On August 12, 2014, Porter Robinson released his debut album, Worlds, and changed his career and the path of modern electronic music. He went from playing and producing dance-heavy club bangers on the Spitfire Ep in 2011 to create a personal and soulful masterpiece that captured the angst of the electronic scene.
The state of EDM was at a standpoint in 2014.
The angst I speak of in the electronic scene in 2014 was uncertainty. Uncertainty about where the oversaturated scene was headed. The festivals were packed, the mainstage acts everyone loved years prior became indistinguishable, and the music suffered. The same drops, the same builds, and at times even the same songs. People started going to events not for the music but to fit in. Of course, there were real fans, but they began to get overshadowed by trend chasers. The EDM scene exploded, and the bubble was about to burst. The fans knew it, the promoters knew it, and the DJs knew it. The only questions were when would it happen, and what would a post-EDM scene look like? What would the music sound like? Then we got Worlds.
Worlds pushed EDM out of uncertainty.
I remember the exact day Worlds dropped as I signed into iTunes and watched in awe as it downloaded. I put on my white studio Beats by Dre, packed a bowl, and was transported into a World of electronic bliss far removed from what I was used to hearing in EDM at the time. This was it. This was exactly what the scene needed and proved to be the foreground of the scene today.
Porter Robinson was influenced by the late 2000s indie rock.
Worlds is a mix of synth-pop and electro with an indie feel. You can hear the M83, Passion Pit, and MGMT influences throughout the album as Porter takes you deep into his world of kaleidoscopic synths, ambient landscapes, and beautiful harmonic melodies.
Porter Robinson influenced an entire generation.
Worlds pushed the boundaries of what EDM was and influenced an entire generation. Porter Robinson opened the door to DJs being weird, different, and choosing a different path than just making the best party anthem. He created art and, in doing so, allowed others to follow suit.
We are now in a post-EDM era, and as much as Porter will deny it, he is a driving force behind the scene we find ourselves in today. The artists that are popular in 2020 have their own identity, they play their own songs and continuously push the limits, which is transforming the electronic scene into a mind-expanding art form. You can go stage to stage and hear not only a different set but have an entirely different experience, and that would not be the case without Porter Robinson.
Stream Worlds on Apple Music or your preferred streaming platform!
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