Porter Robinson – What’s In Your DJ Bag?

Written by ZachDero on March 17th, 2011 76 Comments

Porter Robinson is an 18 year old from North Carolina who is concurrently finishing his senior year of high school, and touring the world with famous DJs like Skrillex and Tommy Lee. Very few people in the electronic music scene had heard of him until just a few months ago when Porter’s first single “Say My Name” dropped, and almost overnight DJs like Paul Van Dyk and David Guetta were playing his songs before he ever stepped foot in a night club. Continue reading for more info on Porter and a free download of his hit song: “Say My Name”

Shortly after our interview with him, Porter was off to New Orleans to play with Tiësto, and then quickly grabbed a flight back to high school in North Carolina. Hardly an overnight success, Porter started producing original tracks and remixes at the young age of 15. Three years later, his song “Say My Name” reached the number one spot on the Beatport Electro Charts.

Listening to Porter Robinson’s tracks, you will notice how he combines elements of different genres to create a very unique sound. His live performance was a mirror of the genre-blurring style fans have come to love and expect. Throughout the set, this young DJ effortlessly jumped from Electro to Dubstep to Drum and Bass and back to Lil’ John, leaving the crowd literally shouting for an encore. Check out Porter’s unique production style and sound and grab a copy of the track that made him famous, “Say My Name” below.

Porter Robinson – Say My Name (Original Mix)

DJ Specs

Controller: Traktor Kontrol S4 and Midi-Fighter
Headphones: Lost (He borrowed a pair of TMAs for the show)
Computer: Macbook Pro
Deodorant: Old Spice After Hours
Accessories: Suitcase full of dirty clothes

I Loved This Article >

killian

Incredible success story! Basically he is living my dream :D lucky guy
Georgeo0

AAH i hate that hes as old as meee! hes so lucky, but defiantly seems like he had to work his ass off. i think im gonna try that this summer…….
Wala

agree with the above two comments haha. It annoys me that he’s 18 and I’m 16 but he’s earned his place in the electronic music scene. Definitely gonna start putting in more effort into mixing/producing.
Ogama8

I am very happy to see the return of “What’s in your DJ Bag.” Keep up the hard work guys!
magikhands

Love to see any working dj using an S4, gives me a hope that the controller I bought might gain acceptance in the professional world. It’s not all about CDJs and vinyl anymore. Gonna see him at Beyond Wonderland this Saturday :)
Scandal

listen to his track.. holy shite.
Spacecamp

Don’t be annoyed, be encouraged that if he can do it at 18, it’s never too late to get awesome at what you want to do! :)

Oh, and fyi the comments re-arrange according to the number of likes now so “agree with the above two comments” makes less sense- I understood you, though!
Anonymous

This was a great story, I hadn’t heard about Porter before this. His music is truly inspirational, its good to know that someone is able to achieve the dream. I think the most impressive thing about him, aside from his age of course, is the fact that he is only working off the S4 and a midi fighter. Its great to see that at the end of the day the most important thing is the hard work.
http://www.djcdplayer.net tuomas

Ah, Porter Robinson. His tracks are huge! His remix on Spencer & Hill’s Less Go is also another one to check out.

Love for the S4 :)
Atabo

I love the suitcase :)
It’s not about age, but about talent. People have come to expect some skills from him, and to me, that says it all
http://www.facebook.com/chrismjennings Chris Jennings

Also glad to see another What’s In Your Bag, kind of like stalking super famous DJ’s without all the nasty consequences.
Anonymous

I’m glad to see he has a humbleness to him. Awesome story and he’s right, work hard and bust your ass and that’s how success is created. I’ve been a fan of his for a bit now and he’s definitely put out some great quality tracks and you should all be listening to them. Once you listen to them, you’ll realize the quality of his work and why he’s played by many of the top DJs.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IC4WZALPK6J7W6R3633BNNOVIM Dennis

I would like to hear the story about how the big cheese’s of the DJ world picked up on his tracks. That would be an interesting story….
http://www.facebook.com/warren.allen.4 Warren Potter Allen IV

ha! i’m over on soundcloud thinking “why is ean uploading say my name? did he do something to it?”
Tobamai

Heh, “kind of unfinished” is an understatement.
Anonymous

Awesome interview, cool guy, really straightforward. And yeah, I think his Less Go remix is his best track.
Retrotape99

tenaages at the music
http://www.facebook.com/brikha Emil Beatsnatcher Brikha

I’m gonna go ahead and be that old dude and say, 3 years kind of is an overnight success. None the less I’m so happy and thrilled to see people make it like this, especially when they’re using MIDI controllers!

However, I’d like these things to be longer. I mean, this guy went from nothing to everything in a very, very short time. How does that feel? How did it happen? What was the breaking point? Or just basic things like, what’s good? What’s bad? What’s the biggest surprise or change? Substance, I need substance! :)
D-Kem

Not a good “what’s in your bag article” as basically all we learn is he carries an S4 in a suitcase with his dirty clothes. Decent artist profile however. Perhaps the article should have been “an interview with..”
jprime

Never heard of him. Had a listen and I’m glad I haven’t.
Dur

S4 is great for producers who can’t DJ.

Nice try banning me by IP Ean…
With a Proxy server tutorial on the same blog LOL.
Frandomeda

Sup guys! Really need help here… I live in Orlando and my dream has always been to meet Laidback Luke…

I am in a contest to be in Laidback Lukes’ Super You & Me Party in Miami Guestlist.

