Thugg life

Ahead of Chromeo’s show Thursday at the House of Blues, The MUSE learns how to do things the P-Thugg way.

What do you get when you combine an electric guitar with old-school keyboards, synthesizers and a talkbox? The electrofunk Canadian duo Chromeo, comprised of P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) and Dave 1 (David Macklovitch). With their 80s throwback sound and explosive light show, Chromeo will be hosting one bangin’ dance party at the House of Blues Boston on Feb. 3. The MUSE sat down with P-Thugg to discuss the band’s recent tour, the evolution of Chromeo’s sound and, of course, the Canadian winter.

The MUSE: Tell me a little bit about your tour. Where are you now and where are you headed?

P-Thugg: We started the tour in Quebec City on Jan. 20, then Montreal the day after, then two days in Toronto and now we have a little break. Tomorrow we’re doing a Canadian TV show. After that we’ll be in the U.S. for our East Coast tour.

TM: I know that you recently came back from Australia. How was that? What kind of shows did you play?

PT: They were festivals, so it was a typical festival schedule – a logistical nightmare, three cities in 18 hours. Met a lot of people. Experienced great weather so it was fun but a lot of hard work.

TM: Australia seems like a great place to visit, especially since it’s so cold outside right now.

PT: Yeah, it was definitely a great place to go during winter, especially Canadian winter.

TM: So is Canada significantly colder than the East Coast?

PT: (with emphasis) Oh yeah.

TM: What’s it like to play for an American audience rather than a Canadian, Australian or European crowd?

PT: Well, I’d say the closest are Canadian and American audiences. They understand more of the same humor and cultural references – whether we crack a joke or make a hip-hop or classic rock reference. It’s part of the culture – everyone knows all the 80s classics of American music, we grew [up] with that. In Australia and Europe, they have a different culture so they don’t necessarily get all the references. Some of the jokes and references just don’t work like they do with North American audiences.

TM: Would you say there is a difference in reception to your sound?

PT: Maybe there’s a difference in perception, but not in reaction. People react the same everywhere. It’s interesting how people understand the music because it’s based on a lot of references. But we try to make sure that even if you don’t get the references, you’ll still enjoy what’s happening.

TM: Your third album, Business Casual, came out in September. How have you evolved in the past 7 years, from She’s In Control?

PT: During our first album we didn’t have a sound quite yet. We had barely started playing so we were still trying to find our sound. We were still figuring out how to present ourselves. Our first album was kind of like – not experimenting – but more so crystallizing our sound. With She’s In Control, that’s when we really nailed down what Chromeo is, what a Chromeo track should sound like. And with Business Casual we just took what we’ve learned to another level. Trying not to lose the lighthearted side of what we did before, but adding more vocal harmony, better chord progression, etc.

TM: Your albums are pretty heavily produced, with lots of synthesizers and other techniques. How do you transform that sound to the stage?

PT: Well, we don’t improvise. We try to keep the same format as the album. We just find ways to make the songs visually fun to watch. We like to make shows very interactive. We always try to add things to make it more than just listening to our album when you’re at the show. Whatever we can play live from the album we always play and the rest is back-up tracks. We try to play as much as we can. If you watch us you’ll see that we play a variety of instruments, including vocals.

TM: You recently released the video for “Hot Mess,” where you and Dave are the only male cops in a sheriff’s office full of attractive women. Where do your video concepts usually originate?

PT: Usually, the director comes up with the idea. I mean, we are pretty involved and actively participate but we like to leave it up to the director. We find people that really want to work with us and appreciate the music, so it’s not about the money or anything, it’s about making a great video that reflects our sound. We want a director who is very passionate.

TM: Do you have a favorite video so far?

PT: I think “Hot Mess” is actually my favorite.

TM: Great choice. So, what kind of music do you listen to when you’re on the road?

PT: A bit of everything, really. Right now we are on a Rolling Stones rampage—I think we know every Rolling Stones song by heart.

TM: Are you excited to come back to Boston and the East Coast?

PT: Well, we’re doing Boston, New York and Washington, which are our main East Coast cities. We have a long history with Boston and New York, of course. In fact we just sold out Terminal 5 [in New York], which is pretty awesome. We’ve done the route many times and made friends along the way so we are excited to go back.

TM: What should we expect from you on Feb. 3 then?

PT: Lots of fun, lots of big lighting, our “lady” lights and lots of entertainment. We’re going to play some songs from our new album. It should be fun.