I have final cut on everything.”Īstralwerks went on to describe their agreement as “a long-term and multi-faceted partnership,” indicating intent to support more than just the music of a single album… Sound familiar?Ĥ. I think we were able to structure things in a way that were really favorable and kept me totally free. And if you want to give us a record deal, awesome. And whatever you want to offer us for that, great. We’ve been super clear from the get-go that the music has to come first and it has to be done in a way that’s totally free. There were a lot of contenders for trying to get this album and trying to sign me overall. There are a lot of labels out there that want to have the next big EDM thing and that’s totally not what the album is about at all. “The thing that was most critical for us in deciding which home to have was that they get the vision.
Similarly, Porter waited to sign with anyone until it became clear that Astralwerks understood what he aimed to accomplish. We live in a society where money is what people want, so they can’t get the control.” In reality, we’re more like partners with Virgin. We weren’t interested in the money, so we turned down labels that were looking for more control than we were willing to give up. They came from everywhere, but we decided to wait-partly because we didn’t want to lose control of what we had created,” recalls Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk. Read these quotes to get an idea of how eerily similar these artists are in their ideals. In both Daft Punk’s decision to sign with Virgin Records and Porter Robinson’s contract with Astralwerks, they valued creative freedom over monetary compensation. Here are five reasons why I believe Porter Robinson’s team and their creative genius are on the same tier as the legendary French duo.ĥ. Porter ditched what was popular in favor of creative freedom, choosing to sign with a label that understood his vision. I’m only encouraging a more in-depth look at the profound impact Porter’s live show has had on the entire spectrum of electronic music, which I find to resemble Daft Punk’s achievements with Alive.Īlso, it’s unfathomable to think either of these artists would be what they are today without incredible teams supporting their artistic endeavors, and these unsung heroes deserve to be included in their successes. Now, I’m not purporting that Porter Robinson and Daft Punk are the same, nor do I believe Daft Punk (or any artist) is replaceable. There was this dark period where I felt the need to explain to people why I wanted to change, because I didn’t want it to seem as if it was coming out of left field or that I’d gone crazy.” Despite these hardships, Porter Robinson has achieved what few artists can ever claim in his pursuit of a comprehensive sound and aesthetic. “I needed to seriously reframe the way people were thinking about my music. But my discontent with EDM, electro, and DJing had come to a head,” says Porter of his career trajectory. “I accepted the fact that whatever I did with this album was gonna alienate people and hurt my career. Porter’s acclaimed maneuver into new territory has earned him commendations the world over, but it didn’t come without risk. Anyone who’s seen Porter Robinson Live since the inception of his Worlds tour will understand when I say it is a mind-crumbling experience.