No matter what mood you were in at any given time, you could find something to fit it thanks to the range of sounds from Salute, Bladee, Magdalena Bay, and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.
At Second Sky, we were aware that Hudson Mohawke was more than simply a Tik Tok sensation; a household name in the electronic music world. I caught myself getting hyped and jumping into the crowd while he played a lot of viral music from this year.
Since it was really sad that Fred Again had to cancel last minute, I’m sure everyone in attendance was thrilled to learn that Skrillex was the special guest to take his place. B2B Virtual Self G Jones was something I never anticipated, but it turned out so great when I saw it. Seeing their two grins just before a drop touched my heart. They had to laugh menacingly because it appeared as though they were two brothers inventing something incredibly strange and amusing to hear. The simple but effective juxtaposition of their split visuals helped with the B2B set. One of the most motivational and outstanding performances of the day was RL Grime‘s set.Thanks to the lighting and production crew that worked on it, the immersive visuals combined with his recognizable trap and bass foundation were incredibly immersive.
Porter Robinson wrapped up the evening, but this time he brought Porter Robinson Together a special experience (Live) at Second Sky. As Porter gave it his all on stage, the audience was able to sense every emotion. He brought a live band with him and even gave them some solo time in front of the crowd since it was obvious he only wanted everyone to enjoy the time of their lives. Porter Robinson Together (Live) was a great example of how much dedication, love, and passion Porter has for his work. Porter reveals to the audience toward the end of his performance that he not only contributed to the production of “Clarity,” but also co-wrote the song with Zedd. The crowd was delighted, especially considering that the final four songs he played were pure bangers. Clarity by Porter as performed by Nurture Lives felt really cozy and upbeat. He chose to create a campfire edition of “Shelter” this time. This well-known song was unlike anything we had ever seen or heard before, with graphics all throughout and an intimate campfire ambiance.
Although I always liked Porter’s music, seeing it live is a quite different experience than listening to it while driving. I, along with many others, felt that his live band truly brought his songs to life.
Written by Sarthak Gupta
It sounds like Second Sky was a really good and fun time. I’m sad I missed out on it. The RL Grime set sounds like it was really cool to see and experience. Visuals always enhance the music for me so it’s really nice when artists put a lot of thought into them. It’s also cool to read that Porter put a lot of energy into his show. The crowd always senses when the DJ is having a good time and they both feed off each other. I hope to experience a show of his one day too.
I’m glad to have read about how special this experience seemingly was. As a fan of Porter myself who hasn’t been lucky enough to see him live, it was interesting to read about how he made the live experience special and unique for the audience in ways that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.
Hi Sarthak! Thank you for covering Second Sky!
I like how you highlighted Hudson Mohawke’s movement past TikTok fame – Cbat may have made him a meme icon, but pushing past his memes is good to hear!
Also I hadn’t known prior Porter had co-written “Clarity” with Zedd. You learn something new every day!
I’m not too well familiar when it comes to EDM/rave culture but after reading this blog post, it just makes me even more excited to experience more raves! Sad to say that I didn’t go to Second Sky but next time, can’t miss the opportunity. Also, not gonna lie, I think I might have to explore Porter’s discography haha.
I love how there were different artists of different genres that came together to perform, seems like a very unifying experience. I’ve also listened to “Shelter” and just from hearing about the visuals I’m kind of jealous but also happy that you were able to see the song come to life hahah