http://thetruejoe90.com

Sometimes it takes years of work to get to the top of your game. Sometimes it takes a lucky break. Sometimes it takes something special to launch you to your goal of being as high as the stratosphere. @Skrillex‘s moment came around a year ago to the day when he was signed to the @deadmau5 label Mau5trap. This week it has been @PorterRobinson rising to the heights of greatness after signing to the new Skrillex label OWSLA. This is the release that is sending Robinson to those very heights.

The ‘Spitfire’ EP is Robinson’s debut release and having such acts like Pendulum’s Knife Party and SkisM doing remixes so early on a new project must be incredibly mind-boggling to the 19 year old Electro House/Dubstep producer who manages to cross throughout the spectrum of dance music genres.

Having remixed the work of Lady Gaga, and performed with such artists as Tiesto, deadmau5, Afrojack, Moby, A-Trak, and Dada Life, he is very much in good and safe hands.

The first track is of course the title track ‘Spitfire’. A dubstep tune “if deadmau5 did dubstep“. It has a similar sund to Skrillex‘s work but has a certain calmness to it rather than being mad, frantic and chaotic as we know he can be. The pace is steady the sound has a sweet harmony and bass patches glitching throughout. This has also been remixed by Kill The Noise who absolutely destroys the original. The main essence is still incorporated but with the added ingredient of the drum and bass pace filling it up along with the electronic, ravenous snarls, this is one meaty piece of work.

‘Unison’ is an Electro House number which has also been remixed by Knife Party and Mikkas. As the original has a sweet keyboard riff and big room trance aura with an unobtrusive deep, dub-style bassline the remix of the Pendulum DJ’s has their signature electro grunts and more gutsy in their tweaking. Mikkas is far more progressive in his build-up but at it’s peak the walls will crumble due to the massive atmospheric vibe pushing them apart. A proper huge tune.

The original ’100% In The Bitch’ is a Moombahton piece which ticks the right boxes. The steady tribal-esque drum track doesn’t sound too electronic and has the right amount of shuddering, eardrum perforating shrills. There’s one drop which kicks everything in and on the second it’s bassline city. As the Moombahton bird further spreads it’s wings, this one tune will be in many a moombah orientated set. But then again, saying that, the Downlink version has more funk, is slightly sharper and has a certain essence of filth so I may be tempted more by the latter.

Amba Shepherd is the competent vocalist that appears on ‘Vandalism’. A pretty standard Electro House number which could well be bound for chart success as it has the generic flavours appreciated by many.

‘The State’ is one sinister beast also pimped up by SkisM. Porter Robinson has the track rising through the euphoric intro into a stuttering Dubstep palava is quite minimal in comparison to SkisM‘s take which is harder, fatter and broader.

The last track to cover is trance singer Jano with her delicate larynx sweetening the track ‘The Seconds’ even more. A wavy ambience and reverberating keys that you’d find in most Tiesto sets.

This is a full and jam packed EP with many names, much variety and some very good tracks indeed, especially the remixes I must say.

May I remind everyone that he is only 19 years old and with material like this he will be a superstar this time next year – he almost is already after this one debut EP release.

Remember Skrillex a year ago?

The ‘Spitfire’ EP by Porter Robinson is released by OWSLA and is out now exclusively on Beatport.