Chromeo @ Marquee Theatre

If you were to look at Chromeo’s online diary, you’d find it’s less about collected, coherent thoughts than it is about posting random photos of The Bee Gees, Seinfield‘s puffy shirt, and Bill Clinton playing sax on The Arsenio Hall Show. You can’t help thinking that’s exactly how their songwriting process goes, too. The Montreal electrofunk duo has been borrowing ideas from past greats since their 2004 debut, She’s in Control. Traditional funk influences meet the guitar-heavy electro of Ratatat or the modern-meets-retro charm of Gnarls Barkley. Pulling from scattered influences and making them sound like your own is a tricky balancing act. You don’t want to sound like James Brown here and Depeche Mode there; you want the whole thing to feel seamless and together. Chromeo’s 2007 record, Fancy Footwork, maintained the balance while catering to the mainstream. They topped the electric charts and eased into the pop culture consciousness with songs like “Bonafide Lovin” and “Tenderoni.”