Fuck what the prelates have to say: many good things are coming out of Pittsburgh, the Nazareth of the Eastern Seaboard, and these guys are making almost all of it. “The Standard” is the stand-out track on Pittsburgh Track Authority’s latest 12″ vinyl EP from Spencer Parker’s Work Them Records; it’s not just a notch above the other three but probably the best work I’ve heard from them. It’s deliberately rough and they dare you, about two inches from your face, to tell them why an 8 minute helping of smooth jazz set to a 4/4 beat is superior to House Music as it was originally conceived and intended. “The Standard” tosses driving beats, a throbbing bassline and piercing chords into a rock tumbler and what comes out irresistibly catchy.
Close behind: the strident, synth-driven title track gives you a good idea of what Legowelt might sound like if he was raised in on a steady diet of lead pellets, paint chips and Jeff Mills’ more melodic records. I don’t mean to frighten anyone – this is eminently playable and frankly closer to classic Chicago House Music than 90% of the iTunes-encoded Dramamine that makes up your average 60 minute sleepy house set these days. Highly recommended.
