Margaret BauerDeep in the recesses of the Olin Women’s Building dwells the most powerful DJ duo on KWUR: the Falafel Brothers of the immensely popular hip-hop show, Falafel Beatz. Suited in hooded sweatshirts and infamous Falafel insignia t-shirts, DJ Ellioto, a.k.a. Elliot Darvick from Birmingham, Mich., and DJ Davizzle, a.k.a. Dave Fernandes from Scarsdale, N.Y., successfully kicked off their fifth season this past Sunday.
Playing such diverse underground hip-hop acts as Insight, Brother Ali, Royce Da 5’9″ and Mainflow, Falafel Beatz has secured a place on KWUR as being the place to hear obscure, high energy hip-hop. The Falafel mix of musical knowledge and humor (as seen in the show’s opening sequence) has broken KWUR records by capturing a widespread audience.
It’s hard to say how many people actually listen to Falafel Beatz. The show averages about 20 to 30 online listeners, but it’s impossible to judge the number of listeners through the airwaves. During the inaugural show of the fifth season, fans hailed from all over the United States, including New Orleans, Indiana, and North Carolina. So far Falafel Beatz has attracted an audience from 10 states, but according to Fernandes, the show’s “ultimate goal is all over the United States.”
Another indication of the show’s popularity is the constant flow of instant messages from Wash U students, parents, friends from school and listeners from other parts of the country. During the show, at least 25 people constantly IMed, requesting tracks, commenting on song choices and poking fun at the DJs.
Falafel Beatz may specialize in underground hip-hop music, but it thrives on the banter between Darvick and Fernandes. They interact like an old married couple that bickers over track lists instead of taking out the garbage. During the kickoff show, a listener’s requested track, Pretty Willy’s “This is What They Told Me,” started a vehement disagreement over the treatment of fans.
Darvick decided to cut the song short, explaining, “It was a Falafel first, but we have to uphold our reputation.”
In opposition, Fernandes responded, “But the most important thing for us is to treat our fans well.”
Clearly, some problems may arise when performing a live radio show. Most of the show is improvised and for Darvick it is a “test of endurance” when things don’t go exactly as expected. Adding to opening show jitters, technical difficulties caused a considerable amount of pre-show drama. However, the impromptu interactions between the two DJs are the most entertaining bits of the show. For instance, the “random track of the day” is completely unprepared. Fernandes closes his eyes and picks a record from the hip-hop LP stacks and plays it on air. The DJs then dissect the song, rating it off of an unusual scale from -5 to 5. The random track of the opening show was Y’all So Stupid’s “Soul Messiah.” With a name like that, it’s surprising how good the song ended up being. (It was rated a solid 3.)
According to fans of the show, the chemistry between Darvick and Fernandes is what truly makes the show so popular. On and off the air, Darvick and Fernandes play distinctly different roles. Darvick insists that he’s “the brains behind the operation,” covering most of the “smaller details,” such as running the Web page, sending out emails and getting the general word out about the show. Fernandes tends to “have the ideas” and makes sure to “keep [Darvick] under control.” But they both agree that through their differences they “work off each other to keep going.”
The birth of the Falafel Brothers, nearly three years ago, has been a fairytale from the very beginning. The two met during an ArtSci Weekend and bonded over a mutual interest in hip-hop. During that very first weekend, Darvick suggested that they do a KWUR radio show. “We wanted to take advantage of what the school offers,” explained Darvick. Soon after, the two fledgling DJs started training and began their radio show at 2 a.m., otherwise known as “the graveyard shift.”
Even during their most unpopular first season, Falafel Beatz received international attention. Darvick explains: “When we had our show at 2 a.m. we had a guy from Saudi Arabia e-mail us and tell us he was listening. He used to live in St. Louis. So he listened to KWUR and asked us to give a shout-out to his son.”
Strange occurrences, international recognition and school-wide hype continued as the two moved out of the early morning hours and nearer to the primetime. They received a call from China and a strange visit from a local rapper. Ratings climbed steadily through a combination of what Fernandes believes is “the good unknown hip-hop” and what Darvick insists is the “dogged persistence in making sure people listen to the show.”
Both DJs “live and breathe” the show. Darvick makes sure to tell everyone he meets about KWUR, to the possible chagrin of his closer pals, and Fernandes maintains that the show is a “soundtrack to his life.”
The determination paid off. Now Falafel Beatz occupies the 10 p.m. slot on Sunday nights, the most desirable hour for hip-hop shows (because inappropriate lyrics cannot be played before 10). They also run the Falafel Beatz Web site, www.falafelbeatz.com, where shirts, hoodies and even wall clocks and lunch boxes are sold. The running count for t-shirts sold is now at 60.
