Why Everyone Is Obsessed With Porter Robinson, & Why You Should Be Too

Whether you've been following him since you first heard "Spitfire," when he had only 1,000 followers on Soundcloud, or if you fell in love with him during his Worlds live set, Porter Robinson has been able to make dance music history and touch our hearts in ways that we didn't think were possible. And regardless of at what point throughout his career we found him at, there is one thing that's for sure- that he has changed our lives.

He Began at a Young Age

A young kid fresh out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Porter began producing at the age of 13, and devoted his life to perfecting his craft. Fast forward to 2011, where he released his iconic 11-track Spitfire album, following the release of his 2010 hit single "Say My Name" and later in 2012 Language" was born.

Porter had established this hard-hitting, bass-heavy sound, paving himself into the EDM world and producing banger after banger; however, that was until he shocked the dance music community by announcing the complete and total reinvention of his sound, and began making music that was more "him."

He Changed His Sound

His future was clear to him, and he decided to make one of the riskiest, most difficult moves that any artist and producer could ever have possibly made. At the time, he received a lot of negativity from fans and artists, saying that "he shouldn't change his sound" and that he wouldn't be able to pull it off- that this move would be "suicide" for his career. But Porter didn't listen; he did this change entirely for himself, and guess what? It has only worked to his benefit.

After taking a brief hiatus in order to discover his new sound, Porter has shown us his new voice with the first track release off of his Worlds album, "Sea Of Voices" in 2014.

Sea of Voices

I totally don't mean to pull a "back in the day" moment here, but I vividly remember when I first heard "Sea Of Voices." 

It only had 60-something views on YouTube at the time because it had JUST gotten released, and I was driving while listening for the very first time. As I was getting completely submerged in this track, tears started uncontrollably streaming down my face. 

I've never heard anything quite like this beautiful medley of sounds in my entire life, and I certainly was not expecting it from him. Do you know how odd it must've been for the person in the car next to me to look over and see a girl full on BAWLING while clutching a steering wheel? Not my finest moment, guys. But I'm not alone here:

-Credit: @_kendallmm-

His Music Invokes Emotion

I am just one of the thousands upon thousands of people that Porter has brought to tears through the power of his music. The only way I can put into words what Porter has created through this transformation of his is to describe it as art- pure art. Porter has branded himself in a unique way, with his signature【=◈︿◈=】logo and incorporation of HTML, as well his love for anime and Japanese culture, into his overall aesthetic as an artist. 

He has successfully been able to convert feelings into sounds, which is something that is not only difficult for a producer to emulate, but is rare to physically possess the ability to do so. Porter has a gift; he invades our minds with his music. There is some sort of element in his music that our heart just naturally feels so connected to once we hear it, as if he peered into each of our souls and knew what would fuel it. We feel euphoric, we feel happy, we feel spiritually balanced and just whole.

His Live "Worlds" Performance

He makes you feel that no matter at what point you're at in your life, that everything will be okay in the end. His tear-inducing visuals, bone-chilling stage presence and live Worlds sets satisfy and feed every little bit of your soul. You stand there and look around in utter disbelief because you realize that one person created all of this- this one person who you don't even personally know could make you feel this way and take you on this metaphysical journey along with him.

Whether you get transported to a beautiful, dark, devilish, fantasy with "Fresh Static Snow" or you feel the sweet, heart-wrenching violin strings from "Fellow Feeling" envelop your soul, a Worlds set will take you places. That's the beautiful thing about Porter's music- it takes you places; to different worlds.

He depends on us, as his fans, and we depend on him. And this is just the beginning