Beethoven began playing music at four years old, but Porter Robinson was only eight years older than him (and in the future by a few centuries) when he started his musical journey. What inspired him to start producing and mixing music at such a young age? Apparently, it was the hit video dance game, Dance Dance Revolution – everybody has to start somewhere!

Speaking of starting somewhere, his first tracks weren’t professional quality. He mixed them on a Sony ACID Pro. But he kept practicing, and it was in 2010 (when he was just 18 years old) that he put out his first single.

Say My Name, Porter

Though Robinson has a few different performance and production aliases (Virtual Self and Ekowraith), his first single came out under his name. Once that single came out, the young talent was quickly snapped up by EDM powerhouse Skrillex on the OWSLA label. With the label behind him, he released his next hit a mere one year later. That song, “Spitfire,” was so highly-anticipated that it crashed a popular music sales website.

Fame and Famous Friends

If you’re Skrillex’s prodigy, you know you’re not going to stay in the shadows for long. For Porter, that meant doing official remixes for Avicii (another EDM powerhouse) and even the main monster herself, Lady Gaga.

The next few years saw a continuous drop of singles and remixes, but no albums. He wouldn’t release his first one until 2014, which he’d name “Worlds.” By the time that album came out, he was already headlining shows at venues frequented by his mentor, Skrillex, friend Tiesto, and other EDM greats.

It was a great time to be a young artist in the electronic scene, and it continues to be. Porter is a true artist, which means he’ll always be making music. Whether you see a show with him using his real name or his alias “Virtual Self,” you won’t be disappointed.