Porter Robinson

Porter Weston Robinson (born July 15, 1992) is an American DJ, record producer, musician, and singer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His debut full-length studio album, Worlds, was released in 2014[6] and peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums.[7] Robinson began releasing music under the alias Virtual Self in 2017, with his self-titled EP Virtual Self debuting the same year.[8]

Porter Robinson
Robinson in 2014
Background information
Birth namePorter Weston Robinson
Also known as
  • Virtual Self
  • DJ Not Porter Robinson
  • Ekowraith
Born (1992-07-15) July 15, 1992
Atlanta, Georgia, US[1]
OriginChapel Hill, North Carolina
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • DJ
  • record producer
  • musician
Years active2005–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websiteporterrobinson.com

Robinson was nominated for the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for his single "Ghost Voices".[9] At the inaugural Electronic Music Awards in 2017, he was nominated for Single of the Year and Live Act of the Year, both with Madeon, for the single "Shelter" and the Shelter Live Tour, respectively.[10]

His other accolades include 5th place in DJ Times' 2013 ranking for America's Best DJ,[11] 7th in the Billboard 21 under 21 list,[12] topping InTheMix's 25 under 25 list,[13] and winning the 2015 MTVU Artist of the Year.[14] Robinson also made DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs list for seven consecutive years.[15]

Biography

Early years and "Say My Name"

Entirely self-taught, Robinson began producing at the age of 12. While posting his early music on online forums he met future collaborator Madeon, who was using the aliases "Daemon" and "Wayne Mont". From 2005 to 2010, under the alias "Ekowraith", he released "hands up" music via YAWA Recordings.[16] Robinson then began producing music that he called "complextro", adding classically inspired melodies and complicated fills to his music.[17]

Starting to release music under his own name in 2010, Robinson released a variety of original singles on Glamara Records and Big Fish Recordings. One of his most notable releases was "Say My Name", which reached number one on Beatport, launching Robinson into the mainstream dance music world.[18] Eighteen at the time, Robinson started achieving international notice, catching the eye of dubstep producer Skrillex.[19]

Robinson's early influences include video gaming music, in particular, Dance Dance Revolution. He is a major fan of anime and Japanese culture, and incorporates these elements into his music.[20][21] He has stated that he originally attempted to emulate the music that he heard in Japanese games, which stemmed to producing, and then to performing as a DJ.[22]

2011–13: Spitfire and "Language"
Robinson, Zedd, and Skrillex performing at South by Southwest (SXSW), 2012

In 2011, he signed a one-EP deal with OWSLA, then a new label operated by Skrillex, to release the eleven-track Spitfire. As the first release on OWSLA, it topped iTunes Dance chart and Beatport's overall chart, crashing the latter's servers upon release.[23][24]

Robinson released a single, "Language",[25] on April 10, 2012 through Big Beat Records in North America, and Ministry of Sound everywhere else. The song was relatively different in its production than the "complextro" sound that Robinson had become known for, favoring a more melodic sound and a dream-like piano lead. The song rose to the number one overall chart position on Beatport as well as the iTunes Dance chart.[23] The single was premiered initially via a live BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix on January 27. The music video, directed by Jodeb, was released via Ministry of Sound's YouTube channel on August 1, 2012. The song was also included as the menu music for the 2012 video game Forza Horizon.[26] Throughout the rest of 2012, Robinson embarked on his "Language Tour", supported by artists Mat Zo and The M Machine.[27]

He co-wrote Zedd's US top 10 hit "Clarity", as well as singing backing vocals.[28] The track was originally going to be released as a collaboration between the two artists called "Poseidon" alongside a joint tour, but Robinson backed down and withdrew his name because he did not want to release a pop single while he was "trying to do something that wasn't shooting for the radio" with his debut album.[29]

On December 17, 2012, a collaborative single with Mat Zo entitled "Easy"[30] was pre-released exclusively on Beatport by Ministry of Sound, and spent two entire weeks as the number one overall song on the Beatport Top 100 chart.[31] The full official release occurred in spring 2013, and was accompanied by an animated music video.[32]

Robinson has been commissioned for official remixes by artists including Avicii and Lady Gaga.

2014–16: Worlds and "Shelter"
Robinson performing in 2013 on his "Language" tour

During Robinson's "Language Tour", he continually began to grow tired of the current dance music scene, centered around formulaic songs with timed builds and beat drops, designed to excite people at festivals and clubs.[33] Robinson stated, “The more I forced myself to work within those DJ-friendly limits, the more I resented the genre.”[34] He then spent the next year or so working on a new album and live show, of which he stated, "...when I do change the style of my show into the live thing I'm going to do later this year, I want the shift in focus to be clear."[33]

Porter's debut studio album Worlds was released through Astralwerks and Virgin EMI on August 12, 2014. The album focused more on melodies to invoke a sense of nostalgia, juxtaposing the percussive bass driven tracks he had released previously. Robinson collaborated with multiple vocalists and musical groups including Urban Cone, Lemaitre, Breanne Düren, and Amy Millan. He made his official vocal debut on the single "Sad Machine". The Vocaloid software voice, Avanna, was also used as a vocalist for this single.[35] Robinson then embarked on the Worlds tour, a new live show that involved him singing, playing synthesizers, and triggering samples, supported by artists Giraffage and Lemaitre.[36] The tour headlined popular music festivals, including Ultra Music Festival, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Coachella.[37][38][39]

