Porter Robinson

Porter Robinson is an American DJ, record producer, musician and singer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Born in 1992, he begins making music at the age of 12, with his interest sparked in part by Dance Dance Revolution and other media he consumes at the time. He starts out releasing music online and reaches mainstream attention by the end of 2010, after which he gains recognition from prominent artists.

Early releases and rise

His first EP, Spitfire, is released on Skrillex’s OWSLA label. He also receives remix commissions from Lady Gaga and Avicii. Robinson’s early work sits in the electro house and broader electronic scene, and his tagged styles include dubstep, house and electro.

Worlds and a change in direction

After releasing the track Language, Robinson becomes dissatisfied with what he sees as the sameness of dance music at the time and begins moving towards a more personal approach. He releases the album Worlds and stages a live show built around his own vision. The album focuses on escapism, with each track intended as its own self-contained world, and he says he wants listeners to take their own meanings from the songs rather than receive a fixed story from him.

Collaborations, aliases and awards

Robinson later works with his close friend Madeon on Shelter, which receives an animated music video made in collaboration with Crunchyroll and A-1 Studios. He also records and performs under the alias Virtual Self, a project aimed at evoking nostalgia for early-2000s video game music through both recordings and live sets. A Virtual Self track, Ghost Voices, is nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in 2019.

Second Sky, Secret Sky and Nurture

In 2019, Robinson hosts his first festival, Second Sky, first known as Multiverse, with a lineup drawn from artists he likes. Money raised through the festival is donated to patients with Burkitt lymphoma in Malawi through The Robinson Malawi Fund. He also hosts Secret Sky, an online alternative to Second Sky presented as a live stream with a digital auditorium. In 2020 and 2021, he releases singles from his second album, Nurture, many of them featuring his own vocals and reflecting personal struggles and recovery. The album is shaped in contrast to Worlds, with an emphasis on appreciating the life people live. It is announced as a 14-track album, with a Japanese deluxe edition later adding a collaboration with Wednesday Campanella. Robinson also premieres the Nurture live show during Secret Sky, and the event includes a VR-based experience.