There’s no doubt in denying how big dance music has gotten within the last couple of years. As the dance music scene grows bigger and bigger, so does the influx of fresh talented producers and DJs. While household names such as Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, will always have legendary status in the dance community, they also represent the “old” guard. There is a new generation of producers and DJs emerging, a generation that looked up to these dance music pioneers and are now eager to make their own impact on the scene.
Porter Robinson and Mat Zo are at the forefront of this new generation of artists, they also happen to be two of the youngest. Porter Robinson at 19 and Mat Zo at 21, have made big names from themselves and they know how to deliver when it comes to live gigs. This past Saturday, December 3 at the Music Box was no exception.
Mat Zo was the opener for Porter and his set definitely set the tone for the rest of the night. Mainly known for his trance and work under the Anjunabeats label, Mat Zo did not restrict himself to his trance work but instead mixed in a healthy dose of house for his set. But not to take anything away from Mat Zo, it was Porter Robinson that most of the crowd came to see and it was Porter that stole the show. Porter’s first 10 minutes included Wolfgang Gartner’s Space Junk, Animal Rights, Tiesto’s Maximal Crazy, Michael Woods’ VMS, and Alvin Risk’s remix of Kill The Noise.
His set was foreshadowing of the type of set Porter had in store for the rest of the night. It was unpredictable, beautifully blended with a variety of genres, and nonstop energy. Whether it was Porter’s own work such as The Seconds and Unison, an updated version of Daft Punk’s legendary house track One More Time by Mike Candys and Jack Holiday, Avicii’s Le7els, or even Mat Zo’s very own Rebound, Porter mixed it all up. This is a true testament to his understanding of the EDM scene and why he is one of its brightest up and coming stars. His young age brings about an unparalleled energy to his performance and also an understanding of what the crowd wants out of a set. If you couldn’t find one part of his performance that got your blood flowing and feet moving, then you are truly not a fan of EDM.
I fully expect Porter to continue to branch out, mix and experiment with sounds that will further separate his sound and style from the rest of the DJs out there. Expect Porter Robinson to have an even bigger year in 2012 and for his hits to circulate the airwaves. Music prodigies like Porter will make EDM fans out of all of us.
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Porter Robinson mixing in some Wolfgang Gartner into his track ‘Vandalism’ Featuring Amba Shepherd
Photo Credit: Insomniac Events / Life After Dusk
This post is tagged college invasion, mat zo, music box, owsla, porter robinson, skirllex, sold out, tiesto