OFF HOURS: Allen Pires, Food Service worker; DJ


Allen Pires, known as "Lefty," can be found at work every day in the Blue Room. And although his work there is of course worthy of praise, it is his work as a disc jockey at parties on the weekends for which he deserves great admiration.

Pires' work as a DJ is anomalous because he lacks a full left arm, which some might consider an impediment, but which Pires has moved beyond. Pires clubs from Thursday through Saturday night, adroitly spinning the wheels of steel with a unique style. Upon attempting to describe his characteristic method, Pires asserts that "you have to go to a party that I deejay to pick up on my style."

The fact that he is consistently booked every Thursday through Sunday should speak for itself in regards to Pires' level of skill. He began toying with deejaying - "my first love" and continuing passion - at the age of 10, at first using equipment owned by his uncle, also a DJ by trade. He got serious about pursuing such work as a possible profession at the age of 16 and soon after purchased his own equipment.

Ever since, Pires' successes have been on a steady rise. He is getting involved with a production team to create beats for studios, which only adds to his already hectic schedule of working at both the Blue Room and Luke's Records and deejaying at parties. This somewhat intimidating itinerary doesn't seem to phase Pires, however; in his own words, "a musician's work is never done."

Also on a steady rise are his ambitions. When asked to divulge his aspirations, he chuckles a little before revealing his master plan: "I want to take it worldwide, you know? I want to explore new things such as being more involved in production. I also want to own a coffee shop someday. A breakfast spot." And although these hopes may seem somewhat disparate in the expertise they involve, such a statement doesn't seem so outlandish coming from him.

These hopes, however, do not cause Pires to lose sight of what is imperative for him to accomplish now: communicating a positive message to all those within his large sphere of influence. One of the central messages he attempts to bring home is, as he says, to "live life rarely. In my music, I stay real - to myself and my people. I'm not going to sell myself out to something stupid just to be popular. So my message is really to be true to yourself." - Seth Pipkin '02

Do you know someone at Brown who has an interesting avocation or public service project? Call the George Street Journal at 863-2476 or send mail to Tracie Sweeney, editor.