Chromeo @ 9:30 Club, 9/29

Image Courtesy of Chromeo

Image Courtesy of Chromeo

 

It was a Monday night at the 9:30 club in DC on September 29th, but the venue was bouncing nonetheless. Chromeo, the electro-funk duo hailing from Montreal, was rolling in their usual funky style with lead vocalist and guitarist Dave 1 (David Macklovitch) sporting a bright red leather jacket, and talk-box wielding synth man P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) in all black, his iconic beard done up for the event in a neat braid. The duo filled the club with their iconic sound, renowned for its similarity to 80’s synth-pop — but with a bumping 21st century bass and energetic light show making for a night of dancing. The high energy but low key group made interaction with the crowd a priority, leading claps and call and response moments in their more famous songs. At one point Dave 1 requested that “more girls need to be on guys’ shoulders!,” prompting a several duos throughout the hall to comply. The group thrives not on what one might consider exceedingly complex melodies or serious musicianship, but rather on a lively, dance-oriented, retro beat that can give energy to even the quietest crowd. The key word that night was fun, and fun is what was delivered by the groovy duo.

The group recently released their newest album, White Women (an homage to Helmut Newton, as it turns out), with the single “Jealous (I Ain’t With It)” topping it off. The duo has now released 4 albums in 10 years since their conception as a band in 2002. Dave 1 even mentioned that the first time they played in DC had been 10 years ago, which made us feel old as hell. Since when is Chromeo a decade-old group? Nonetheless the group’s staying power is a force to be reckoned with. Their worldwide club hit “Needy Girl” from the 2004 debut album, She’s In Control, has survived as a crowd favorite for the past ten years, so when the 10-year-old hit found its way back into the 9:30 club as the closing song of the set we danced our pants off.