The word “hipster” used to be so useful. It was the blogosphere’s premiere fallback when it came to snarking on young kitchsy electro-revivalists in tight pants and oddball facial hair. But now that the word is passe, just what do you call two Canadian retro electrofunk musicians who are a) snobby about shoes, and b) who study a totally impractical humanities subject at an Ivy League school?

The Jewish/Arabic team-up between Dave 1 (Dave Macklovitch) and P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) has been powering hipster dance parties for about six years, across three albums. Their latest release, Business Casual, is another catchy exercise in lighthearted retro pop tunes about failed relationships, fancy footwork, and needy girls. With Dave 1 on guitar and vocals and P-Thugg on synth/weird talk box, the duo stays light on their feet and true to the 70s, without ever hitting the bass or drum machine any harder than Michael Jackson or Kraftwerk did.

And did we mention the lovable duo is snotty about shoes, and Dave 1 is getting his Ph.D in French Literature from Columbia University? So, not only are these guys totally self-denying hipsters, they’re Dr. Self-Denying Hipsters.

We managed to nab them on their Business Casual tour right before a show in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Check out our exclusive interview with Chromeo, where the duo talks about their new album, online dating, the French language…and don’t miss when they yap about shoes and socks.