Virtual Self Performance in Tokyo Pays Homage to Otaku Culture [Live Report]

EVENT
Aug. 21, 2018 20:59 PDT

On May 31, internationally recognized DJ and EDM artist Porter Robinson performed live at Tokyo’s Akasaka Blitz!

You may just be wondering why we’re publishing an article about EDM. Just to clarify, this does have to do with otaku culture; after all, that is what we’re all here for, right? Though he is a famous musician, Porter is a lover of anime and video games, and is very much an otaku like us. He has been one of the few artists who’s been vocal about the huge influence Japanese culture has had on his music too.

Raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, his first encounter with Japanese music was actually thanks to Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). He was also a fan of the games from Key, a studio famous for producing tear-inducing works like Air and Clannad.

We could list more of his interests, but if we were to speak on his love of the otaku culture, we’d direct you to a collaboration music video that was released back in 2016. “Shelter” was produced by him, French DJ Madeon, and the animation studio A-1 Pictures.

Like other artists before him, Porter has released music under a few aliases, one of them being Virtual Self. This particular alias allows him to branch out into another unique, abstract style that differs from what others may recognize from him. As Virtual Self, he creates songs that takes you back to the beginning of the 2000s, when DDR and beatmania were still all the rage. Throw in a little Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star, and you’ll start to understand. Given Porter’s respect for Japan and its otaku culture, it seems only right that aside from touring in his homeland, the next place he'd perform would be in Japan.

Under the alias, he released a personal project under the same name: Virtual Self. It features two characters called Pathselector and technic-Angel, both of whom are credited with producing the songs of Virtual Self. White-haired Pathselector serves as producer for the slower pieces, while, raven-haired technic-Angel is in charge of faster songs.

VIRTUAL SELF EP IS RELEASED

1) ⥏ https://twitter.com/technic_Angel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@technic_angel ⥑ - Particle arts
2) ⥏ https://twitter.com/pathselector?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pathselector ⥑- Ghost Voices
3) ⥏ https://twitter.com/pathselector?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pathselector ⥑- A.I.ngel (Become God)
4) ⥏ https://twitter.com/technic_Angel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@technic_angel ⥑- Key
5) ⥏ https://twitter.com/technic_Angel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@technic_angel ⥑- EON BREAK

𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇𝐸𝑁: https://t.co/vMPOJ6wxvv">https://t.co/vMPOJ6wxvv https://t.co/ECgw6tZ6mD">pic.twitter.com/ECgw6tZ6mD
— Virtual Self (@virtual_self) https://twitter.com/virtual_self/status/935925545576972288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2017

Let’s get back to the performance at Akasaka Blitz. The show began with a white pillar of light slowly ascending, which immediately signaled the beginning of the song "Ghost Voices". A white-clad Pathselector wearing a mask appeared and was seemingly in control of selecting songs that matched the feel and tempo of "Ghost Voices" and "A.I.Ngel". At one point, Pathselector appeared again, directing to the audience a question on the large hypnotizing screens: “Are you ready?” Naturally, the audience answered heartily.

The first half of the performance was dedicated to songs from genres like lance, breakbeat, jungle, gabber, and breakcore (a.k.a. hardcore jungle). It was more of what you might expect from an EDM concert, with the selection being fast-paced, serious, and endlessly energetic.

However, the audience was also treated to dance music, all the way from the 1990s to the 2000s! The old school sound was overwhelming as it filled the venue and reverberated off of the walls and floors. The show wasn’t just about the music, either. The massive screens on stage did their part to set the mood, flashing all sorts of wondrous images and videos that must have made the audience feel like they’d just entered an RPG called Virtual Self, and that they were playing with every fiber of their being.

Though he was the DJ for the performance, Porter remained unilluminated, reminiscent of a professional storyteller letting his creation play out without interference.

Something else is worthy of a special mention, too. During the old school music section, there was actually an impressive mix of game music and anime theme songs! The audience were treated to recognizable classics from DDR and beatmania like “PARANOiA” by NAOKI MAEDA, “Look To The Sky” by SySF.(Sota Fujimori), “Quasar” by Outphase, and “SP-TRIP MACHINE~Jungle Mix~” by NAOKI MAEDA. There were other songs from KONAMI’s rhythm game brand BEMANI, plus indie game music and “SHIKI” by Sepia, all given the Virtual Self treatment.

Porter himself selected how the lights should play and set the tone throughout the performance.

Besides Pathselector, someone else made an appearance on screen, too: Lain, the protagonist from Serial Experiments Lain. The opening of the series was streamed, including the ScrummV Remix of the theme Duvet by Bôa.

Serial Experiments Lain is a series that deals with a girl who delves deeper and deeper into the internet, virtual reality, and what it means to exist in both those forms and in the real world. Given the nature of the sounds and the music videos, Virtual Self is definitely a project that meshes well with similar themes.

Though shows like this have a more cyberpunk feel because of abstract VJing, Virtual Self took a more simple approach and gave the audience an atmosphere similar to those found in games.

As the final stretch of the show approached, the speed freak’s noise rave remix of “Tori no Uta” by Lia began to play, which is the famous opening theme to Air. Porter left behind the hectic, aggressive tone of the previous songs and transitioned into a slow, melodious section. This change opened the doors for the next song “EON BREAK”, which was met with the tension of the audience as the show began to reach its climax.

It would have made sense for the performance to end on that note, but Porter had other ideas. The very final song that played was "Key", a song with the same name as the company that developed the visual novel Air. A clean and pure sound typical of background music from high quality visual novels, it boasted impressive piano phases that paired well with an open and airy music video in the background.

As it played, Porter remained in his booth but raised his hands to the sky, and the audience promptly followed suit. That was how this particular 90 minute Virtual Self story came to a close… with a refresher that heralded back to his roots as an otaku.

Songs featured in DDR, beatmania, and other similar games have been called "fake club music". There was a time that it was shunned and looked down upon; in a way, it still is. (Reference: http://realsound.jp/2017/04/post-12078.html) The same is true with anime, manga, and games too. But Virtual Self, and Porter by extension, ignores all of that to send a message that says enjoying this music is a good experience in and of itself.

Otaku culture has spread steadily throughout the world over the course of a couple decades, and there’s no mistaking its influence. As the project and alias Virtual Self continues to grow and create, the joy that is anime and games will also continue to spread from one person to another. Artist or not, we hope to see even more people inspired and influenced by this culture, both in a creative context and otherwise.

This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article by Takemori S.
Photo by Masanori Naruse.