STEVE PORTER

Apr 1, 2005 12:00 PM, By Daniel Spurling

It's a frigid winter day in Boston with a face-numbing wind gusting up the street from the river and past the front door of Satellite Records. DJ and producer Steve Porter is already hard at work inside. Arriving straight from the train station to get a head start on shopping, he makes his way through a slew of records, carefully winnowing his final selections down to 10. For such a cold Friday afternoon, the store is busy, and Porter stops every few minutes to say hello and catch up with someone. Although he decamped from Boston for New York a few years ago, Porter has remained very much at the center of the Boston dance-music universe, thanks in no small part to his monthly residency at the members-only after-hours club Rise. At his gig tonight, legions of hometown fans and friends will be bouncing off the walls as they celebrate the official release of Porter's debut artist album, Homegrown (2005), on FDS (an imprint of Fade Records).

All in all, his life these days isn't that much different from that while he was growing up in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Whatever time he didn't spend working at the local record shop, Porter spent secluded in his mom's basement, teaching himself the craft of dance-music production. (In fact, he named the Homegrown album in homage to his mom's support and encouragement during those formative years.) A chance meeting with Fade Records co-founder Chris Fortier in the late '90s propelled Porter's production work from the rural farm country of Massachusetts to the record boxes of the world's top dance-music jocks.

“You have no idea how things are going to pan out until you put the hard work in,” he says, reflecting on his accomplishments. With a jet-setting schedule that has taken him everywhere from Australia to Europe — not to mention Canada, Mexico, Russia and all across the U.S. — in recent years, Porter ranks among the most in-demand DJs the world over. But when he's home in midtown Manhattan, he spends most of his time locked away in the studio.

Throughout the years, in both the DJ booth and the production studio, Porter has crafted a signature progressive sound that incorporates pretty much everything under the sun with a four-on-the-floor beat: Porterhouse. Fun, funky and hard-driving, Porterhouse merges feel-good bass lines with a tough techno pulse, occasional undulating waves of trance and some flirty disco flair thrown in for good measure. Armed with nothing more than his CD booklet, a small record bag and a pair of headphones, Porter can inflict a savage and relentless all-night beating on any dancefloor. Indulgent breakdowns don't often figure into his DJ sets — Porter meticulously snips such spaces out of his records before his fans ever hear them.

Nearly every track that he plays is his own edit, remix or original production. “I can buy a lot of records that are almost there for me on a creative level, bring them back to my studio for editing and tweak them to suit my DJ sets,” Porter says. “Every DJ buys records that they think are great but maybe have a vocal that just makes their ears bleed. Everyone does edits differently, but my own twist is to try and keep things moving by shortening the length. I like to package music in a more concentrated manner.”

Although his warm, gregarious personality seems to breathe life into any party, Porter is a bona fide professional when it comes to his career. He appreciates the fun aspects of his job, but he values every opportunity that he's been given. And in the short time that he's spent shopping and talking, the two remaining vinyl copies of his Homegrown sampler EP have disappeared from Satellite's weekly-picks wall. “If you maintain a modicum of social ethics, support your colleagues and other artists, the fruits of your labors will eventually appear,” he says. “It's like a domino effect, and I just try to keep the momentum going.” Perched on a stool in the back of the store, he barely makes himself heard over the din of loud music in the background. Porter is unfazed, however, and manages to rattle off thoughtful descriptions of his record choices.

NATHAN COLES

“Muppet Show” (Wiggle)

I love this guy's stuff: It's simple but deadly. It makes me think of sweaty dancefloors. There's a steady punch all the way through, a perfect DJ-mixing tool. I go to war with the “Muppet Show” on this one.

DJ DLG

Epiphany EP Part 2 (Eyezcream)

This is a saucy French-house record on a label that's new to me. “Got Soul” on the info side has a particular sauciness to it. There's a gripping element to the piano chords, and the backing vocals provide a nice complement to the arpeggiated bass line. It's solid, melodic house to keep the heads moving.

TOM GILLIERON

EP (Visitor)

Visitor is one of my favorite labels, bar none. “Maybe Tomorrow” is the cut on this one; it's got an extremely intelligent bass-line groove accompanied by sweeping and uplifting chords. It makes for a great afterparty record.

KALLE-M

“Omena” (Waskids)

This is a terrific atmospheric and melodic record. The original sounds a little bit like a quality Vince Watson record, with a techy nature yet intricate melodies. The “Jussi-Pekka Remix” on the flip side kind of warms things up and offers something that might be more suitable for the smaller venues.

FAFA MONTECO PRES. YUKSEK

Should Be Slave (Hypnotic)

I'm all about the first cut on the A-side, “Should Be Slave.” It's a record that transcends the boundary between breaks and house. It has four-four movement, flipping between a funky break and solid house beat with a hypnotic electro edge underneath. The chord progressions within this track are fantastic!

NARCOTIC THRUST

“When the Dawn Breaks” (Free2air)

A really unique set of remixes here, although I'm partial to the Dino Lenny one. It really brings the smack, and it offers a terrific take on the original vocals. This is a great record to open the night or to close with.

OSCAR GOLDMAN

“Thrust 2” (Thrust)

This is one raging record! The “Lee Combs Remix” is the one that will make it into my sets. It has a ridiculous low end, and the percussion speaks for itself — yet another one of those middle-ground records that transcends breaks and house.

PREACH PRES. DIRTY BASS

Joujouka EP (Ascend)

“Smooth Corrosion” is the cut for me on here. It's a no-nonsense techno builder, one that I would use as a tool to create tension between one record and the next. Records like this don't come around enough! I wish Oliver Lieb was still cranking out EPs like this one, the way he did back in the day.

TRADEMARQ

It's Bananza, Vol. 1 (Bananza)

Here is a great three-track EP from the Boston-faithful Tari and Marko Militano under their TradeMarq moniker, with special guest Waric Cameron. Each cut offers its own identity. Overall, it's a wonderful cross between stripped-down funk and quirky melodica. Keep your ears peeled for this label. It's good to see these guys really pushing their music to the forefront.

VIGI & NECTARIOS

“Guru (Remixes)” (Streetwise)

This one is all about the “Precision Cuts and Dave De Rose Remix.” There's a very live percussion feel to the breakbeat, and it just defines funky breaks. Techy, melodic chords ride into the mix about halfway through and give it a proper peak-time appeal.

Satellite Records; 49 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 02115; (617) 536-5482; www.satelliterecords.com

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