If you’ve heard Chromeo or read about them, you know two things: they play ‘80s funk and they use a shit-load of vocorder. But this isn’t just stylistic schtick. There is depth and a true passion in the work of Dave One and P-Thugg, and it is clear on Fancy Footwork that their dedication and style are unwavering.
The intro includes a hilariously-yet-impressively cheeseball repeating mantra of “Chro-me-o, OH-oh”, sung to an electrified version of the Oompa Loompa song.
Immediately following, we are we are delivered the thug ballad, “Tenderoni,” in which Dave One spells out a romantic dedication to his lady: “No matter what I came here to do / No matter what you came here to say / we really ain’t got no where to go / Cuz you’re my tenderoni.” This is unquestionably the dance club hit of the album, but pretty much all of them are guaranteed to rock the dancefloor.
Every song on this album bares a variation on that ‘80s funk, whether it’s a Prince-esque key-tar, a purely Michael Jackson vocal approach, or the cheesiness of that era’s lyrical content, Fancy Footwork is an end-to-end throwback to an era that we never hear in music any more. It often conjures a reminiscence of Michael Mann’s music from countless television shows of the Reagan years (for instance, Miami Vice). Pure nostalgia, but with lyrics that we can all relate to.
Shawn Tillman got a bit of a grip on this style with his Har Mar Superstar act, but Chromeo has taken it to the workshop and perfected it—and this little gem of a disc is the hands-down proof.
(KB will be publishing an exclusive interview with Chromeo, conducted by Eric Kozak of Denver’s own White Girl Lust, in the very near future. Keep your eyes peeled!)
