Here, I can say confidently, is a club banger that will cause chaos on the dance floor! I caught Porter Robinson and Mat Zo at Toronto’s Sound Academy a while back, and allow me to sum it up thusly: WOW! It was my second opportunity to see Robinson live, and I’m not ashamed to admit I find myself absolutely smitten by this young producer’s sound and performing style. As for this new track … well, the robotic vocals don’t really do it for me. But the rest of the production is so harmonious, I think we can overlook one faux pas.
And here we go. Y’all getting sick of me talking about festivals? Well sorry, but tuff f***ing luck. Because this weekend Toronto the place in the world to be for EDM. Or any kind of music, actually.
Sure, Montreal has Osheaga happening, which promises to be nuts in its own right But Toronto is bringing the heavy, what with VELD and HARDboth going down this weekend.
What’s HARD, you ask? Just a little gathering featuring the likes of M83, Buraka Som Sistema, Austra … oh, and Justice. Sorry, let me rephrase that: JUSTICE!!!! The French icons make their looooooooooooooong-awaited return to Canada in style. Fort York is a special place to be this weekend.
And then there’s VELD, the brainchild of Canada’s own EMD titan, Deadmau5. Check out this lineup: Avicii, Kill the Noise, Mord Fustang, Bassnectar, Cosmic Gate and soooooo many others are busy tearing Toronto’s Downsview Park a new one. Rain is in the forecast for Sunday, but it’s gonna get real messy long before that. Canada, this is our weekend!
And with that, it’s on to …. THE SWEETS!
This will get your weekend going just right. A free download that hits the spot.
The second installment of Fools Gold‘s Clubhouse compilation series is just as heavy as the first. No point trying to pick a favourite: here’s the whole thing, amigos. Did I mention it’s FREE?!?
How can you not love Montreal’s Adventure Club? OK, maybe the sound is becoming just a tad predictable. But that in no way means it’s played out. And the fact that it’s free is an added attraction.
PORTER ROBINSON / MAT ZO @ SOUND ACADEMY, TORONTO – JUNE 22, 2012
The lineup to get into the venue was insane. The crowd that swarmed the entrance was alive with anticipation, eager to experience one of EDM’s fastest-rising new talents.
Once you were inside, the bass could be felt streaming through the floor, up your legs and into every nerve fibre and cell of your body. Opening for Porter Robinson, 22-year-old British producer Mat Zo (a.k.a. Matan Zohar) dropped one mind-blowing track after another, taking full control of bodies and minds. The frenzied crowd was beyond pleased by this young artist’s impeccable track selection; his warmup set kept them dancing nonstop.
When the lights dimmed and Porter Robinson‘s “PR” logo appeared, the assembled multitudes went absolutely wild, sending his name bouncing around the room and over heads like a crowd-surfing fanatic. As Robinson stepped up to the decks, a whole new vibe took hold. Hands thrown in the air, utterly entranced, the crowd was overcome by sheer animalistic euphoria.
The success that this 19-year-old DJ/producer has achieved in such a short time is absolutely mind-boggling. I saw Porter Robinson for the first time last fall at The Hoxton, and I wouldn’t hesitate to see him again. If you haven’t yet had the chance to catch this crazy-brilliant artist live, I encourage you to make it a priority. This is a superstar in the making.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Well, if you didn’t already know, it is GOING DOWN tonight at Sound Academy, as Embrace Presents brings Porter Robinson to the stage with guests The M Machine. Porter is a very busy man, so take full advantage of this opportunity and get your ass down to Polson Pier.
Of course, Porter isn’t the only one who’s been rocking the sh*t out of crowds over the past couple of weeks. Which brings us to this week’s Sweets of the Week. With the Digital Dreams fest just around the corner, the heat is on for DJs to find that elusive key to a killer set. Don’t be surprised if you hear a few of these heavy-duty tracks from your fave DJ this coming Canada Day weekend.
No need to go into detail about them — the sounds speak for themselves. Enjoy! I’ll see you tonight at Sound Academy!
