An Interview with Steve Porter

March 12, 2007 5:55 PM
by Dan Vidal [email]

For over half a decade now, some of the most innovative and influential sounds have been coming from Boston's own Steve Porter. Catching the attention of the 'big guns' like John Digweed early on in his career, the 21st century has been very kind to Mr. Porter thus far. Just in time for Winter Music Conference and the much-anticipated release of Porterhouse 2, we sit down with Steve to see what he's been up to lately.

CJ:So Porterhouse 2 has been in the hands of the critics for few weeks now, how have the reactions been?

SP:Well it's not actually out until March 13th so I've only seen a few at this point, but the album has gotten 4/5's in URB and DJ MAG. Hopefully the trend continues!

CJ:There's an interesting mix of the new and the old on there, whereas most compilations usually just load up on newer tracks, or are "classic" compilations...is this indicative of where your DJ style is these days?

SP:Yeah I'd say so, I just try to be nondiscriminatory with my music collection. If I can fit in an old classic here or there, why not. It usually adds more color to the set and shows people a little something about your roots in music. There's also nothing more trustworthy than those old-school bombs.

Also looks like there's some hometown guys on the comp, anyone we should really look out for?

SP:Be on the lookout for up and comers Bobcat & Legz, and Roger Lee. The usual suspects are killing it as usual, including Chris Micali, Emjae, Island 9, Aaryn Blain. All superstars in their own right.

CJ:I noticed you have a new label out, PH Recordings, what kind of sounds can we expect from that?

SP:PH Recordings is going to be a diverse label. I've always been a fan of labels who have a good variety of mixes on their releases. Techno remixes of breaks tunes, electro remixes of trancey tunes. The releases are going to have tracks that play off each other well, with so many tastes out there it's best to offer as many choices as possible.

CJ:Along a similar line, you've got a show on Sirius now, do you mainly showcase your artists, or how does that work?

SP:Right now I use the Sirius show to showcase other artists as well as sets I provide for the show. Very soon though I'll be partitioning the hour into 2 different guest slots and occasionally offering short interviews with guest DJs. There's going to be a circulation of hosts from the crew including Eli Wilkie, Bons, and Joe Mama. I'm on the road a lot so it's essential that we treat the show with a team effort.

CJ:There's the 3rd Annual Porterhouse party coming up for Winter Music Conference, at The Fifth, on Miami Beach. One of our sister companies is doing the ticketing, and the response looks to be very good...what can we expect this year in terms of the party, the production,
that sort of thing?

SP:We'll be bringing all the bells and whistles of past Porterhouse parties to The Fifth this year. The venue's awesome and we have the usual suspects on the decks featuring Eli Wilkie, Emjae, Bons, Ryan Mishkin & PG (formerly Phil and Fluff) along with myself. Should be a redonkulous party a usual.

CJ:What are your plans outside of your own events for Conference? What parties are you going to try and hit?

SP:I really wanna check out the Get Physical party, I had the chance to play with MANDY recently and they were awesome. You'll also find me at the SOS party rooting on Desyn, Omid, and Demi. If anything else I'll pop by Space to visit Sander and PvD, two of my faves.

CJ:Mirrors my schedule somewhat. What has been your "Miami Moment" thus far?

SP:The first Porterhouse party in 2005, the moment I saw Donald Glaude on the dance floor and John Digweed in the VIP booth hanging out with Sasha's dad. That was a moment.

CJ:You've gone from "local" Boston DJ to doing your own branded Winter Music Conference party, and also playing alongside people like Paul Van Dyk at the Loveparade, how has the success been treating you?

SP:I just try to keep it real, I'm the same Stevie P I've always been. I feel extremely fortunate to have had the career path I've had, but I also know success is fleeting if you don't continue to work hard.

CJ: Thanks for taking some time out for us.

Don't forget to check out Steve at the Porterhouse event at The Fifth next Thursday, March 22nd. Tickets are available at Wantickets.com.