Sounding Off: The Pirate Signal a beacon of Denver's hip-hop revival

Written by Jeremy Johnson
(jjohn308@mscd.edu)

Nothing is more frustrating than a stagnant genre. Not only can a lack of new direction be terribly uninspiring to listeners, it can lead them to misunderstand a genre completely. Hip-hop’s always been a misunderstood genre, and, more often than not in Denver, an uninspired one. Enter The Pirate Signal, a duo (consisting of frontman Yonnas and DJ A-What) that uses great sampling, driving tempos and truly inspired lyricism to bring the focus back to the local hip-hop scene.

JJ: Tell me a little about The Pirate Signal. What did you do before getting together to make music?

Yonnas: The Pirate Signal is me, Yonnas, DJ A-What and Joey Kuvo. And perhaps many, many more. Before we knew each other, we were drifting aimlessly, searching for meaning in this cold, dark world.

JJ: What is it about your brand of hip-hop that distinguishes it from a lot of the other stuff out there right now?

Y: I like to think that we use soft/loud dynamics unlike anyone in the world, really. We try to emphasize songwriting over rapping or scratching itself, and I think we definitely use melodrama and epic proportions uniquely. And our shit bangs, hard.

JJ: On your MySpace, you list your influences as sex, violence and Radiohead. Yet your music has a much more positive energy than that might suggest. What else fuels The Pirate Signal?

Y: I think I would like to maintain the air of darkness like my favorite bands, not necessarily Radiohead, who are very colorful, but maybe bands like Joy Division or Bauhaus. And I like dark, gothic stuff, but I like musicality and instrumentation and dynamics and color, too.

JJ: What rules need to be broken in order to keep contemporary hip-hop fresh?

Y: We need to have different influences outside of the genre to filter and contribute with, new textures and new sounds. Everything should be reconsidered and tested.

JJ: Speaking of anti-authoritarianism, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have been discussing a merger, making for a very monopolistic ticket sales market. What do you think that means to the future of music and ticket sales?

Y: They’re merging because independent music is toppling the corporate structure and it’s struggling to try and meet their ridiculous quotas and bloated overheads. Say what you will about stealing, but piracy means free, and freedom is the stone that busted Goliath’s head open.

The Pirate Signal
3.14.09
7PM @ the Marquis Theater
$10, all ages