Porter Robinson is only 22, but already, his past efforts as a producer have earned the Chapel Hill-based musician a track record that would make even the most established of names just a little less satisfied with their own accomplishments. It's not that he's gotten big numbers and massive exposure since his debut EP, Spitfire, was released (although that all has been rather impressive). Rather, Robinson's true success lies in the fact that it's widely acknowledged he's already done more during his short tenure as a producer to push dance music forward then most other producers will in a lifetime. When Spitfire came out, it crashed the Beatport servers, and if that type of fan response doesn't betray his work as the kind of innovative music that connects with the masses, then we don't know what will. Despite all of that, though, we probably wouldn't be talking about him with such high regard if his latest work wasn't up to snuff, but simply put, Spitfire flat-out pales in comparison to his debut album, Worlds. If anybody you know starts trying to act like a hippie and tell you that they like his earlier work better, we're giving you permission tell them to shut up and go away. Their opinion clearly doesn't matter, because this album is absolutely brilliant. Period. End of story. When it comes to breaking down the tracklist and analyzing it for chinks in the armor, finding things to nitpick about becomes a rather arduous chore. After about twenty seconds into track one, you've already begun to zone out and it's hard not to let yourself get carried away by the grandeur of it all. "Divinity" is one of those electronic tracks that hits hard right from the get-go, but, even on it, it's clear that Porter is dabbling with all types of techniques, because it's so much more than just a dance-floor banger. When things do get edgy, it feels more like a rock concert than anything else, and when he softens up the production, your ears are whisked away almost instantly to a whole other sonic realm altogether. It's the type of transition that leaves everything else in the dust, and makes a mockery of a lot of mainstream EDM. Next up on the list of songs we couldn't not rave about is "Years of War". If "Divinity" was big, then "Years of War" is Lord-of-the-Rings epic, and while it is shy of four minutes in length, it feels so much bigger than its runtime would suggest. In fact, we're having a hard time remembering when we got so lost in a track that we lost track of time. Even the lyrics seem to allude to some epic struggle in a galaxy far, far away, and when it's all combined into one, slick package, the listening experience feels more like you're watching a movie then just hearing music. Porter's sounds are so bright, and his creative vision is so clear, that even if you're imagination has been smothered under years of cynicism and adulthood, it's all too easy to let it run wild again as it cooks up some otherworldly story in your head to go along with this epic soundtrack. Now, just because we're highlighting certain songs, doesn't mean you get to skim over the rest. Worlds is rock-solid all the way through, and you would be robbing yourself of so much fun if you cherry picked (as it probably seems we have here). However, it must be advertised that "Fresh Static Snow", "Polygon Dust", and "Hear the Bells", are all pretty much flawless as well. Never mind that music is so subjective, these three songs are just way too awesome for their own good. Trust us on that one. There's been an influx of electronic music recently with traditional instrumentation embedded in it to combat what's turning into epidemic levels of synth fatigue. Some major names have adopted this new combination of old and new, but Worlds seems to be strictly electronic throughout. One might think this would hurt Porter's chances of success, but songs like the aforementioned "Fresh Static Snow", "Polygon Dust", and "Hear the Bells" (and the rest of the album, for that matter) are impressive specimens of synthesized sound that feels extremely organic. It's hard to reconcile this with your ears when you listen, but it's undeniable that Porter's crafted sounds as animate as an old steel-string guitar that still retains the gut punch to the ears which only computers can achieve. So, to wrap, we'd like to reiterate that, not only has Porter Robinson become a popular electronic artist in his relatively short tenure as one, but we dare say, too, that he's also become an important electronic artist as well. He's willing to push boundaries, but what's perhaps more pertinent is that he's talented enough to make sure everybody's paying attention when he does. It's one thing to experiment with new sounds, concepts, and creative directions, but it's another thing entirely to be able to make sure all your peers are taking those new developments seriously. Porter has certainly accomplished both with Worlds, and although he's still got a long career ahead of him, it's almost a forgone conclusion that this will be a defining album for him, and for contemporary electronic music in general. Purchase Worlds on iTunes.
Porter Robinson