Drew Taggart and Alex Pall, more commonly known as The Chainsmokers, graced Gainesville with their presence last Thursday night, performing a DJ set at Bassment downtown.
The Chainsmokers have been gaining steam over the past year, consistently appearing at the top of the Hype Machine charts with their jubilant house remixes of indie artists such as Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club, Smallpools and more. If you haven’t heard of them yet, it won’t be long before their sonic creations journey to the inner depths of your ears.
The two said they started making music together about a year ago after a chance encounter on Chat Roulette.
“He was unsheathed and I was fully clothed, but he looked like a nice guy,” Taggart said, “I complimented him on his glasses and he said, ‘Thank you, no one ever notices,’ and it spawned from there.”
The story may be false (100 percent false, actually), but it is a testament to the duo’s endearing goofiness. Taggart and Pall don’t take themselves too seriously. When asked what their favorite part about touring, Pall was quick to answer, “Free drinks.”
While they duo keeps a lighthearted demeanor, there is a great deal of thought that goes into their music productions. One of the most refreshing aspects of The Chainsmokers’ sound is the uplifting, elatedness they are able to achieve without using overbearing and overused sounds that plague house and all dance music genres today.
“We listen to everything that goes top 10 on Beatport very closely and I’ll learn anything that any of those producers can do, but if we do that, we’re just another name on that list,” Taggart said, “It’s more like, ‘How can we take this and make it our own?’”
To exemplify the point Pall talked about how they produced their recent remix of “Dreaming” by Smallpools.
“When that was being produced he (Taggart) turned to me and said, ‘I want to use the plug that’s being used in house music right now, but I want to try to find a more subtle, indie way to use it,’” Pall said, “Because that way it’s familiar and energetic, but it’s not overpowering.”
With a fresh sound, the future seems bright for The Chainsmokers, but they say one question has haunted them since they started receiving attention for their music.
“It’s really frustrating because we’re having all these big talks with big agencies and bigger managers and they’re all like ‘Yo, what you guys have done is very impressive, but when is that original content coming?’” Taggart said.
They explained that the question was frustrating because, while the majority of their productions are remixes, the only elements they generally use from songs are the vocals, meaning the rest of the productions are essentially original. They have taken the question seriously, though, saying it’s the only thing that’s separating them from all the big name producers right now and are currently working on original Chainsmokers material.
In addition to original material, Taggart and Pall are hoping to add a live element to their sets, using drums and other percussion instruments in addition to a controller rather than traditional mixing decks.
With all the talent and the massive hype surrounding them, I wouldn’t be surprised if these Chainsmokers started a fire in the industry.
Photo Courtesy of: DaysTune.com
