Chromeo

Chromeo’s frisky electro-funk is a product of years of crate-digging and loads of postmodern snark. The Canadian duo of David "Dave 1" Macklovitch and Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel met in school in Montreal, where they bonded over hip-hop and the vintage funk and soul it sampled. But it wasn’t until they heard Daft Punk’s 2001 dance LP, Discovery, that Chromeo was born. “It’s funny, amusing, and fun … but really forward-thinking,” Dave 1 told Apple Music. “We were like, we’re going to take that and inject some neuroses in there, a lot of homage to our heroes, and a little bit of electronic music as well.” Every Chromeo release—starting with their 2004 debut, the kitschy ‘80s throwback She’s in Control—builds from that idea, as the pair weaves cheeky rhymes through buoyant funk grooves, decadent disco beats, infectious pop hooks and a little Hall & Oates charm. They’ve invited an array of collaborators to the fun, too, including Solange and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig on 2014’s White Women and The-Dream and Raphael Saadiq on 2018’s Head Over Heels. And, of course, it’s not a Chromeo album without a touch of P-Thugg’s hypnotic talkbox (inspired by funk masters Zapp & Roger) and a juicy sax solo.