Steve Porter starts a new genre

Massachusetts native Steve Porter is bringing his own unique blend of house music into the scene. Seeing a gap between electronic music, a style catered to a certain niche, and mainstream music, Porter has noticed the elements of house that seem to alienate newcomers: mainly, that it’s too repetitive. Indeed, house tracks drag on anywhere from 4 minutes to over 10, usually featuring the same 4/4 drum kick and the same basslines repeating themselves throughout – something fans readily accept.

Porter didn’t. He sought to bridge this gap by reducing the repetitive element, making the style more accessible to those out of the loop. And through his skills as a DJ and producer, he not only eliminated did this, but also blended together several styles of house to produce a distinctly unique mixing style, dubbed “Porterhouse.”

The first thing house aficionados will notice about “Porterhouse” is the incredibly short length of the tracks: instead of 4-10 minutes, Porter’s tracks average 2-3 minutes, with two tracks even running less than a minute. In Porter’s own words, he does this to focus on the heart and soul of the music.

The other thing fans will notice is how great the tracks themselves sound, and how seamlessly they mix together. Notable tracks include “Buster,” “Holding On,” and “Jealousy,” as well as Porter’s own “Pixy Stix” and “Momento Pacifico.”

Unfortunately, it’s through these great tracks that Porter’s album shows it’s main weakness: while the short lengths will no doubt appeal to newcomers who shy away from musical repetition, house heads will gripe at them.

In spite of this, however, each individual track, short as it is, weaves perfectly into the larger album, like a jigsaw piece fitting into the larger picture. Played from start to finish, this two-disc offering is sure to get you moving, and surprise you at every turn.

Jay Rooney can be contacted at j.rooney@umiami.edu.