A remix album of Worlds titled Worlds Remixed was released on October 2, 2015. It included remixes by electronic artists Odesza, San Holo, Mat Zo, Electric Mantis, Galimatias, Last Island, Chrome Sparks, Deon Custom, Rob Mayth, Point Point, Sleepy Tom, and Slumberjack.[40]

On January 31, 2016, Robinson announced on his Twitter account that he was producing new material after being "stuck" for a year and a half. On August 11, he released "Shelter", a collaboration with fellow musician and friend Hugo Leclercq, better known by his stage name Madeon.[41] An animated music video was released for "Shelter" on October 18, animated by A-1 Pictures and jointly produced by Robinson, A-1 Pictures, and Crunchyroll.[42] Robinson and Leclercq then embarked on a nearly year-long joint international tour dubbed the "Shelter Live Tour", where the two performed live shows onstage together, with supporting acts from Danger, Robotaki, and San Holo.[43]

2017–2019: Virtual Self and continued Porter Robinson activity
Robinson performing as Virtual Self in Brooklyn, New York on December 8, 2017

On October 25, 2017, Robinson released a new single titled "Eon Break" under the alias Virtual Self, announced via his Twitter page.[44] A music video was also released on Robinson's YouTube channel, containing abstract three-dimensional art and cryptic messages seemingly focusing on the words "angel", "virtual", "void", and "utopia".[45]

Virtual Self-released a second single on November 8, 2017, titled "Ghost Voices".[46][47] A music video for "Ghost Voices" was released on February 28, 2018 via Robinson's YouTube channel. Virtual Self-released a self-titled EP on November 29, 2017.[8]

Virtual Self held a debut live performance on December 8, 2017 in Brooklyn, New York City.[48] Virtual Self shows continued in 2018, with appearances at multiple festivals including Ultra Music Festival, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Bonnaroo, followed by three Europe shows[49] and a two-month North American "UTOPiA SySTEM" tour.[50] Robinson also released Angel Voices on July 20, 2018, a happy-hardcore infused remix of Ghost Voices.[51]

In January 2019, it was announced that Ghost Voices was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, marking Robinson's first nomination.[9] Robinson celebrated the accomplishment by playing three Virtual Self sets in Los Angeles before the awards ceremony.[52][53][54] In a statement to Billboard Dance, Robinson says he discovered the nomination through Twitter of all places. At the time, he hadn't even realized "Ghost Voices" was submitted for consideration. "I was ecstatic, to be honest...I basically found out from Twitter...I just never once considered it as a real possibility at all...something about how vastly it exceeded my expectations," he said. And he added "It was really gratifying."[55]

On March 4, 2019, Robinson announced Multiverse Music Festival, a one-day festival in Oakland, California featuring a self-curated lineup and co-presented by Goldenvoice, slated for June 15 in Middle Harbor Shoreline Park.[56] The name of the festival was changed to Second Sky Music Festival four days later due to complaints from local promoters that had organized a fest in Oakland with a similar name the previous year.[57] A second day was added during presale due to tickets for the original date selling out rapidly, sharing all but one act from the first day's lineup.[58] Robinson stated in an interview with Pollstar that "The main reason I wanted to do an artist-curated festival is I have this fantasy of there being a place where all of my favorite music can coexist."[59]

Shortly after announcing Second Sky's lineup, Robinson announced another Virtual Self show,[60] a series of six DJ sets under his own name,[61] and later, two more Virtual Self appearances.[62][63]

In June 2019, Robinson's organization, The Robinson Malawi Fund,[64] donated $154,000 to patients with Burkitt Lymphoma in Malawi using money raised by the Second Sky Music Festival and matched donations from Robinson.[65]

2020–present: Nurture

On January 28, 2020, Robinson's social media announced his sophomore album, Nurture, and the release of the first single, "Get your Wish", for January 29, 2020, along with a 52 second teaser.[66] On March 10, 2020, Porter released the second single on his album titled "Something Comforting".

On May 9, 2020, Porter Robinson teamed up with Recording Academy, [67] donated $115,000 to MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund using money raised by the Secret Sky Online Music Festival.[68] During said event, he unveiled the third single from his upcoming album, "Look at the Sky".

Personal life

Robinson was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and currently resides in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was accepted into UNC, where both of his parents are alumni, but did not attend himself due to his newly launched music career.[29] He is the second of four boys in his family.[69] His older brother, Nick,[70] is a former video producer at video game website Polygon.[71] His younger brothers are named Robert and Mark. He has stated that he is very close friends with fellow DJs and record producers Madeon and Dillon Francis.[72]

Robinson has stated that he did not release or produce any new music in 2015 due to suffering from depression.[73]

Discography
Main article: Porter Robinson discography
Studio albums
Remix albums
gollark: I *do* have an unreasonable amount of copies of some things.
gollark: I've written about 6000 lines of it for potatOS.
gollark: I should collect screenshots of people saying "gollark was correct" and "I agree with gollark".
gollark: Lua fairly good.
gollark: oh apio how does parsing.

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