After Daft Punk’s Alive tour, when the New York Times questioned whether they were really doing anything in that flashing triangle, and Justice’s slip to reveal their preprogrammed set. Live electronic music starting emulating more of a rock band to organically create the sound. Chicago’s rising star electro-indie-rock act, Gemini Club, has focused on making their live show as entertaining as possible, and it doesn’t hurt that they put out possibly the best EP I’ve heard all year. I got together with the three members of Gemini Club at their Ukrainian Village apartment. We talked over beers regarding who they are and what they’re about, from nerding out about open architecture software, to dousing themselves in whiskey at shows.

Gemini Club - "Mary's Day"

Gemini Club - "Show Me A Showdown"

Boy Kings: What instruments do you each play?

Tom Gavin: I play synth and do vocals.

Dan Brunelle: The simplest way is to say vocalist (points to Tom), instrumentalist (pointing to himself, DJ (pointing at Gordon). But calling Gordon a DJ is unfair to what he does. All of our tracks are broken down to every separate instrument. So he’s cueing every single instrument as they change. It’s very complex, very constant thing.

Tom: From day one I am a songwriter—that is what I do. I can produce drums and things but I am a songwriter. That is how I measure music.

Dan: For me, I’m a compositions major and I say that with a sadness. Because I was used to a long time of music just not being fun. And the band that Tom and I were originally in together was very cerebral and it was way too much thinking. And with Tom it was all about having fun and making it happen right now.

BK: So, Tom and Dan you met at Columbia. And how did Gordon come into the picture?

Dan: We had to bail him out of jail.

Gordon Bramli: Actually, we met at Best Buy. [Laughs] No, I met Dan through a friend of his. We produced a song together and it was awful and awesome at the same time. We had good times, and he just asked me to be in the band.

BK: You were saying that Gordon is much more than a DJ, how would you describe that?

Gordon: Well, it’s all live. I jumped on late in the recoding process.

Dan: Tom and I had spent a whole year since our first song, “Put Me On A Stage” just to write and make songs. Not really taking it to seriously at that point and then eventually as Gordon and I became friends and Tom and I were thinking about how we were going to take this live. The writing got a lot more serious, and we still didn’t know how to take it live. So we asked Gordon to join, not really knowing how it would work. So we had all the material by the time Gordon joined.

Tom: Working with Dan has always been effortless. So, over the first summer we worked together we came up with a ton of songs. And to be honest it wasn’t a conscious decision that, hey we have to get a DJ.

Dan: For me it was.

Tom: I was just told.

Dan: I want Gemini Club to be this post rock band, rock band. I have this frustration going out and hearing playback all the time and thinking about the days when that would have been a band, that would have been a singer, or would have been something more tailored to the night that you’re having. And I think it comes down to the sound of a DJ and the way that sounds. Not so much the actual music they’re playing. And what was exciting about the addition is that Tom could focus on the songs that we like and make them really good, having Gordon turning a drummer into an obsolete thing. We think of Gordon as drummer.

BK: So you’re using Gordon as conductor of the music you’ve made and he layers it.

Gordon: Right.

Tom: The set lives and dies on Gordon’s rig. He uses something called an APC-40. Which, he has all these drum clips on Ableton files. And if you looked at this thing all you would see if flashing squares, but all these things have drum beats and if Gordon misses one change or cues the wrong one, everything goes down. So it really rests on his shoulders. But if you were to be watching the show you wouldn’t think he was doing so much.

Gordon: Because it’s all live, and so sensitive we have a big possibility of fucking it up.

Dan: Nothing is automated. Tom: Although it sounds very stringent and very regimented. There are certain improvisational aspects of the set that cure this aberrant nature that occurs in the recordings.

BK: What is your live setup like?

Dan: It’s like three desks, [Laughs] and we all have our computers with controllers. And each of us has a tailored roll. Tom sings and does vocal processing, and micro loopers will glitch out his voice. Gordon, we’ve already talked about. I have a snyth, electric bass, guitar thing going on…soon foot pedals and it’s going to get even crazier. I use a lot of looping. And while everything Tom and Gordon does live, I am in the background and can take more time creating more complicated sounds.

