- If you're familiar with the writing of Thomas Cox (AKA Pipecock)—on RA, his blog Infinite State Machine and many a dance-music forum—you're bound to get a kick out of the fact that his new recording project, a trio with fellow Pittsburghers Adam Ratana and Preslav Lefterov, is called Pittsburgh Track Authority. Cox, an opinionated and sometimes cantankerous writer and DJ, aims to be nothing if not authoritative. A staunch supporter of classic American dance music values, he puts his money where his mouth is. Released on London's Uzuri label, home to classically minded house producers like Lerosa, Cassy and Move D, it's a fine addition to the canon, with carefully cut drum grooves and smartly applied synthesizers contributing to the moody, laidback funk.
"Duskshaped," at 118 BPM, is the most uptempo of the four tracks here. Balancing Rhodes chords, string vamps and squealing portamento synths, it sounds a little like Metro Area, perhaps with an added dose of G-funk. The rhythm, carved out of funk or disco breaks, is incredibly light on its feet, all rimshots and delicate hi-hat figures, with a handclap to die for. "Verticalimpact" slows down, joining minor-key synths and faintly acidic bass with a rolling conga break. As elsewhere, you can guess that the samples came from well-loved vinyl: they're filtered in a way that emphasizes the cracks and pops, lending the textures an appealingly wood-grained feel.
"Bloodlands" is the slowest thing here, and perhaps the most distinctive, with a rolling, percussive groove evocative of samba, glancing dub chords, sampled chants and sub-bass you can feel in your bones. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for anything at this tempo, but their take on slow-motion house is unusually elastic. "77b" takes the record out on a high note, with white-hot drum loops against a backdrop of twittery birdsong and carefully interwoven Rhodes and bass. They even show a little love for their cross-state rivals, in the form of soaring Philly-soul string pads.
Tracklist A1 Duskshaped
A2 Vertical Impact
B1 Bloodlands
B2 77B