It’s hard to believe that it has been nearly a decade since Porter Robinson was signed to Skrillex‘s OWSLA imprint, propelling the then-fledgling producer into the spotlight. It was a fire-starting moment for Robinson’s career, but the story starts much earlier, as we learned in a new interview with British GQ wherein Robinson recounted the early “wins” that took his music production from hobby to career path.
Asked about when he knew he wanted to become a professional musician, Robinson described the process as “gradual.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, his earliest musical inspiration came from the popular arcade game Dance Dance Revolution. Robinson’s older brother had brought home a copy when the artist was just 12. He ultimately credits the upbeat Japanese electronic hits in the game for spurring his love for the electronic music genre.
By the age of 15, the “Mirror” producer had channeled his love of happy hardcore and Eurodance into income by selling his productions to companies. The occasional check for €300 arriving to his house showed Robinson and his family that continuing down this path could yield a sustainable music career.
Fast-forward three years to Robinson’s first live show. He was 18 at the time and hadn’t been to a nightclub before, but seeing fans react to his music live ignited something within him that had him instantly “hooked.”
Robinson went all the way to Germany for his second live performance. Despite the language barrier, Robinson and his dad navigated the gig without a hitch, aside from the fact that his father was getting mistaken by attendees as the club photographer for carrying a camera onsite.
Throughout the wide-ranging interview, it becomes clear that the gradual “wins” kept Robinson traveling down the road to success and ultimately stoked his love for electronic music along the way. Robinson is continuing to build toward the start of a new chapter with the impending release of his forthcoming album Nurture, which, at the time of writing, is awaiting an official release date.
FOLLOW PORTER ROBINSON:
Facebook: facebook.com/porterrobinsonmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/porterrobinson
Instagram: instagram.com/porterrobinson
Spotify: spoti.fi/2Zu4oNS