Voting is pretty quick….

and very simple:

1. “Like” Laidback Luke if you don’t already (he’s the man) – http://www.facebook.com/OfficialLaidbackluke

2. Go To This Photo -
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150119047716564&set=a.406359086563.182295.53874501563&ref=nf

3. “Like” Frandomeda’s comment. It’s the one about a porn video.
4. Thats it!

Thank you and help me out plz!
R3 Bonaire

what soft ware and hardware is porter using to produce and remix????
http://dadizajn.net Tomislav Simi? ToS

I LOVE what’s in your bag series but this one is really crap. You could have done that video in 10 secs. “wiyb?” – “nothing.”, bam, done!
There, now Im even constructive.
Fran Serrano

Give a worm applause to the corporation puppet !
Twig

+ 1 for Promoting this guy, the S4 and midifighter in just 1 video !!!

I mean, this wiydjb video is boring as hell, nothing new or interesting. Just this boy ‘djing’ in front of some kids in a mainstream club with this shitty electro-dubstep-trance-house sound.

I thought djtt was all about djing and music. Now I know its all about making money and selling shit.

bb djtt …
Priscilla

agree. You heard it straight form him, there is no magic synth or cool vst, it’s just a lot of hardwork. so work hard…
Wala

haha true. I can’t wait to get some free time to start producing, and further improving my mixing ability!

(and yeah, completely forget about the new comment system Thanks!)
Ezra Mechaber

He said it in the video – FL Studio, aka Fruity Loops
A name

He looks like Jim from American Pie
DETtechno

Not much in his bag…..
Anonymous

Whoa… poster child for the controllers generation (only carry his S4 and laptop). Would be interesting to know how did he started promoting his work and how he was able to get in such a short time to where he is now.
Toontown

dueces, hater.
guest

troll
guest

troll
http://ajorbit.com AJ ORBIT

5000 pts for using deodorant
http://ajorbit.com AJ ORBIT

5000 pts for using deodorant
Toontown

most of these producers don’t need much else. its the non-producing DJs who tend to get the most out of their gear and have those epic rigs. Porter is doing it as well as anyone in electro right now. more love for his tunes than his sets. i’m meh on his live show.
Toontown

most of these producers don’t need much else. its the non-producing DJs who tend to get the most out of their gear and have those epic rigs. Porter is doing it as well as anyone in electro right now. more love for his tunes than his sets. i’m meh on his live show.
Tom_flynn

Great to see him getting love! really good feature, more of these are needed! S4 is really getting some love! I think mainly because of its easy to set up and rock! No messing about with loads of cables etc!
Tom_flynn

Great to see him getting love! really good feature, more of these are needed! S4 is really getting some love! I think mainly because of its easy to set up and rock! No messing about with loads of cables etc!
Anonymous

Incredible variety in his music. I love when producers say fuck the genres and create whatever they want to hear. I hope to hear much more from him.
Anonymous

Incredible variety in his music. I love when producers say fuck the genres and create whatever they want to hear. I hope to hear much more from him.
http://jackingforbeats.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/young-phenom/ Young Phenom « Jacking For Beats

[...] Check out a interview he did with DJ TechTools [...]
Luke

Dude your annoyed? Im 19, been doing producing since 13 and im still not there yet! You got time man just hit it hard :)
Luke

Dude your annoyed? Im 19, been doing producing since 13 and im still not there yet! You got time man just hit it hard :)
Luke

Dude your annoyed? Im 19, been doing producing since 13 and im still not there yet! You got time man just hit it hard :)
Luke

Dude your annoyed? Im 19, been doing producing since 13 and im still not there yet! You got time man just hit it hard :)
Jack Daniels

don’t try, just do.
Kartcrg

What bag is that??
Jcarlson

you’re retarded
Jcarlson

you’re retarded
Jcarlson

you’re retarded
Jcarlson

you’re retarded
big perm

CRUSHED IT at Las Vegas Marquee Pool Party Dayclub on Labor Day with the S4!!!
http://www.krazytemplates.com/ Prestashop Templates

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Jx2

Anyone know what mapping for the midifighter Porter uses?
http://profile.yahoo.com/IELJSYHI3H2I3HHXEPHKJ6EGGQ JoleenBa

Who gives one fuck what DAW someone uses. It isn’t about the DAW it’s how good you are at using it! The fact is that you have pro producers using FL, Ableton, Logic, Pro Tools, Reaper, Cubase and Reason and the only thing that sets them? apart from everyone else is that they have the skills and talent to get where they are.
http://katrinaskovan.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/viscom-visual-resources-for-role-models-in-dance-music/ VisCom: Visual resources for role models in dance music « katrina.skovan

[...] Porter Robinson advocates for simple DJ setups [...]
http://twitter.com/snellgrovedj dj_e.s.s.

Porter, I’m a huge fan especially of ur first “Say My Name” keep up the awesomess.

dj_e.s.s.
West Chester (Cincinnati) Ohio
http://dev.dankradio.org/2011/09/21/porter-robinson-spitfire-contest-tour-dates/ Porter Robinson – Spitfire [Contest + Tour Dates] | Dank Radio

[...] only one. He’s gone from small regional tours, to playing at Beyond Wonderland, featured on DJ TechTools, releasing his latest selection with Skrillex’s new label OWSLA, and now he’s opening [...]
http://www.djtechtools.com/2013/05/13/bt-rants-about-mentoring-porter-robinson/ BT Rants About Mentoring Porter Robinson | DJ TechTools

[...] Watch our interviews with BT and Porter Robinson. @font-face { font-family: visitor2; src: url(http://djtt.endl.net/fonts/visitor2.ttf) [...]