The Chainsmokers

After Taggart had finished school at Syracuse University and Pall had finished his studies at New York University the two started to make music in the year 2012. The duo started out under the management of Adam Alpert, who is known for being the CEO of Disruptor Management, Disruptor Records, and Selector Songs.

The Chainsmokers began garnering a following for their interesting remixes of indie bands. Some of the artists that the band has remixed include Jonsi, Two Door Cinema Club, Phoenix, Icona Pop, and Neon Trees. In 2012 the group collaborated with one of Bollywood’s most famous actresses Priyanka Chopra and released the single “Erase”. The single consists of highly produced synthesizers, strong build-ups, and a poppy, in your face chorus. In 2013 they released the single “The Rookie”, which followed in a similar fashion to “Erase”. The single contained gritty synthesizer leads, pumping bass lines, and a strong rhythmic drum beat.

In 2014 Dim Mak Records released The Chainsmokers’ breakthrough song “#Selfie”. Dim Mak Records was founded by DJ Steve Aoki and has been known for breaking several groups into the mainstream. Weeks after the group released “#Selfie” they were asked to sign on to the major record label Republic Records. The group originated “#Selfie” due to trying to capitalize off the pop culture trend that was becoming increasingly prevalent. The song was also considered by the band to be a joke, but the song immediately created a huge fan base for the band. The song has many pop culture references and has drawn comparisons to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back”, Baauer’s “Harlem Shake”, and Frank Zappa’s “Valley Girl”. The single did significantly well on the charts and reached the No. 1 position on the US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. The video for the single also included cameos by Snoop Dogg and David Hasselhoff, which increased the popularity of the song.

In 2014 the group followed up “#Selfie” with the single “Kanye”, which features sirenXX. The song differs from the group’s previous releases, as it tends to be less aggressive in its presentation, although the song still contains strong build-ups and a highly catchy chorus. The song also seemed to be another ploy for the group to build off the pop culture of the time.