Artist: Porter Robinson
Singles: “Lionhearted” the original, the remixes, and the edits
It is always wonderful to see a young musician recognized for their obvious talents and gain popularity and success after working hard to achieve their dreams. Porter Robinson is one lucky young man. Now 22, Porter began producing electronic and dance music at the tender age of 12. By the age of 18 he had already achieved international recognition for his music, and his song “Language” rose to be number three in the UK dance charts in 2012. Since then he has worked with other well-known electronic musicians like Zedd, with whom he co-wrote the US Top 10 hit “Clarity”, and was commissioned by Avicii for an official remix of his song “Seek Bromance”.
From Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Porter Robinson has been compared to electronic artists like Zedd and Tiesto. Like many electronic musicians, Porter’s music ranges from primarily vocal songs to electronic-heavy dance music. I typically am not fond of electronic dance music as I find that it tends to drone on and on, but I guess that may be the point.
However, I did like Porter’s song “Lionhearted”, which blends the electronic beats and mixes with fantastic lyrics and futuristic singing. I mention the lyrics because, as the title of the song suggests, the overall theme of the song is one of bravery and belief in oneself. The lyrics are combined with the music in a way that doesn’t mask the singing at all. Instead, important parts of the lyrics are framed with the music before and after, with the music abruptly growing softer as the singing is lightly injected.
As well, Porter allowed a variety of remixes of the song which can be a good or bad thing, but, in this case, the remixes continually add dimensions to this wonderful song. The original of the song was included on Porter’s debut album Worlds, which features Urban Cone, and has since been remixed and edited eight times. The remixes include an Arty remix, The Alexanders remix, and Giraffage remix, and the edits are variations of the remixes, usually with the creation of radio edits.
Depending on what you are looking for in an electronic song, the various remixes and edits are great if you want to dance, workout, or relax and listen to the inspirational lyrics. The Alexanders remix has a great steady rhythm for running and dancing to, and the Giraffage remix pairs the original with a slower beat and nature sounds for a much different song. My favourite of these is the Arty remix, because the original song is still prominent and the beat is great for either running and cycling to, or listening to while working. As well, given that the song is speaking of courage and perseverance I couldn’t imagine a better song for running to.
The original and all of the remixes and edits are available on iTunes.
Samantha Stevens is an aspiring writer who loves combining her love for literature with photography, painting, music, and all creative pursuits.