As many of those caught up in the electronic dance music scene have discovered, the music has become more and more repetitive. The popular artists of today pump out new tracks on a weekly basis that all seem to follow a pattern: An intro, a basic melody, a build-up and ultimately a powerful big room drop that is meant to make the fans rage the night away. Fans and artists alike have been expressing their discontent with the genre, specifically EDM stars Deadmau5 and Bassnectar. So did Porter Robinson, and he decided to make a change.

Robinson released his debut album, Worlds, on August 12th. Robinson stated that the inspiration behind this album was his desire for a true feeling of nostalgia and his interest in Japanese culture such as video games, anime and vocaloids. He wanted to focus on the beauty of music and see if he could expose it.

The genre that the album could come closest to would be Synthpop, but the album itself is so truly unique that it’s hard to place a genre on it. Songs like “Sad Machine”, “Fresh Static Show”, and “Flicker” truly define the masterpiece, featuring vocaloids and nostalgic melodies. “Sea of Voices” is so ambient that truly opens up your ears to what true beauty can sound like.

To promote the album, Porter has been on a Worlds Tour which will eventually extend overseas. This tour was meant to be unique for him because it was the first time that he would actually be doing live performances (Playing synth keyboards, playing the drums, even singing, etc.) Porter stressed that he doesn’t want his shows to be “raves” and that people should leave their “mosh pit” attitudes behind.  I was in attendance at his October 8th show at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, CT. 

Porter’s first opening act was Norwegian electronic band Lemaitre. Known for their ability to cross electronic elements with traditional instruments like guitars and drums, Lemaitre provided a solid opening set that got the crowd moving. Their performances of their classic tracks like “Blue Shift” and “Splitting Colors” were energetic and met with a positive response from the crowd. 

Around 20 minutes later, San Francisco based DJ/Producer Giraffage took the stage. His visuals and graphics were absolutely mesermizing and his set provided for a perfect segway into Porter’s. Giraffage, known for his “dream-pop” sound supported by cut-up vocals and looping instruments, absolutely had the crowd swaying as his set progressed. The highlights of his set came when he dropped his signature remixes of R. Kelly’s, “Ignition Remix” and Miley Cyrus’, “Party in the USA”. Both tracks had the crowd singing along and provided for pleasant surprises when the beats dropped.

Finally, at 10:30, Porter entered the stage. He began his set in a dreamy landscape that perfectly defined this album. The set started with vocals from “Sea of Voices” eventually seeping into his popular track, “Sad Machine”, which had the crowd going crazy as smoke shot up into the air when the beat dropped. As he went through his set, Porter played both songs off of his new album and some of his classics. “Say My Name” brought the fans back to the early days of Porter Robinson and “Easy”, a song Porter created along with Mat Zo, was a true highlight in the set.

Robinson performed several live remixes to his songs, including an alternative intro in “Flicker” that gave the song even more energy and excitement and an astonishing remix to “Fresh Static Show” which many have deemed the highlight of his set. Throughout the show, Porter’s World’s visuals truly made the whole experience what it was. The scene’s depicted anime characters, bright lights and irregular shapes, which all seem to characterize the strangeness yet diverstiy of his album. Porter closed the show with his classic hit, “Language” which truly brought the show out on a high note, as the crowd couldn’t stop dancing. 

Overall, Porter Robinson’s “Worlds Tour” provides a similar atmosphere that listening to his music creates. Through his live performance, his visuals and simply the music, Porter brings the fans to another “World” that could never be replicated. In my irrational opinion, based off of the creativity and mastery that his album presents, I believe Robinson’s album Worlds should be a contender for album of the year and his live show could certainly back that.

– Jeremy Lamstein

 

[videos courtesy of DonnieThacker]