BK: Since your live shows are relatively new and you’ve already gotten a lot of positive feedback. How do you see yourselves progressing through the Chicago music scene?

Dan: I feel like there’s a live electro scene here that is really about to happen. There’s a bunch of them; Junk Solo, Prep School, there’s a ton of us. And this could be a very serious thing.

Tom: At the same time too we’re seeing a traditional rock band. But when we’re playing shows like one we just played at the Bottom Lounge with theMDR. And when we come in with our setup, even the sound guys are like, “okay, what do you guys need?” When people just look at our setup, with singer, bass guitar, DJ, it’s just new in the Chicago music scene. We’re presenting these songs in a visual way that I’ve never seen before.

Dan: But as far as our plans for the future. October is really busy for us, with Kinetic and Vision, and a Liars Club gig. Really, we’re just trying to develop the sound and the way it works. It is a lot of logistical things, and how we do live. It’s not like a guitar, where the way to present music is handed down to you and you choose the notes. But with the synthesizer, you’re not only playing the piano, but you’re also designing the sound. This is like a band where we’re not only making music but we’re creating the structure of it too. We can change it and do whatever we want. And the response has been fantastic. I’ve been in a bunch of bands where nobody cares. That’s what doing something that’s a little spicier is all about.

Tom: I feel like our music does something to people live that rock music can’t do.

Dan: Gordon and I talk about this all the time. 90% of the rock shows I go to, you’re standing there and you’re basking in the sunlight of this rocker. You sit there and you consider what they’re playing. And I know people say, “hipster wall-warts” and that it’s our fault that we’re standing at the wall. But to me the music isn’t fucking visceral. We want something you can get sweaty and dance to. Whatever complexities about our set up, it comes down to a good time.

Tom: We want to play in crowds, not on stages.

Dan: We usually play in a triangle facing each other and we really wanted to be surrounded by everybody. Whenever we’re on a stage it’s awkward for us.

Tom: I will go in the crowd and sing with them.

BK: What do you guys like most about playing in Chicago?

Tom: They’re just so damn receptive.

Dan: People are willing to wake up the nex morning and say, “oh, my God.” What’s cool about Chicago is a willingness to cross the line and be out of control.

Tom: And is such with a major city. There are just so many genres available for you to go to see in a live setting. And I think the Chicago music crowd is a cultured one and they’re willing and open to hearing and seeing live new music. I think that’s why people are going to like us is because if you like to dance you’re going to like us or if you like rock and roll you’re going to like us. And it helps us to be able to pull from all the different influences in the city.

BK: So, what is your rock star moment that once it happens you know you’ve made it?

Gordon: Being thrown up on by drunk 17 year-old girls.

Dan: I think mine happened at the CRC show. I hopped up on the table and my girlfriend is up there dancing and I had the bass.

Tom: I don’t know if this is a “rock star” moment.

Dan: Oh, my God. Leave out that it’s my girlfriend. But I had a bottle of Jim Beam I had my girlfriend, it’s sweaty it was all dark except for these LED lights, I’m up there and everyone starts screaming. So, I pour the bottle of whiskey on my face and start making out with her and everyone cheers. And when you go to a show you don’t see that anymore. The irony of what we’re doing is that it has this huge reputation for being stale and nothing human about it. But I’ve been to so many rock shows that are all about the process and not about the entertainment. “So I pour the bottle of whiskey on my face and start making out with her and everyone cheers.”

Tom: We exude our intense dedication to what we are doing. And to answer your rock star movement. If David Bowie shows up and asks to meet us, then we’ve made it. But we love intimate shows so much.

Gordon: Gigs are great but we want to have a good balance of gigs and loft parties.

You can catch Gemini Club live October 23rd at the Liars Club (1665 W. Fullerton).