Tonight’s the night!Porter Robinson will drop the bomb on Toronto this evening at the Sound Academy, courtesy of Embrace Presents. To get you in the mood, and to wrap up our week-long spotlight on the North Carolina prodigy, we’re re-posting bpm:tv’s frontline report from his last TO appearance.
They say you never know the true quality of a producer until you see him live, a phrase I have lived by for the past five years. On Saturday, thanks to Embrace Presents, I finally had my opportunity to see Porter Robinson in the flesh. And I can say with 100 percent conviction that the boy did not disappoint.
It was a good vibe all around. The crowd showed up by the hundreds with plenty of enthusiasm. The line was incredibly long but — as with all shows at The Hoxton — it moved really well. And once you got in the scene was perfectly balanced: a blend of knowledgeable fans, there to catch a memorable performance, and the requisite contingent of gorgeous girls. The chant of “Porter, Porter” rang out before Mr. Robinson approached the tables. Once the young man reached the platform … BAM! A surge of excitement from the crowd, and then it started.
One thing was obvious from the get-go: this kid loves him some Wolfgang Gartner. Many times he used slight remixes or re-edits of Gartner tracks, feeding the crowd perfectly. It’s something I’ve been preaching for a while now: this new wave of American artists take pride in where they come from, and really want to establish their own sound. The set had a strong North American feel — and right now that really is the sound of quality.
Without going into details on each song — because if you weren’t there I wouldn’t do it justice — I’ll just say that it was a proud moment to see how Toronto turned up for Porter. I believe it was his first show in TO, and the city really welcomed him, with a crowd response that would have pleased some of the world’s top DJs.
The concert was so good it took me an extra day to write this report. True story! Just another absolute beast of a show courtesy of Embrace Presents.
Porter Robinson week continues here at bpmtv.com, as we re-post our first look at the North Carolina prodigy’s smashing debut EP, Spitfire.
Don’t forget: Porter Robinson plays Toronto’s Sound Academy tomorrow night, courtesy of Embrace Presents. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS AND INFO.
What were you doing when you were 19? Some of you haven’t even hit that magical number yet and are anticipating a great year, the first year of freedom. Some of you are in that age bracket and are beginning to enjoy life as an adult … or getting high in your parents basement. For those of us who have passed that brilliant age, apart from the wonderful memories and personal achievements, probably none of us did anything that would affect the rest of our own lives and, at the same time, touch the lives of many many others.
Enter Porter Robinson. Born in the not-yet-distant year of 1992 (sigh), this prodigy from the Tar Heel state of North Carolina has been thrown into the roller coaster of the electro scene, and has established himself as one of the leaders of the pack when it comes to the North American dub revolution. If I’m correct, all it took was Fl Studio 9, a Midi controller and talent. Porter has not only been one of the headliners of electro-dub-house scene — he has also changed it for the better. Breaking boundaries and genres with his songs, Robinson has become a fan favourite throughout the world.
The first track I remember hearing was “Say My Name,” which had so many sounds to it I wasn’t sure what genre to place it in. (“I dunno … electric music?”) The strings from the house anticipation, the wobble of the dubstep, the drums of electro — this kid is onto something. And so it went, as he released other tracks and remixes that proved he was no one-hit wonder, but rather a major figure in the game. Touring and fraternizing with the industry elite (Skrillex, Zedd, Lazy Rich and many others) didn’t hurt either.
Well, Porter just dropped his debut EP Spitfire, which is typical of everything else he has done in his early career: it’s really good. The EP features many remixes from some well known DJs and one from the flavour of the week known as Knife Party whose version of “Unison” is most certainly going to be playing in all clubs throughout the winter. But it’s Porter’s originals that are truly stellar.
As our spotlight on feature artist of the week Porter Robinson continues, we stay focused on his breakout year: 2010. With this next set of releases, the news of a new teenage star in the EDM firmament went viral with the kind of speed that gives the most creative marketing and PR mavens a wet dream.
In other words, after “Say My Name” dropped, the wolves tasted blood. North American EDM fans found an artist they could embrace as their own, 13-to-20-year-olds found a role model and inspiration, and electro house found a new saviour.
