Pole Position

After scoring short films for director Thomas Torres-Cordova in the late ’90s, Pole Position began concenatrating on its own recordings, which earned attention for their neo-new wave attributes. The duo, comprised of Portuguese-Americans Rui Guerreiro and Daniel Da Silva, began writing songs together in 1997. Based in Newark, NJ, just outside of New York City, the duo began working with Torres-Cordova in 1998, scoring his short films during 1999 and 2000. Though Pole Position had released the Bionic Boys single in 1998 and Eye Spy, a split single with Sao Paulo and Heartz Attack, in 1999, the duo didn’t garner much attention until the release of XO in 2002. Released independently, the eight-song extended EP retained the duo’s cinematic tendencies but also incorporated subtle Latin elements as well as a new wave-esque synth pop sound that particularly excited many critics. Pole Position performed a few selective shows around the New York area in support of the EP’s release. ~ Jason Birchmeier