Photos courtesy Sam Boise

From Hype Machine to the club scene, New York DJ-producer duo The Chainsmokers seem to have the Midas touch when it comes to creating hot and sweaty mixes that get the party going. But they’re about to take it to the next level.

Despite only working together under their current moniker for less than two years, Alex Pall and Drew Taggart have performed across the country, shared the stage with the biggest names in EDM and churned out some of the most incredible remixes. And they’re only getting started.

Part of what makes the pair stand out over many of their counterparts, other than being a duo, is the authenticity they emulate. Sure, house music is already party-friendly, but not all DJs are. While fans of dance have accepted computers’ role in the music, it doesn’t mean they always want robots at the helm. No disrespect to Daft Punk. And definitely #nodisrespecttobenaffleck.

What The Chainsmokers bring to the EDM culture goes beyond spinning tracks and tweaking synths. With their hilarious tweets, unmatched fan interaction and high-energy live performance, it’s clear why they’re racking up supporters left and right: These guys are actually human.

“It’s definitely challenging in this world, but we try our best to do things that are really inherent to who we are,” says Taggart, sitting down to talk with Variance. “Our social media is really just us posting things that we think are funny or cool, maybe trying to get everybody to pick sides in a really petty disagreement. There’s no filter. And we’re not forcing it or trying to do something from a marketing angle.”

While there may not be some giant marketing scheme, the guys are definitely making some calculated moves as they develop their own unique brand, although Pall admits it’s difficult at times.

“Being patient sucks sometimes,” confesses Pall. “But we found early on what our sound was and we decided to stick to it, stick to our team and our vision. There have been so many styles that come in waves. There was the whole trap thing last spring and now the hardstyle. We’ll see what the next fad is, and the next one. But we’re sticking to our plan and we’ve cultivated a fan base around that, without following whatever the current trend was.”

They may not be following trends, but they certainly have their ears to the ground when it comes to picking some of the best artists to remix, including the likes of Phoenix, Mikky Ekko, BANKS, Icona Pop, Smallpools, Daughter and Say Lou Lou, to name a few. It’s proof that two heads are better than one, and they agree.

“We’re really creative together,” says Pall. “Working with two people, you can get a lot more done than when it’s just you by yourself. You always have someone to bounce ideas off of. It also helps that we trust each other and we can be honest if we really don’t like something.”

Of course, the duo benefits from having a healthy friendship outside of their working relationship. Call it part of their “brand” if you will, but while they joke about their “bromance,” they’re really grateful for it.

“Thank God things worked out when we met and decided to do this,” declares Taggart. “It was great because it was like, ‘We’re actually homies.’ We hit it off immediately and I really think that made all the difference. We think the same things are funny. We think the same girls are hot. We think the same food is good. There were definite similarities immediately that helped make the working relationship go smoothly. When you’re constantly together, that’s important.”

In their short time working together, the BFFs have witnessed plenty of highs but also some lows, such as the wave of criticism against EDM last year following multiple, high profile drug-related deaths at dance events. But as Pall sees it, “people are going to party no matter what music they’re listening to.”

Although they understand the seriousness of such tragedies, they believe the media’s “demonization” of certain genres of music and the so-called drug culture is “greatly exaggerated and actually unwarranted,” says Pall, continuing: “It’s definitely there, but I think EDM gets the blame for much more than its share of the problems. And a lot of that is because we have such a fun culture. And that’s the element we’re trying to encourage.”

As they move forward, the duo is sticking to their guns and focusing on building their following even more. But should the opportunity present itself, they wouldn’t mind a few collaborations either.

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“It’s a huge reach, but it would be my dream to work with the guys from Miike Snow,” says Taggart, adding that he believes “they’re some of the most creative producers, and the balance that they have between dance music and almost their own kind of genre, I love that. We’re also big fans of CHVRCHES and London Grammar. And of course, we just did the remix with The Colourist; we’d love to do an original track with them. And Drake. We would drop everything.”

Adds Pall: “And Adam Levine. Not really for music, but we just want to hang out with him and have tacos and stuff.”

Despite their wish list, they’re also firming up a game plan with new, original tracks in the works. Following their popular satirical cut “#Selfie,” which skyrocketed through the blogosphere, they have more up their sleeves.

“We’re working on another original track for March hopefully,” Taggart reveals. “And maybe another one around April that we’re pretty pumped about.”

While the guys definitely enjoy cutting up and having fun, they acknowledge this next phase is really important for them. And this year might bring about some changes as they try to expand.

“We’ve pretty much tapped out the span of where we can go online,” says Taggart. “Almost every track we release online goes on HypeM and does really well. But we’re kind of hitting that point where we feel like we’re reaching out to the same fans over and over again. So we want to partner with someone, probably a label, so we can push our tracks to the next level. It’s the logical next step for us, and we feel good about it. No, we feel great about it.”

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Editor's Note: This interview was conducted in December 2013. As of Jan. 28, The Chainsmokers’ original track “#Selfie” is out on Dim Mak Records.  For more, follow them on Twitter.