Pirate Stereo

Transforming a pack of restless strangers into a sweaty, pulsing collective takes more than just hitting play. As the benevolent dictator of any dance club, the DJ is responsible for setting the right mood and to keep it going all night. Beginning with the first track he has to win over the crowd, coaxing them into a rhythmic reverie by responding and controlling, knowing when to speed things up and when to slow them down.

That challenge is what Boston's up and coming DJ duo Pirate Stereo crave to meet. The spontaneous interaction between those behind the tables and those on the dance floor gives friends and co-founders Isaac Safdeye and Eyal Agai a raw, rewarding sense of power.

When combining seemingly disparate samples and beats, "It's like [the track] is my own little Pinocchio and I'm giving it life," Safdeye said last Saturday over the phone from his hometown of Miami.

He spoke a lot about creating a vibe and building an atmosphere through their music, giving off an image of a philosophical partier. For them, he says, DJing is a "completely psychological experience," that Pirate Stereo has been exploring and learning from for the past two years.

Safdeye and partner Agai have been spinning their way to recognition at local clubs and events since they met through friends at Babson College where Safdeye had enrolled as a freshman to pursue a business degree. They found they had an instant chemistry, both with an eclectic taste for music that soon developed into collaboration. Safdeye transferred to Berklee School of Music soon after, moving into the heart of Boston where he and Agai, 22, now study, live and work together.

Safdeye, 21, is originally from Bogotá, Columbia, but moved with his parents to Miami when he was about 13. His mother stressed music, pressing her son to learn piano, clarinet, and sing at an early age. He went on to play guitar in high school, forming a band with friends called Bajo Cero, or Sub Zero in English. Likewise, while growing up in Mexico City, Agai played guitar in a band called The Pan Thais.

Understanding the fundamentals of music is important to the two, who use their experience playing instruments and training at Berklee as a base for DJing. Safdeye knows firsthand that "there are a lot of DJs that are very good but they don't know much about music." What may sound good in the club quickly loses credit for him when a second listen reveals that the count is off or the sample is off key.

Following the philosophy that being a DJ is also about being a good musician, the two have looked to respected artists to help them to grow and evolve their own sound. Safdeye cites DJ Teresa of Washington, DC and DJ Santiago Caballero of Boston as those who have most influenced their career thus far, but recognizes that friends and the Internet also play a huge role. Record stores, blogs, and word of mouth combine to inspire and uncover those rare pieces of music he calls "golden tickets."

This quest for innovation is paramount in an industry defined by the top 40. The same songs that are hot on the radio, at the top of the Billboard charts and most downloaded on iTunes often dominate clubs' playlists, leaving little room for surprise. Thus Pirate Stereo is on a mission to break away from electronic monotony and 'pirate' the whole commercial scene.

Their first proper gig at downtown Boston club Venu had them winning over the crowd and the bartender in a one-hour set. That brought an invitation to host Latin nights every weekend and their Salsa and Merengue beats soon became a Venu Friday night favorite. "Now it's its own living, breathing creature," said Safdeye.

From there Pirate Stereo went on to play Pachanga, an annual party at Brandeis College that drew 1,000 attendees and to host a series of events at Suite Nightclub, over which they had complete artistic control. Under the title 'Technique' Agai and Safdeye found sponsors, designed, promoted, and hosted the parties of their dreams.

They have booked gigs outside of Boston as well, in Mexico City and Miami, where they are looking to join DJs around the world at the Annual Winter Music Conference. Next the two hope to play in Columbia and maybe Milan, Italy.

First priority, however, is to release an album - with or without a label. Given their success thus far mostly using word of mouth and new media marketing, Pirate Stereo is forging ahead, bucking the established record company system like many young artists today.

"The old record label model doesn't apply to smaller acts so why spend all our time trying to figure out how to get their attention," said Safdeye.

Further straying from a conventional release in the dance/electronica world, Agai and Safdeye are creating a concept album, rather than just a mix of club tracks. Their inspiration comes from a diverse musical palette, ranging from Jamiroquai to the Arctic Monkeys. Finding new music every day is a welcome challenge, one that Agai embraces in his weekly radio show on Berklee's student-run station. He will not divulge where he digs up that rare B-side or lost classic though, keeping close his "trade secrets."

Freely mixing work and play, clubbing and recording Pirate Stereo hope to give new life to a sometimes-stagnant scene here in Boston. Although they act as pirate puppeteers, always in control behind the tables, they maintain that the true power is in the track.

Safdeye sums up their attitude simply. "It's not about us. It's about the music."

*For more information see myspace.com/piratestereo


Link: http://media.www.suffolkjournal.net/media/storage/paper632/news/2009/01/21/Arts/The-Beats.Bumping.Through.pirate.Stereo-3591587.shtml - The Suffolk Journal