Other KWUR DJs are taking note of Falafel Beatz’s success. Darvick recently drafted a promotional guide for radio shows to increase their audience and raise awareness. Darvick notices that “other radio shows are starting to promote themselves as we do.” DJs are taking Falafel Beatz’s technological lead and have created Web sites for their show, such as Dru Eddy, who also runs a well-received hip-hop show.
Currently, Darvick and Fernandes have extended their enthusiasm and drive toward raising awareness for not only their show but also for all of KWUR. Darvick, KWUR’s Promotional Director, and Fernandes, KWUR’s Treasurer, are taking action to increase KWUR’s presence on campus. They’re hanging a banner on oak walk, planning an extensive ad campaign, and employing their most prized tool, word-of-mouth, to help out all KWUR-sponsored shows.
The Falafel Brothers’ and KWUR’s Hip-Hop Director, Rudeboy, a.k.a. Yoni Sarason, are helping seal an ambitious line-up for KWUR Week, happening February 20-27. Among other acts, Mainflow, Brother Ali and Scratch from The Roots are planning to perform. Darvick is “really excited to see such talent come to Wash U.”
Darvick and Fernandes also urge non-KWUR students to get involved. DJ training occurs only in the fall, so if you want to be the next big DJ, you’ll have to wait. But the best way to help out right now is to listen to KWUR, find something you like and tell other people about it.
Fernandes urges, “Don’t be afraid to set your car presets to 90.3. If you’re sitting at your computer, writing a paper, turn on your radio. Let us dictate what’s going to be played and just enjoy it. Don’t worry about a play list; we’ll take care of it for you.”
Q & A
How did you come up with the name Falafel Beatz?
Fernandes: “We were walking on the Loop and we were like, ‘What the hell are we going to call ourselves?’ And then we both turned around at the same time and in big red letters we both saw ‘FALAFEL.'”
Darvick: “We took a trip to a place called Mr. Falafel in Brooklyn between 8th and 9th Avenue. He’d never had falafel before and I’m Jewish so I had to show him. It was kind of like a religious journey, we took pictures.”
How did you initially get interested in hip-hop?
D: “My friend bought me an album and that was my first exposure to hip-hop. There’s just something different about produced beats. I probably can’t relate to a lot of the tracks that are played on my show because its not my shared common experience. But I still can appreciate a good hip-hop track by the way it makes me feel. I’ll start nodding my head; there’s nothing more basic than that.”
F: “I grew up playing basketball. I think hip-hop and basketball kind of have a common thread. I just love the way hip-hop makes me feel when I’m driving in a car or hanging out. The big bass and the drum beats get your adrenaline going.”
Who are the most influential hip-hop artists?
F: “Notorious BIG and Tupac.”
D: “KRS-1 was a father-figure for hip-hop.”
Who are your favorite non-hip-hop artists?
D: “I love the Beatles and Jimmy Buffet. I bought a Jimmy Buffet album, maybe it was a rougher time in my life, or maybe it was just a sad day, but there was something about it. It became something I could always count on. Jimmy Buffet sells you a lifestyle in which you can escape.”
F: “I can listen to anything except country music. I really like Van Halen and a lot of stuff from the early ’90s and late ’80s. My roommate loves the ’80s and he’s really gotten me into ’80s music. I even listen to Journey sometimes. I like Brazilian folk music, techno…”
D: “Also, the Smashing Pumpkins and the Counting Crows.”
F: “Red Hot Chili Peppers, Live, Nirvana, Weezer.”
What are your dream jobs?
F: “If I could be a rush hour DJ on Hot 97 and take over for Angie Martinez, I’d love to, but I know that’s probably not going to happen. If I could make big bucks being a DJ I’d love to, because music is one of my passions.”
D: “In addition to music, my passion is also cars. So maybe working for XM satellite radio. I think they’re the anti-radio. They do what KWUR does on a national level. I’d love to do marketing and promotions for them. I’m a true believer in XM.”
Any favorite local artists?
D: “Last season we started to find more local artists. St. Louis has a vibrant hip-hop scene. One artist I really respect is Jai Davis.”
F: “A weird story-one time we were doing a show. We hear a knock at the window, and there’s a guy there. We open the window and he shoves in an album and says, ‘Hi my name is Lord Freak, I’m an aspiring hip-hop artist, would you guys play my stuff on the air?'”
D: “This is more a testament to the kind of station this is. This isn’t a normal radio station.”
From which other countries have you guys attracted listeners?
F: “We count on a lot of our friends who go abroad to spread the Falafel word. Other countries we’ve had were Hawaii….”
D: “That’s not a country, man. Come on. I’m obviously the brains of the operations.”
F: “Well, I have the ideas…”