“We’re definitely so happy to get to Denver whenever we can, or Colorado period really. The whole culture there seems to be a little more developed than most places.”

We’re definitely so happy to get to Denver whenever we can, or Colorado period really. The whole culture there seems to be a little more developed than most places.

Let’s be honest, there isn’t any EDM act out there right now reinventing the wheel. Everyone rocks an influence from other artists that sounds like something else someone has heard before. That’s the way it goes. EDM takes serious hits of critical animosity for that reason alone. It’s a love it or hate it style. Canadian electronic dance pop duo Adventure Club knows the critique well.

“I mean there’s the two aspects of it,” says Christian Srigley. “The production side and the performance side. Me and Leighton are both musicians. I grew up playing blues guitar, and he’s actually got a professional degree in piano. It helps. It translates well. You can’t just say that if you’re doing electronic music that you have no actual musical talent. The two work synonymously.”

Srigley says that it’s possible to be talentless in the genre, but Adventure Club is anything but.

“I mean, sure you can just sit there and plug in an iPod, but it’s not gonna translate well and it’s not gonna be any fun for the fans,” he says. “As musicians we both always try and do as much as possible and treat the actual DJing experience as though we were playing instruments.

“There’s so many things to do and it all has to be pretty well in time. You’re pressing buttons and doing all kinds of functions in time to the music. It’s actually pretty similar to pressing keys on the piano or playing notes on a guitar because you still have to be synchronized and flowing with the music. Obviously there is the area where you can get lazy and do nothing; but as long as the DJ is interested and musical about it, there’s a lot of avenues you can go to.”

The duo met while still in high school playing in a band that was known more for its pop-punk influences and hardcore identity. It’s a background that Srigley says played an important role in shaping the sound of Adventure Club.

“We met in high school and probably spent about 6 or 7 years working on musical projects before Adventure Club,” says Srigley. “We were in a hardcore band. So the progression into dubstep was when we started hearing some remixes of hardcore tracks that we were fans of. It was something we’ve never heard before and we were super intrigued. It just took off more than any other project.”

Their friendship served as an invaluable asset, Srigley says.

“We’ve learned that we can work well together,” he says. “We have a lot of growth working together, so it’s like, we haven’t run into any issues that you might run into working with someone for the first time. There’s none of that. There’s no single disadvantage to the situation that we’re in.”

The situation is being one of the fastest growing dance acts in the industry. Adventure Club was around before, but never really gained any traction until the web got ahold of its single “Daisy” – a remix of alternative-rock band Brand New’s tune of the same name. Srigley attests that the other genres are still very much a part of his listening experiences.

“I have one really good friend that still listens to hardcore music and keeps me up to date,” says Srigley. “I can’t really keep my ear to the ground as much as I used to, so he always sends me new albums that come out and I try and listen when we’re driving or on the plane or whatever.”

Adventure Club’s schedule has been a busy one. With little downtime, Srigley says that his personal music ventures are limited now more than ever.

"We play so many shows that it’s not very often that I get to go to a show that I’m not playing,” says Srigley. “Then there’s also that aspect that I can’t actually go to a show anymore because I’m being so critical and wondering how I can apply it to my own. I find that with music too. I’ve found that I’ve gotten so – not critical – but analytical of music lately that it’s hard to just listen to a song. “

With the acceleration of success hitting Adventure Club the duo have found that it’s not always easy to keep critics voices out of their heads when writing new material.

“This EP (Calling All Heroes Pt. 1) was our first experience with that,” says Srigley. “We went in different directions than what our fans were used to. We definitely released some songs that were expected, but we did some other stuff that I guess you could say ruffled a few feathers. The response was still good but we got a lot more people saying ‘what are you doing, this doesn’t sound like you guys’ and being a lot more critical. We definitely know to take it in stride and take it constructively and not let it get to our heads too much.”

The duo is performing in Denver this month at the Ogden Theater for two nights and making other stops while here as well. It's a feat that’s unique to Colorado during this tour’s stretch.

And now we have legal weed – a staple that’s unsurprisingly connected to music.

“Those really go hand in hand,” says Srigley.

Wednesday, January 8 – Aggie Theater (Ft. Collins)
Thursday, January 9 – Belly Up (Aspen)
Friday, January 10 – Ogden Theatre (Denver)
Saturday, January 11 – Ogden Theatre (Denver)