On Tuesday night in Santa Monica, electrofunk masters Chromeo -- fresh off a massive main stage performance at Coachella -- performed a small-scale gig as part of KCRW’s Apogee Sessions live concert series.
The evening was hosted by the ever-calming presence of Jason Bentley, with legendary producer Bob Clearmountain on the mixing boards -- which, for you music production nerds, is an ultra tricked-out vintage Neve 8068 console.
Stirring up plenty of 80s & 90s nostalgia, Chromeo powered through a set of known hits and new cuts off their forthcoming album White Women -- sparking visions of Zapp & Roger, The Pointer Sisters, Hall & Oates, and Beverly Hills Cop 2 in our brains.
Besides kicking off a mini-dance party, the intimate space gave all a close-up view of Chromeo’s musicianship, and their devotion to their sound and aesthetic. Within a typical song, P-Thugg, the multi-talented keyboardist/bassist/vocalist half of Chromeo, was moving impressively from instrument to instrument, never losing the bounce.
During a Q&A interlude with Bentley, P-Thugg answered questions solely with the talkbox vocal effect. Which is somehow never not funny. The session will air on Morning Becomes Eclectic on Friday, May 9.
