The Montreal-based electronic music production duo Adventure Club are taking a much-appreciated break from a typical twelve-hour day in the studio when they hop on the phone with me. With a freezing first snow already laying the foundation for a typical Canadian winter, Christian Srigley and Leighton James are prepared to wait out the season from inside the studio. Clearly the two are taking full advantage of the motivation they’re feeling from receiving their first Grammy nomination for Best Remixed Recording of their remix of Kehlani’s “Undercover.”
Upon hearing the Grammy announcement, the pair were convinced their manager had been playing a cruel prank. After further investigation, Srigley and James were beyond elated and even as I chat with them in the days ahead of the award show, the guys are humbled by the news. “Initially we were just so stoked on the nomination that we hadn’t considered the option of maybe taking the Grammy home,” James says. “Either way, we’re so honored to be considered because it’s the biggest accolade to receive in music. You can’t even put into words how special it is.”
Adventure Club
Adventure Club has evolved over the years from a hardcore punk band featuring heavier metal sounds into an electronic dance team. James admits that they’ve been creating music together in some capacity for over ten years but the one constant in all of their musical endeavors was Srigley and himself. “We really balance each other’s weaknesses out with our strengths,” Srigley chimes in. As best friends and musical partners, Srigley says that their symbiotic relationship is one in a million.
The trust and support shared between the guys is what allowed them to make the complete transition into electronic music. “There are a lot of parallels between our old punk rock music and our current remixes,” Srigley explains. “Leighton had been working on electronic stuff on the side and really turned me onto it. We’d leave band practice and sit in our car listening to remixes until finally we decided to go for it.”
Starting with Brand New and Thrice, Adventure Club made a name for themselves by remixing songs that had previously never been touched. “You can conceptualize any type of music into that dub-step genre,” Srigley admits. “But, we don’t just take a song and change the tempo, we always reimagine it. We always want to re-contextualize the song so it speaks to us on another level.”
Speaking of working on another level, the duo are in the midst of working on their next project, something they can only offer a few vague details on. “It isn’t just music. There’s a lot of branding built around it as far as the performances, visual content and production go. There are a lot of moving parts,” James hints. “We’re just so inspired, especially starting 2018 with a Grammy nomination, we want to continue that momentum through the year,” Srigley adds. With a new album in the works and an additional project coming up, Adventure Club have their sights set on success for 2018.
Click through the gallery above to get an inside look at their recent performance at LAVO New York City.
