From the dust piles of the Black Rock Desert of Burning Man to the tropical electronic beaches of Ibiza, Nati Pitch brings the lights, the sounds and the ethereal experience of a stage for music festivals and events worldwide. He can thank his rebellious high school self for his career successes—skipping class most days to run off into the hypnotic city of Tel Aviv to train under the fancy keyboarding hands of Israel’s biggest DJs instead of sitting in geometry. Pitch eventually moved on to become his own brand. After traveling and making music internationally most of his life, he’s since settled in Sarasota, but by no means settled. His newly established company SRQ-BEATS produces unique experiences by organizing, filming and broadcasting pop-up concerts in unusual locations in and around Sarasota. The carefully chosen locations may hold historical importance or be artistically interesting; they may show off the natural beauty of a place or be under the John Ringling Bridge at Bird Key Park. “Our prime goal is to showcase cultural heritage and landmarks throughout the prism of music and videos,” says founder and producer Nati Pitch. With that goal in mind, SRQ-BEATS culls talent internationally—collaborating with artists from Israel, London, Italy and Brazil—to bring experiential events to the (941) so partygoers don’t feel like they have to go to Miami, Tampa or Orlando for a top-notch performance.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.
Pulling from his arsenal of artist contacts, Nati invited Antoinette Van Dewark—a Los Angeles DJ and producer he met at a camp in a Burning Man art and music festival two years ago where he did the sound and lasers for three of the thousand-plus stages—as his special guest. DJ Antoinette flew to Sarasota to perform at SRQ Media’s holiday party last December in Waterworks Sarasota to mix upbeat and ethereal sounds for the room, and even perform her new EP release exclusively for the first time. Her newest EP under the Fantastic Voyage record label consists of five originals, as well as remixes from her first album. Although Antoinette has played for some of the largest and liveliest crowds from the biggest EDM stages—including the Dome set at Burning Man, Art With Me music festival in Tulum and endless underground parties throughout California—she admits that some of her most memorable shows have been the smaller, more intimate ones where she can truly connect and interact with the crowd.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.
“There’s a reason music is universal and heals,” she shares. “When I sense the audience is connected to me and my music, it’s the best feeling in the world.” SRQ-BEATS plans to continue bringing “the crème de la crème” in the industry and cultivate the music scene here by putting on one live show or community event per month—each entirely different in location and DJ guest appearance. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get big-name artists here to educate the people of Sarasota about music,” says Nati. “I want to influence the way this city connects with sound.”
