

We met in high school. Pee was 16 and I was 15. He had a band and they needed a guitar player. I sat in. At first, he hated me because I played better than him. Two weeks later, we were best friends. We’ve been making music together ever since. We’ve stayed friends throughout the years partly because of this musical bond we’ve formed at such a young age. I really can’t see myself doing songs with anyone else.

How did your where you grew up your taste in music?

We grew up in Montreal. The only way it influenced our music is that there were tons of great used record shops, filled with funk, soul and jazz albums. We spent our adolescence collecting them. That’s what gave us the musical culture we have today.

Are there any other artists you are currently feeling and are you working with any of them?

There are tons of artists we like, but again, our music exists in a bubble, so we don’t collaborate much. We get remixed a lot though, and that’s our way of giving kudos to producers we admire. As for us, we come out with about one remix per year, usually for friends: last year it was Feist, this year it’s Vampire Weekend. We’ve got new tracks coming out with DJ Mehdi, Surkin, Yuksek – again, buddies of ours. We actually did a joint with Nate Dogg once, but I doubt it’ll ever see the light of day.

How did you all come up with the name Chromeo?

It just came to me one night. Chrome plus Romeo. The robotic meets the romantic. Plus it’s a giant tribute to Cameo.

Were you all expecting the success that you guys received after the album, She’s in Control?

Well it didn’t receive much success, to be honest, but it helped us establish a cult following, and “Needy Girl” became a DJ favorite around the world. With our second record, we just built from there….

How do She’s in Control and in Fancy Footwork differ to you?

We really tried to step up the production and the songwriting on Fancy Footwork, and mix-wise, to go for a bigger, slicker, cleaner sound. Overall, we paid more attention to detail and wanted this album to show a certain growth (no homo), all the while maintaining the spontaneity and charm of the first one.

Who writes the lyrics to the songs?

I do. (Dave)

Dave, do you find people in the industry associate you with your brother, A-Trak or do they treat you as an individual artist?

I don’t think they associate me with him enough! Some people don’t even know we’re brothers. What’s been the most exciting is that in the last couple of years, our audiences have almost completely merged, so we can finally do shows together.

I also read that you are currently receiving your PH.D. in French Literature and you teach at the university level; do you feel that teaching is something you are equally passionate about?

More passionate about than music, even.

Can you explain the dynamic between being a teacher and a musician/performer?

Well, it’s more between a scholar and a musician. They balance each other out. One is very austere, disciplined and cerebral, the other, lighthearted, creative and more connected to feelings, so to speak.

What should listeners expect from you all in the future, any new projects in the works?

Aside from the stuff I mentioned above, we’re already staring to work on a new album. We can’t wait.