Watch This: Porter Robinson’s keynote speech at EMC Australia

by: Austin Evenson Dec 20, 2014

Known originally for his electro house, Porter Robinson made a statement in 2014, changing his image as an artist with the release of his debut album, Worlds. If you’ve read anything about Porter’s full-length LP, you know it was an attempt to define himself as an artist outside of the monotony of the EDM landscape. Earlier this month at EMC Australia, Nick Thayer sat down with Porter Robinson for the keynote address to discuss the current state of electronic music, his approach to Worlds, and the future of the genre.

“Hi guys. I’m Porter, I am 22-years-old, I think, and I do like electronic music obviously.”

With a candid intro from Porter, Nick Thayer immediately jumped into asking Porter about what he thinks changing the game actually means. Referencing Flume as a game changer, Porter expressed his view of changing the game as finding a personality that differentiates artists from the crowd. He continues on to differentiate between finding your “signature sound” versus the redundancy that has plagued certain genres. When asked what his signature was on Worlds, Porter simply said:

“..loud, melodic, at 90 bpm, cutesy, with vocaloid.”

Thayer then goes on to ask about the visual process for Worlds as Porter has emphasized the importance of imagery in the process. Porter delves into how he really became introspective trying to return to what inspired him to make music: video games, anime, etc. He even reveals that he had a mood board full of Tumblr photos for the visuals on tour as well as a 20-page document instructing music video directors and visual directors of what he envisioned for this project — all of which he continued to develop while writing the album.

“I think DJ sets are super fun.”

To much surprise, Porter shed positive light on his view of DJing, explaining how he does love party music as well as finding music that is fun and energetic. He also revealed that he spends an hour and a half to two hours looking through music on SoundCloud. With only one out of seventy actually attaining his coveted “like.”

One point that really stood out in this discussion was Porter’s description of the state of music on SoundCloud. He references the word novelty and how people are trying to find the newest sound that no one has heard before. He has that same hunger, but that is not what he wants to make with his music. Instead, he wants to make “goosebump-y, beautiful music.”

“It’s worthwhile to try something everyday.”

All in all, the discussion between Porter Robinson and Nick Thayer approaches electronic music from the angle of somebody who has been through the hype and glorified touring lifestyle. Although he cannot speak for the entire scene, Porter gives a full picture of his approach to production, the industry, and finding your identity as a producer. Ultimately, the keynote address reaffirms his role as a game changer in electronic music.

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Tags: 2014, australia, EMC, keynote, Porter Robinson