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Virtual Self is an extended play (EP) by American electronic music producer Porter Robinson under the alias Virtual Self. The EP was released on November 29, 2017, as the first release on the eponymous record label Virtual Self. Virtual Self is a departure from the sounds of Robinson's debut album Worlds, in favor of a more techno sound inspired by late 90s-early 2000s dance music.

Background

Porter Robinson had been plotting the Virtual Self project since 2015. With the Virtual Self project, Porter Robinson "was experimenting with blending different styles of electronic music from around the years 1998 to 2003", including jungle, trance and gabber.

Promotion and release

On October 25, 2017, Robinson released the EP's first single, "Eon Break", announcing then-new alias Virtual Self via his Twitter page. A music video was also released on Robinson's YouTube channel, containing abstract three-dimensional art and cryptic messages seemingly focusing on the words "angel", "virtual", "void", and "utopia". Upon announcement, previews of the EP's tracks became available on a website announced by Virtual Self's Twitter page. The EP's second single, "Ghost Voices", was released on November 8, 2017. An accompanying music video for the track was released on February 28, 2018, via Robinson's YouTube channel. In January 2019, it was announced that "Ghost Voices" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, marking Robinson's first nomination. In a statement to Billboard Dance, Robinson says he discovered the nomination through Twitter "of all places". At the time, he hadn't even realized "Ghost Voices" was submitted for consideration.

The EP was released on November 29, 2017. Virtual Self's first live performance debuted on December 8, 2017, in Brooklyn, New York. The show consisted of an elaborate light show and in tandem with Robinson playing a DJ set. The set included songs from the game Dance Dance Revolution as well as unreleased Virtual Self music and songs from the EP. Virtual Self shows continued in 2018, with a two-month North American "UTOPiA SySTEM" tour. Robinson also released "Angel Voices" on July 20, 2018, a happy-hardcore infused remix of "Ghost Voices".

Critical reception

Philip Sherburne from Pitchfork granted Virtual Self a 5.9/10 and describes the EP as an effort to "make a headlong plunge into an aesthetic rooted in the late 1990s and early 2000s" whose rhythms are "funkless" and "hyperactive", reminiscent of Dance Dance Revolution soundtracks. The critic then pegged "Ghost Voices" as the most contemporary sounding track of the EP and concluded by stating that "Virtual Self hones in on the most garish aspects of Robinson's influences, burning away any possibility of subtlety beneath a billion-watt gleam". Kat Bein of Billboard was positive of the EP, dubbing his alias as "high-concept musical nerdiness with a heavy Final Fantasy vibe" and that the whole record "plays like a killer soundtrack to the best mid-2000s RPG Nintendo forgot to release". DJ Times magazine's Brian Bonavoglia wrote that although the EP's sound was a large change of pace compared to his preceding Worlds album, Virtual Self still maintained all aspects of Robinson's "production brilliance".

Track listing

Release history

Commercial performance

In the United States, Virtual Self sold 1,000 copies in its first week of release.

References

1. ^ Ochoa, John (February 15, 2018). "Porter Robinson: DJ Mag North America cover feature". DJ Mag. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
2. ^ Moen, Matt (August 24, 2021). "Let Porter Robinson 'Nurture' You". Paper. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
3. "Porter Robinson Announces Debut EP as Virtual Self". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
4. Stevo (2017-11-29). "Porter Robinson Releases His Debut Album As Virtual Self [LISTEN]". EDM Sauce. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
5. Robinson, Porter (April 7, 2018). "magazine from 2015" (Tweet). Retrieved 2021-06-12 – via Twitter.
6. ""I Don't Take That Lightly" Porter Robinson Interviewed". Clash. 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
7. "Time To DDR: Porter Robinson Announces New Project Virtual Self With Single". magneticmag.com. October 25, 2017. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
8. "Porter Robinson Unveils 'Virtual Self' Alias With Stomping, 'DDR'-Inspired Jam 'Eon Breaks'". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
9. "Virtual Self announces debut EP, shares song previews". www.dancingastronaut.com. 18 November 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
10. "Porter Robinson Announces Virtual Self EP & Posts Track Previews". EDMTunes. 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
11. "BREAKING: Porter Robinson Just Surprised Everyone With His Best New Song In Years". Your EDM. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
12. Erik (November 8, 2017). "Porter Robinson Drops His Second Track As Virtual Self And it Is Near Perfect". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
13. Bein, Kat (2018-02-28). "Porter Robinson Shares More About Virtual Self in 'Ghost Voices' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
14. Sunkel, Cameron (January 9, 2019). "Porter Robinson Speaks About Grammy Nomination for Virtual Self". EDM.com. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
15. "Porter Robinson Releases Incredible EP As VIRTUAL SELF". EDM Identity. 2017-11-29. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
16. "This Fan Recorded Virtual Self's Entire First Ever Show [MUST WATCH]". Your EDM. 2017-12-09. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
17. "Porter Robinson Goes Nu-Trance with Incredible Virtual Self Show". EDMTunes. 2017-12-09. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
18. "Porter Robinson Announces Virtual Self North American Utopia Tour: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
19. "Virtual Self Releases Technic-Angel Remix of 'Ghost Voices,' a.k.a. 'Angel Voices': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
20. ^ Sherburne, Philip (2018-01-03). "Virtual Self: Virtual Self EP Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2018-01-03. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
21. Bein, Kat (2017-11-29). "Porter Robinson's EP as 'Virtual Self' Brings Bright And Dark Together In A Kaleidoscope of Fun: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-11-30. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
22. Bonavogli, Brian (2017-11-29). "Porter Robinson Releases Highly Anticipated "Virtual Self" EP". DJ Times. Archived from the original on 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
23. ^ Murray, Gordon (December 7, 2017). "Billboard Dance Chart Upstarts: Lost Frequencies & Zonderling, Loud Luxury and Virtual Self". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2018.

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