Porter Robinson: Evolution as a producer (2007-2020)

It’s only been 30 odd days into 2020 but the good news just keeps on coming for the electronic music fans. After remaining quiet for much of 2019 in terms of releases, the American DJ and musician Porter Robinson has just filled the music industry with excitement and buzz by announcing his upcoming album ‘Nurture.’

As a matter of fact, it’s been ten years since we saw Porter on the highest level for the first time. Here we look at how he has evolved as a producer over the years.

(2008 – 2010) Early Days into fame for Porter Robinson

Porter first stepped into the spotlight when he released the track Say My Name. Being closely connected to Japanese culture, especially anime, he initially used to produce a lot of video-game friendly tracks.

Moreover, he would listen to music in anime and games so as to incorporate it in his live sets that he played out in front of people. Tracks like Get  Brain and Leaving describe a lot of his characteristics as a synth-pop producer.

(2010 – 2013) – Language and the Festival friendly phase

This was the period when Porter Robinson actually shaped his music from Electro-House to the more specific Complextro. His music in this period was characterized by glitchy basslines and low-frequency percussion, often introduced to the listener by cutting in between the ongoing elements.

In 2012, the American producer came up with one of the best progressive house tracks of all time – Language. Other tracks like Spitfire were also key to his success during this phase. While on the Language Tour, Porter Robinson got tired of producing “DJ and Festival friendly” tracks that went well with the live sets. So, he decided to bring in a remarkable change to his style of production.

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.

(2014-2015) – The Debut album and Porter’s depression

In 2014, Porter Robinson released his debut album, titled “Worlds.” This album had a lot of variations from his previous tracks, as he had promised after the Language tour. With the more soothing and nostalgic forms of music, the tracks like Divinity, Lionhearted, Sea of Voices, etc featured vocals from a lot of different artists. In fact, he made his debut as a singer with the renowned track Sad Machine.

The year 2015 was a strange one for Porter. We didn’t get any new music from him which wasn’t usual. It was later revealed that he was suffering from depression and self-doubt during that time. Madeon, who is one of his closest friends in the industry, was key to Porter’s recovery.

2016-2019 – Shelter, Virtual Self, and the Grammy Nomination

After remaining ‘absent’ for the whole 2015, Porter Robinson made a comeback with the iconic track Shelter, a collaboration with the French music producer Madeon. This release served as a huge motivation for him after a rough patch that lasted for more than 12 months. The duo spent much of 2016 on an International venture, titled “The Shelter Tour.”

Halfway past 2017, we saw him releasing new music under the alias “Virtual Self.” After his first single “Eon Break” under this new project, Porter released “Ghost Voices” which was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. In 2018, “Angel Voices” hit the charts, which was a mellower kind of remix for Ghost Voices.

Since then, we were eagerly waiting for new music from his side and finally on 29^th January 2020, he announced the upcoming album “Nurture” also releasing the first song of the album “Get Your Wish.”

Content Inspiration: Rave Nation on Youtube.

Image Credit: Rukes.com