Without wasting any time, Porter dropped “The Wildcat,” making his signature sound suddenly inescapable. The scream of a bobcat, the merging of that vocal wobble with the clean, crisp 128 beat — just reliving the time you first heard this song can give you chills. In an age where artists and sounds come and go like public transit, it became clear at this moment that Porter Robinson was here to stay.
Next came some remixes — a move that was always going to be tricky. Usually, new artists make their way onto the scene with remixes, then slowly begin dropping originals; it’s a sort of feeling-out process. But Porter came at it from the opposite direction: he’d already given us four originals that even the biggest of names would die to call their own — now he was taking other artists’ sounds and trying to add his touch on it.
For me, remixes all come down to song selection. If you’re looking to really make your mark with a remix, why not pick a track that’s huge? It’s the perfect way to showcase your talent: people will already know the original, so they’ll really notice what you’ve done with it. Anyway, great minds must think alike, because Porter took on two of the biggest house songs at that moment and flipped them on their heads. Have a listen.
2010, as you can see, was a huge year for Porter — and it didn’t end there. Here are a few more of the tracks he released in that amazing year. And keep in mind: we’re talking about a guy who was still just 18 years old.
As 2010 drew to a close, one thing had become obvious: Porter Robinson was a star. There was no doubt about his production capabilities — but did he have what it takes to rock a crowd at a live show? That’s what we’ll find out in our next Porter post.
Don’t forget to check THIS LINK for tickets to Porter Robinson’s show at the Sound Academy in Toronto this Friday.
This week we celebrate a young artist known to many as, simply, “the Prodigy.” In anticipation of a rager of a show slated for this Friday at Toronto’s Sound Academy (which two lucky members of bpm Nation will be catching for free!), we delve into the work of Porter Robinson, the 19-year-old North Carolina native who is leading the next wave of emerging EDM artists into glory.
Ever since he dropped “Say My Name” in 2010, PR has compelled attention, standing out even in a field as overcrowded as EDM. Sure, “Get Brain” and “Leaving” had been released earlier, and both were heavy tunes in their own right. But “Say My Name” was something different, something epochal. For a kid of just 17 to take a sample, produce such dramatic strings, and blend it with such a heavy bassline: it was unimaginable.
Don’t discount those earlier tracks, though. “Leaving” was a tantalizing preview of Porter’s abilities, proving that he knows how to blend beats and vocals to perfection. Meanwhile, “Get Brain” showcased his knack for taking a small sample and making it giant-sized. And here’s the rub: while your favorite producers are creating these kinds of sounds in studios with 15-foot Legacy consoles, Porter was doing it on a laptop in his bedroom.
2010, then, was a big year for Porter Robinson — and he was just getting started. We’ll have more on his subsequent releases tomorrow, as we prep for his Sound Academy Show this Friday. CLICK HERE FOR INFO AND TICKETS.
A Tuesday to celebrate for fans of French house (and really, aren’t we all?). One of bpm:tv’s — and Canada’s — favourite European DJs, Martin Solveig has released the latest instalment in his “Smash” series of videos.
“Smash” has proven a massive success, and has really demonstrated what good music, clever filmmaking and savvy use of social media can accomplish for an artist. In addition to which, it has revealed a charmingly vulnerable and human side to one of EDM’s true superstar DJs — something refreshing for all of us “ordinary” people to see.
This new episode, “The Night Out,” features cameos from Sidney Samson, A-Trak, Porter Robinson, Dillon Francis, Laidback Luke, Zedd and many more. The offbeat humour of the story, the pause-worthy guest appearances, the stellar cinematography — there’s something in here for just about everybody. Enjoy the show!
Though the week just past did bring the release of new tracks from Sound Remedy and Porter Robinson,plus an album from Rusko, it felt on the whole like the electronic music world was suffering from a bit of a WMC hangover. Everybody seemed to be functioning on half-speed. Still, I believe the majority were fuelling their tanks for what promises to be a summer to remember.
Skream and Benga absolutely killed The Hoxton in Toronto on Thursday night, These two never seem to deliver a weak set. If ever you have the chance, be sure to check them out.
Now, on to the sweets!
This is probably one of the best EPs I’ve heard so far this year. Expect Sound Remedy to be a household name very very soon.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
