The Tory government has cut funding for youth services by 73%, with community centres being shut down all over the country. The young generation of today have found solace in PIRATE, a space to DJ, record music, podcasts and hire out dance studios.
Pirate Studios at 6 pounds an hour for DJ rooms, is affordable and often give out codes for free, studio time and offer training sessions for aspiring DJs and producers. There's definitely a sense of community at Pirate, with many saying that they’ve made friends from attending. It’s hard to imagine, however, how you would socialise with people if you’ve all booked separate rooms - but the smoking area is where it’s at… Pirate Studio goers are incredibly personable and it’s easy to start a conversation with someone as you already have something in common - a passion for music.
When lockdown restrictions eased throughout the summer of last year, Pirate established itself as the place to be (before the inception of sit-down events). The small DJ rooms became makeshift venues, with the latest equipment and newly installed club lighting. Pirate has grown very quickly, operating in over 21 countries and will be expanding to more soon. The nice thing about having studios in multiple countries is that you feel like you are a part of a community, wherever you go.
They have recently received a $20 million dollar investment, so they certainly have an exciting future ahead. We asked Pirate Studio’s Senior Localisation and Partnerships Executive about their ethos and what they mean to the young community.
How would you describe Pirate’s ethos?
We believe everyone should have a space to create themselves regardless of status, gender, sexuality, age, ethnicity - everyone should have access to a safe space to create and express themselves.
What does Pirate mean to the young community? (and specifically throughout the pandemic?)
We hope that we've encouraged people to keep creating and to keep motivated. We've tried our best to keep our studios open and safe throughout and are really excited to see lots of creatives coming back using our spaces. It's been a real testing time for everyone and it's amazing we've seen so much appreciation from so many for keeping our doors open.
Government funding has been cut significantly towards projects supporting creative development for young disadvantaged people - what is Pirate’s role in bridging this gap?
We have just secured funding from the national lottery to support organisations and groups who need it the most. We're in the process of organising the funds to distribute. During the pandemic we worked hard as a team to make sure we have the knowledge and infrastructure to produce much bigger ways of supporting young disadvantaged people, and marginalised groups, and creatives too.
Where do you see Pirate in 5 years?
Studios in cities all over the world is just the start. Next, we want to put in the tech so artists can join forces with other artists. And earn money playing to audiences around the world. So a teacher in Mexico city gives Mariachi lessons to a kid in Bristol. A producer in Berlin mixes a band in NYC and they livestream their gig to the world. There are 3 parts to our mission - Building studios for artists, investing in tools and support, and finally to connect artists with audiences.