For Chromeo, Music Is A Masterclass On Love And Adulthood

On the corner of Avenue C and 2nd Street, David "Dave 1" Macklovitch and Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel whisper to each other in French. P’s grill catches Fenn Paider’s light, as Dave’s sunglasses block it. It’s not exactly yin and yang, but on the heels of the eclipse, their relationship is akin to the sun and the moon. They grasp the light the same way they conduct their sound — a complementary duo ebbing and flowing between synths, zipping between cheeky lyrics, and landing inside their very particular, illuminating strain of funk. Together, they form the wildly successful and incredibly sexy Chromeo.

The two met in middle school, approximately 30 years before this very moment. Between then and now, six albums, 30 singles, and approximately 6.5 hours of songs have roared through my Spotify as I shapeshifted into the human I am today. This is a story about growing up and learning to love. You’ll see.

But before they were Chromeo, they were just two guys in high school. “I was in a band, and Dave came and joined, and it just kept evolving. At some point, we became the nucleus,” P recalls. No matter how many times they switched projects, reiterated bands, or formed new ideas, P and Dave were always at the center. “Whether we were producing Hip Hop, performing with other bands, or whatever musician was around us, the nucleus was always me and Dave. That became Chromeo because we were like, well, we don't need anybody else. We've got drum machines and sequencers now, so let's work on this.”

And they do function as two halves of a whole, or as the aforementioned opposite fixtures of a solar system. Even their computer has two mice. “It's our invention; we should patent it,” Dave says proudly. One computer, two brains, two distinct visions, and, therefore, two computer mice. “So when we're both sitting there, we can each have a controller and control the cursor.” But ultimately, it’s one cursor. They have to take turns using it, being careful with its powers and taking note of each other. The same thing is true for the band. “Being in a band is like a business, and there are the roles that have naturally shifted to what we do best. And we've become complementary to each other. Dave is more on the creative side. I'm more on the logistical side of things when we tour. In terms of pure music, I'm usually more inclined to do harmonic content. In the music, Dave is more of a melodic person,” P explains, a fitting anecdote for the logic guy to share. If they tried to do each other’s tasks, the mouse would break.