To quote one of Porter Robinson’s last additions to his Worlds live show: “I have a feeling that after this, reality isn’t going to be the same anymore.”
Although he did not play any Porter Robinson material when DJing under his new project Virtual Self, the quote came to mind at the end of his two-hour set. What those lucky enough to experience in that 53rd street Brooklyn warehouse on Friday, December 8, was simply surreal. The “UTOPiA” was nothing short of euphoria.
It was a special evening for everyone in attendance, but it was especially one for Porter himself. His debut Virtual Self show marked a new era in his career, even if it ultimately ends up being only a temporary run before he returns to his surname.
Following the past three years of performing his Worlds live show, one could tell Porter was ready to deliver something different. The Shelter Tour with Madeon was a nice change of pace, but he wanted to get back behind those turntables.
He would return to his roots, but not with older Spitfire material.
From his less mature electronic music-producing days as Ekowraith, Porter Robinson was inspired by the neotrance and hardstyle sounds of 2000s raves. Along with his IDM productions, however, this side of Porter was later neglected during his Worlds era. He once even tweeted:
“my shows are not raves.”
The tweet has now transcended to be a meme among the “Lionhearted” fan base after Porter quoted the tweet with a simple “jk” over three years later, but nonetheless, he has been ready to unleash that neglected sound. He would do so under the name Virtual Self, and the debut show highlighted his maturity and versatility as an artist.
Porter Robinson has come such a long way as an artist. Looking at his four primary shows – Spitfire, Worlds, Shelter, and now, Virtual Self – all had distinct differences from the last. However, from the opening track “Ghost Voices” to “EON BREAK” and the encore rendition of “Key,” the Virtual Self set further differentiated itself from the former three. Porter had been sitting on all of this material for over two years, refusing to play Virtual Self material in a “Porter Robinson DJ Set” because it isn’t Porter Robinson music. It’s Virtual Self.
It’s fair to compare the two when looking at his career’s progression, but beyond that doesn't make sense. Virtual Self was a way for Porter to simply let loose, and the entire experience, for fans and Porter alike, was a perfect way to do so. Although the mysterious characters technic-Angel and Pathselector did not make distinguishable appearances, both musically and visually, the debut Virtual Self show was beyond beautiful.
The absolutely stunning lasers, lights, and visuals were controlled by the man who's always behind the scenes for all of Porter's shows, Ghost Dad. With his help, the Virtual Self debut was a unique “rave” appropriately moved to a Brooklyn warehouse at the last second.
Virtual Self even played “Castles In The Sky” and the other classics! That won't be the only time Porter currently plans to play as Virtual Self though. The only other time announced at the moment will be at Buku so don’t miss it.
The UTOPiA awaits…
