If You Can't Dance To Chromeo, You Don't Have A Pulse

Being that I have a very eclectic taste in music it goes without saying that when tunes are recommended to me I give 'em a listen.  So when my friend Das told me to check out Chromeo I immediately downloaded their songs and was instantly drawn to their unique style.  Das is not only responsible for turning me on to this incredible duo, he also needs to be credited with the title of this post.  As I mentioned in Where'd All The Good People Go? I love music that either evokes some kind of true emotion inside of me or it makes me - a non dancer - want to dance my ass off.  Chromeo did both.

Chromeos mission is to make slick-ass lovers funk with nary a trace of irony. "They refer to themselves as the only successful Arab/Jew partnership since the dawn of human culture." Their songs, "Needy Girl," "Tenderoni," "Fancy Footwork" and "Momma's Boy" have been playing nonstop on my iTunes at home and on my Grooveshark at work.

This Sunday was the second to last JellyNYC Pool Party of the summer at the East River State Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and the headline act was Chromeo. This date also coincided with a visit from Wild Child and there was no doubt that we would go to the concert.

When we left my apartment that morning the rain was pouring down in heavy sheets.  We swam to the L-Train and made our way to Brooklyn wet, sticky and uber excited.  All the while wondering if the show was even going to still be on.  I for one never let a little rain stop me.  Brian Boitano wasn't so into the idea (he hates the rain) but he couldn't resist the positive aura that was being emitted by myself and Wild Child. It's not as though we weren't prepared for the rain storm.  Having been to many an outdoor show, WC and I rocked bathing suits under funny t-shirts, bought new umbrellas and placed our cameras and cell phones in plastic baggies.

The venue was sweet to say the least.  The stage was set on the edge of the East River with views of the NYC skyline spanning the background. Although the sky was extremely unforgiving - the rain only added to the splendor. "I'm only happy when it rains" - Garbage.

Hipsters, hippies, punks and the like were all drawn to the free music show.  We made new friends and saw insane things go down.  The rain came in spurts of heavy then light and eventually it got to the point where as Ollie Williams would say, "it's raining sideways!" and the umbrellas proved to be useless.  Chromeo never let up no matter how hard it rained.  The crowd as a whole succumbed to the storm.  My friends and I (at this point JZ had joined our trio) dropped our umbrellas, took off our shirts and danced like lunatics (not Brian Boitano, he enjoyed the show from under his umbrella). As the rain continued to pour, drenching all in attendance, we reacted by jumping and screaming and dancing and singing with each other and everyone near us harder and louder and faster.  People were splashing and laughing and just having simple unadulterated fun.  There's something about the rain and good music that unleashes your inner child and makes for a ridiculously good time.

So kudos to Chromeo, a peaceful union of two of the worlds minorities that are constantly at war with each other, for bringing all kinds of people together through their music. I can't help but wonder that maybe if everyone would rock out to the same good tunes then we can lay down our weapons and let the music win the world's wars.