The Brooklyn-based
Cooler Kids funneled house music and new wave influences into a funky, volatile cocktail. Comprised of Kaz Gamble (also known as
DJ Kazimir) and California native
Sisely Treasure, the group formed when Gamble began collaborating with former
Luscious Jackson vocalist
Jill Cunniff at the Pop Rox studio. The two had been laying down disco-inflected tracks when
Treasure befriended Gamble via AOL, and the two latter musicians formed a quick musical bond. With
Cunniff overseeing the project as a "groove godmother," the
Cooler Kids targeted gay audiences in New York and made their fresh, kitschy debut in 2003 with
Punk Debutante. The single "Around the World" enjoyed some success on the Billboard Dance Charts and also appeared on the Lizzie McGuire soundtrack, but the group nevertheless dissolved in 2005. Gamble and
Treasure continued working together on additional projects during the following years, and
Treasure later secured a spot in
Shiny Toy Guns' lineup. ~ MacKenzie Wilson & Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide