Chromeo Willing To Dance-Off

06/27/08 5:30pm

by Cameron Gordon (CHARTattack)

Electronic duo Chromeo are no strangers to the summer festival scene, having nursed from that teat since their inception earlier this decade. You can expect more funk-fuelled hijinx from P-Thugg and Dave 1 during their mid-day performance at Toronto's Rogers Picnic.

During a recent chat, Dave 1 said his most memorable festival gig was actually one of Chromeo's first at the 2004 Reading Festival, where 50 Cent and his G-Unit pals were unceremoniously bottled off the stage.

"It was one of our first U.K. shows, so after we wrapped up our set way early in the day, we had plenty of time to wander around and check out the other bands, including 50 Cent. Having been there in the crowd, I'll say that the videos don't do it justice. It was relentless — shoes, bottles of piss, chairs. It was a crazy scene, but totally disrespectful at the same time. If you don't like his music, that's fine. Why not just walk away?"

You can bet nobody will be walking away from Chromeo's Rogers Picnic performance, given the band's penchant for fancy footwork and on-stage theatrics. The visuals are key, whether it's the lovely lady legs that erect their keyboard kits or their downright "menacing" B-boy togs. The duo are definitely at ease on the larger festival stage, and that's clearly by design.

"Our set-up was actually created with a festival stage in mind, so space-wise it's actually a better fit on the big outdoor gigs," says Dave 1. "I saw some YouTube videos of us playing in a smaller room recently, and it looks way, way too crowded up there. We like the extra room to stretch out and move around a little."

With Chromeo's growing notoriety (the band were nominated for a 2008 Juno Award and recently opened a string of stadium shows for the Beastie Boys), you're a bit less likely to see them wandering through a festival crowd these days, especially if the weather isn't co-operating.

"P-Thugg is a bit precious with his Air Jordans," says Dave 1. "So if it's the slightest bit muddy, don't expect him to be working the grounds."

But that doesn't mean these slim thugs have lost their edge. In fact, Chromeo are always ready for a good battle (musically speaking), and Dave 1 would selflessly put his bandmate up against the fiercest of competition — including bad-ass 15-year-old one-hit wonders.

"If we had to go to war with any other artists, I'd probably have P-Thugg engage in a dance-off with Soulja Boy," he says. "And I'll be honest — I'd be rooting for Soulja Boy. I bet he'd Superman that ass!"

Catch Chromeo cutting a rug at these Canadian festivals:

July 20 Toronto, ON @ Fort York (Rogers Picnic)
July 25 Pemberton, BC @ Pemberton Festival
Aug. 4 Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean Drapeau (Osheaga Music And Arts Festival)