Pre-Pride love revival

What’s love got to do with it? Just about everything when it comes to red-hot DJs Dave & Gerardo.

“We were dating for two years before we started DJing,” Gerardo explains.

“It happened organically once we started dating,” says Dave, who has a tendency to finish Gerardo’s thoughts — when Gerardo isn’t finishing Dave’s. They also have a habit of touching hands and making quick eye contact to be sure they have their stories in sync. The short reassurance is held an extra beat when Dave is asked how they got together. “We met in a bar in New York,” he says. “Classic boy-meets-boy.”

Gerardo blushes when asked what sparked the mutual attraction. “Before you know someone there has to be that physical attraction . . .”

“As shallow as that may sound,” Dave interrupts. Aside from their musical skills, the duo garnered much of their early attention by posing shirtless and flaunting their well-worked-out physiques. Their biceps and big smiles were probably destined to be entwined, even if they first saw each other across a darkened — and probably nowhere near as seedy as they seem to remember — room.

“I lived in Connecticut at the time, but I came to New York on weekends, and when I graduated college we moved in together,” says Gerardo, who has just finished his pre-med studies. “It was a hectic time, and I’m now able to produce more music.”

Dave is no academic slouch, either, with a demanding job in pharmacological advertising. “We call DJing our second full-time job,” he says. “It’s a balancing act: our work, our relationship, our business relationship. We call it a lot of plates full.”

Gerardo isn’t sure if a career in medicine will supersede their love of music. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” he says. “We have big goals and ambitions, but we don’t rely on just one. We always take on more.”

“We don’t like to be bored,” Dave adds.

Can being a high-pressure couple lead to wandering eyes? “We are a monogamous couple,” Dave says. “We’re firm in that belief and it works for us. We keep our business relationship and our personal relationships separated.”

“If we disagree on something music-based, we don’t let it spread to what we’re having for dinner,” Gerardo says. “A few songs we don’t agree on, but at the end of it all we’re a team.”

“We have similar tastes and style,” Dave says, “with a slight divergence that creates better sets. One plays something and then the other takes it somewhere else. We’re constantly talking and working with each other about where we want to go.”

Dave bristles slightly when asked if the cute-shirtless-couple angle has been a helpful gimmick. “Unique,” he corrects — though the photo shoot that follows the interview is adamantly shirts-on.

“We had been practising DJing,” Dave says.

“And we got a residency at Splash,” Gerardo adds.

“We were lucky enough to get a couple of opportunities,” Dave says. “We looked on them as a chance to improve ourselves and build up our experience.”

Anyone who has seen — and more importantly, heard — Dave & Gerardo in action knows they are more than a conjoined pair of perky pecs. The cute and heartwarming factor may have helped open doors, but their set at the TreeHouse Party in 2010 let Toronto know that these DJs have arrived. They’ve been back several times, courtesy of the fine folks at Prism, and have a fondness for Toronto. “We just love the energy and vibe,” Dave enthuses. “And by Pride we’ll have our first official Beatport remix: ‘The Only One,’ by Amannda.”

They have done lots of remixes and love when they get “good feedback, when someone says, ‘I can’t believe you thought to remix that.’ Anyone can play the newest Beyoncé. . .”

“I like it when a producer comes out with a remix and I say, ‘I never thought of that song in years,’” Gerardo chimes in.

“We always have the element of surprise,” Dave says. “Even if it’s just three new remixes.”

The only thing that won’t be remixed or altered is their relationship. How do they deal with predatory partiers who attempt to come between them, out of sheer lust or bitter queen jealousy? “We’re just honest with people,” Dave says. “And forthright. You need to know when to exit the situation.”

“We just say, ‘Nice to meet you’ and get out of there,” says Gerardo.

“This is something we’re proud of,” adds Dave.

Gerardo laughs as he takes Dave’s hand. “It’s our life.”

Drew Rowsome is a writer who has nothing but respect for the sanctity of coupledom, even when it takes two hotties off the market.