In a world dominated by main stage dance music, where the success of an electronic musician is too often defined by their ability to make a crowd “rage,” a select few artists have been making strides to break out of the EDM prototype and bring fresh, meaningful ideas to the table. Porter Robinson is one of them. This Saturday, the Orpheum Theater will host Porter Robinson’s “Worlds” tour, an extravagant and cohesive live show centered on Robinson’s new album Worlds, which dropped worldwide last month.
Robinson began as a young DJ and producer from Chapel Hill, NC, whose career skyrocketed when he released his EP Spitfire on Skrillex’s label, OWSLA. However, despite his growing popularity in the EDM community, Robinson stated in several interviews that he had grown tired of the creative restrictions of writing music that “works” in the main-stage dance setting, and set out to focus on more thought songwriting.
Worlds, as a result, is an album void of typical dance music cliches, allowing a coherent work of art ripe with melody and emotion. “Emphasis on function over real artistic expression is what soured me on the genre. It felt extremely limiting to me to try to write music that had to ‘work,’” Robinson told fans on Reddit over the summer. “Once I cast that off, it opened up the world to me.”
Leaving the confines of EDM behind him on Worlds, Robinson has proven himself as a songwriter who goes beyond predictable 16-bar buildups and frantic bass drops. He utilizes instrumental samples, synth grooves and a greater emphasis on vocals reminiscent of groups like Daft Punk, M83 and early MGMT. However, the album still features energetic, danceable tunes, setting the stage for a live show as eclectic and diverse as it is beautiful.
Robinson’s new live show is laden with elaborate visuals on a monumental setup, many of which were designed by Robinson himself to visually convey the imagery and emotion that the songs on Worlds evoke. In addition, Robinson is showing his teeth as an all-around musician playing live keys and even singing on some tracks. All of these contribute to a coherent yet grand experience that makes the “Worlds” tour something special.
Robinson may not be the first songwriter to experiment with these musical motifs, but he is certainly doing it on a larger scale. He’s stepping out of his comfort zone, and seems to be bringing a healthy portion of the EDM community with him. While Robinson is not trying to suggest that people should stop making main stage EDM altogether, Worlds and his new live show sets a powerful precedent, which I hope may inspire a renewed emphasis on songwriting and musicianship in the scene from which he crossed over.
“Writing music makes me so goddamn happy again,” Robinson has said in regard to writing Worlds, and this joy is contagious. His show at the Orpheum on Saturday will be a spectacle for the ears, eyes, and minds of all in attendance. Before the album’s release, Robinson told NME that his main focus when writing Worlds was to make the album “beautiful.” In my opinion, he has succeeded valiantly. Worlds is a delightful change of pace for electronic music, and Madison will welcome him with open arms to see him bring the album to life onstage
