Pittsburgh Track Authority’s Enter The Machine Age

It was somewhere between the second and third track on Pittsburgh Track Authority’s debut LP that I realized something extraordinary was happening. In less than 15 minutes, Enter The Machine Age had shifted adeptly from the broken beat, 4Hero-esque style of “Genta” to some dark hypnotic boogie in “Give Me a Chance” and, finally, the moneyshot, “Broader Disco”.

Pittsburgh Track Authority decided one day to make a disco track, and simply made one better than anybody else.

There are eight tracks on Enter The Machine Age, each flashing a different style with a marvelous proficiency. The confidence and skill is most notable in that first transition between tracks, but it hits often and it hits hard. Several of the tracks start out rough and you expect that this is going to wind up sounding like a typical analog self-abuse session, in which the producer shows off his toys and the listener praises the “authenticity” of the sounds rather than the music itself. Instead, you’re greeted with full-on songs, well developed and arranged at that – even, in the case of “Naked Triple”, one that sounds a little sweet and tender. “Cutthroat” is another highlight of the album as intertwining acid lines wrestle each other for control.

I think that the highest praise you can give a dance music record is that people can get down to it. The next highest praise is that it’s listenable, it’s memorable, it works on the head and on the emotional core of the crowd as well as on their lower extremities. Enter The Machine Age is the rare album that demands your attention by accomplishing both. There’s not a weak point on here, nor a single concession to fashion or trendiness.