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here's the steve porter interview taken from mtlnights.com
Could you please tell us how your relationship with Fade Records came about?
I met Chris Fortier of Fade Records on New Years Eve 1999 where he was playing a party near my home town of Amherst. He and I have always had a
mutual friendship and the opportunities I've gotten from Chris and his label
have been tremendous. He was a key figure for my maturity in the profession.
How important is it nowadays for a DJ to be with a good agency?
I think there's a certain set of ethics that the industry follows by, certain professionalism. For myself, it would be extremely hard for me to
sell myself for the reason of not keeping a self-value in my head. A good
agency keeps track of career progress and should slowly raise the bar as the
career progresses. A good agency also knows the ins and outs of each market
which allows for a savvy approach to pricing and time slots etc.
Over the vast array of productions and remixes you have produced which ones really stand out for you the most?
Very tough question because they all kinda blend together in my mind... maybe Nordica, maybe the Amber remix, maybe Definite Form, maybe the remix I
just did of Funk Harmony Park on Fade. Then again, they all have a place in
my head so it's kinda hard to filter thru them all.
From a previous interview David Morales once said that the vibe is not the same as it used to be in NYC, since you are a fellow New Yorker do you agree
or disagree? Your thoughts on this?
I think no question the vibe has changed, but I think scene changes are seasonal. Right now NYC seems to be building up again with a new generation
of music enthusiasts, clubs, and artists. All in all, I see new people but
the same kind of musical movement.
You have your album out called Homegrown, a mixed compilation featuring your original work. Just recently some other DJs have taken this
same approach, do you look at it as a new refreshing way to approach a
compilation/album as compared to just another mix cd from another big name
DJ?
It's refreshing because it gives a DJ/Producer an identity as an artist... at
least for me it did. Having an album can tie in all the facets of somebody
who plays other peoples music but also create their own. Singles and remixes
are short lived, but albums tend to have exponential staying power.
With the recent success of the MP3 shops, do you find it is more difficult
for electronica artists these days to actually make a real profit if it was
to be released on beatport or djdownload. As compared to many years ago
when lets say if they signed it to a label they were given an x amount of
money for the track, whereas nowadays some artists only get a certain
percentage according to how many times someone would buy the download?
It's difficult now, but I think the money side of things will get better. I
believe as we get more of a grip on how to sell music digitally, there will
be more options and leverage to be had, and thus more profit to be made.
Exclusivity could be a factor, how one site/store might be the only place to
buy a certain album. It would obviously take good marketing but I think
there are still so many fresh ideas to be had regarding the economic growth
of the digital music scene.
Or does it really matter what the artist wants these days and is it only
about the consumer being happy and getting it at the cheapest way possible
versus downloading it for free from a file sharing website.
It's a two way battle, figuring out how to pay artists more fairly for their
work, but also fighting the process of music piracy. The third dimension is
that free music can be good for an artist; the ability to fan your own
flames thru file sharing is a beautiful thing. But I'm positive times will
change and screws will be tightened on piracy.
With your residency still going strong at Boston's only after-hours RISE,
how would you compare those nights to let's say all the different nights
spent across the world?
My nights at Rise are always special to their own just because of the
hometown factor. I know almost everybody in the Boston scene; it's an
extremely comfortable environment... though many times I'm surprised by how
much I click with a scene I've never played for before. That would be the
"music is a universal language" factor.
Where do you see Vinyl being in 5 years?
Still around, but on life support.
What are your thoughts about your upcoming gig in Montreal at Stereo
I can't wait for Stereo! It'll be my 3rd or 4th time playing there... man
that system is second to none. Gonna be so much fun.
What can we expect from Steve Porter and Porterhouse in the future?
I've got another artist album in the works but before it's completion I'll
be putting together the first Porterhouse compilation due out before the
winter music conference 2006. Busy times : )
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Utah saints - Lost Vagueness craziness, and the sound at Stereo is bar none just amazing!
