HYPEBEAST Mix: Chromeo - Stay Funky Mix

With their long-awaited fifth studio album on the horizon, electro-funk duo David “Dave 1” Macklovitch and Patrick “P-Thugg” Gemayel aka Chromeo, are the latest guests to bless the latest edition of our HYPEBEAST Mix series. This guest mix arriving after a momentous four-year hiatus following the release of White Women – their acclaimed fourth studio album that would set the stage for world tours that lasted all of 2015 and 2016. Following their two-year trek around the globe, Dave 1 and P-Thugg explained to HYPEBEAST that they spent “pretty much every day of these last four years together – two years of touring the last record (White Women) and two years making this one. We relocated our studio to LA, set it up, did a ton of sessions, tried a bunch of new things and then edited and narrowed it down.” Much like their new Stay Funky Mix, the end result was an assortment of records that will not only be their most collaborative effort to date but also a project that saw the beloved duo working with all of their music idols according to them. “We took all our idols and favorite artists and brought them into Chromeo world. On album #5 it felt right to do that – musically it’s more of a live feel, more live instrumentation and slower tempos – more in the 110s than the 120s, everything’s a bop!”

As it stands, Head Over Heels will officially drop on June 15 via Big Beat/Atlantic Records and will feature appearances from The-Dream, Stefflon Don, French Montana and Amber Mark, neo-soul legend Raphael Saadiq, 2000s R&B mastermind Rodney Jerkins, D’Angelo collaborator Pino Palladino, Nuyorican jazz ensemble Onyx Collective and many more. Additional details from the project can be found in our Q&A with Chromeo below along with the mix.

What’s the status of your Head Over Heels album? What direction are you guys going with this one?

It’s 90% done. We’ll wrap it up the week after Coachella. It’s our most collaborative album to date. There’s a bunch of guests and collabs on there, from The-Dream and DRAM to French Montana and Stefflon Don to Raphael Saadiq and Rodney Darkchild Jerkins. We took all our idols and favorite artists and brought them into Chromeo world. On album #5 it felt right to do that. Musically it’s more of a live feel, more live instrumentation. And slower tempos…more in the 110s than the 120s, everything’s a bop!

Individual question for Dave and P, since going on hiatus, what have you guys been up to the last four years? and what facilitated this return?

Honestly, we’re both sitting here and we can answer this collectively cuz we’ve spent pretty much every day of these last four years together: two years of touring the last record and two years making this one. We relocated our studio to LA, set it up, did a ton of sessions, tried a bunch of new things and then edited and narrowed it down.

Dave: I’ve also been working with A-Trak and Fool’s Gold as usual: I helped design the FG store, the ComplexCon booth, A-Trak’s live visuals, I always stay involved with that crew, that’s family.

Pee: I’ve been setting up the studio and working on getting everything up and ready over there, and now I’m doing the same for the live show.

A lot has changed since you guys released ‘White Women’ back in 2014, where do you think music is going and how do you guys fit into it?

Yes, a ton has changed: playlists, algorithms, record labels making money off music again, no more Soundcloud, way more face tats, way less EDM, huge pop acts headlining formerly indie festivals — you name it, it’s a totally new context. But as always, we embrace it all, we’re aware of it all, we appreciate it all and hope that by staying true to ourselves, by challenging ourselves, by evolving as artists while maintaining our strong visual and musical identities, we can find a spot to fit. There’s always gonna be a lane for funk, for feel-good music that makes you wanna dance.

Favorite songs and artists out now?

Ok in random order, mixing songs and artists: Amber Mark “Love Me Right”, Rae Stremmurd “Powerglide”, SOB X RBE “Lane Changing”, Solomun, Jeremih, Young Fathers, Davidoo, YBN Nahmir “Bounce Out With That”, serpentwithfeet, Kacey Musgraves “High Horse” and Shoreline Mafia.

What do you guys have planned for 2018?

Releasing our album, promoting the ish out of it and a whole lot of touring.

Final words?

Stay true, stay funky.

Tracklist:
1. Activated – Sharon Redd
2. Tell Me What You Want – Loose Ends
3. Patience – Aurra
4. Wait (Chromeo remix) – Maroon 5
5. On Target – Jones Girl
6. Truly Bad – Ron Banks
7. Thanks to You – Sinnamon
8. Let Me Be The One – BMP
9. Green Light (Chromeo remix) -Lorde
10. Fast Car – The Dream
11. Make Me Feel – Janelle Monae
12. Juice – Chromeo
13. Sylvia Says – Charlotte Gainsbourg
14. Yes You Thrill Me – Les Femmes
15. Reptile – Moodoid
16. Taste – Rhye
17. Special- Lakeside
18. Take Some Time – Sparque
19. Hot Summer Night -Vicki Sue Robinson
20. Wide Open – Brick
21. Lane Changin’ – SOB X RBE​