Porter& Blain: Operation Berlin
FDS

Picking up where his Porterhouse mix disc and Homegrown artist album left off, Steve Porter returns with an energized two-track release designed to celebrate his participation in this year's Berlin Loveparade. Side A finds Aaryn Blain giving Porter's “Fluffer Nutter” a predictably grandiose remix treatment. After a pounding pulse sets the mood, the cut gradually builds in intensity with a slithering bass line appearing first and gauzy multitudes of synths second. The Porter-Blain collaboration “Trans Am” rolls out in a funkier strut though slams no less purposefully. True to Porter's dense attack, layers build here too until the tune becomes an unstoppable, steamrolling mass of relentless beats, chugging synths, and gleaming melodies. Though both tracks inarguably accomplish their implicit goals, neither tune advances Porter's sound significantly but merely perpetuates it albeit in more concise fashion—none of which will disappoint his fans, incidentally.

September 2006