story by editor-in-chief: Ashly Nicole

Porter Robinson’s set at Head in the Clouds 2025 was everything you’d want from a festival moment: unexpected, explosive, nostalgic, and packed with so many surprises it felt like a fever dream, in the best possible way. Taking the stage in front of a massive 60,000-strong crowd at the Rose Bowl, Porter made it clear this wasn’t the same as any stop on his “Smile! :D” Tour. This was DJ Porter Robinson in full effect: chaotic, full of all the energy, even in the blazing LA heat, and totally unhinged, and you KNOW the crowd loved every second of it.

Instead of his recent full band live setups, this set was a celebration of spontaneity, and tons of music and drops, both Porter and his audience love. He bounced between high-energy EDM, left-field K-pop cuts, internet-core viral sounds (we love our chadded anime boy), and throwback fan favorites, including callbacks from Nurture, Worlds, and his project, Virtual Self. And the visuals? Glitchy, vibrant, fast-paced like flipping through a neon anime VHS tape set at 2x speed. The LED panels exploded with the coolest motion graphics, New Jeans iconic PowerPuff Girls characters, some classic nurture/worlds/SMILE! :D visuals, and pure retina candy synced to every drop.

Porter definitely had a few surprises up his sleeve, including dropping “ETA” by NewJeans, and inviting well known twitch streamer, jasontheween out for one of the most insane moments of the hour long set.
The section turned into full-on mayhem when Jason stage dove straight into the sea of people, creating another viral moment that fans are still talking about all over the internet.
Just as everyone began to settle back into the set, Porter ramped it up again by blending in “Dan Da Dan”, and his song “Sad Machine”, making the crowd go absolutely feral, with videos of it making their way across tiktok and instagram almost immediately!

No one could predict a single part of Porter’s set, which is what any EDM or festival goer lives for. Porter added such a unique Touch, to this Head in the Clouds weekend; I’ve witnessed countless sets at this festival, and Porter’s was by far one of the most versatile and attention grabbing that I’ve seen in a minute.
He had so many fun callouts and deep cuts, but one that ended up making waves all over social media was Sophia from KATSEYE realizing Porter had incorporated their iconic song, “Touch” into the set!
Check out the video she posted to her instagram story hearing the mix:

Sophia of KATSEYE hearing "Touch" during Porter Robinson's set at Head in the Clouds 2025

In true DJ Porter Robinson fashion, the set was a masterclass in genre-blending and storytelling, seamlessly weaving together the dreamy introspection of Nurture, the euphoric nostalgia of Worlds, the chaotic energy and feelings of Smile! :D, and the anticipation and unexpectedness of Virtual Self. It was high-octane, nostalgic, unhinged in the best way, but every moment felt deliberate and crafted to take the crowd on a journey that was as cathartic as it was electrifying.
While we absolutely and forever will love Porter’s SMILE! :D sets, something about how he puts together his DJ sets, whether it be “DJ Porter Robinson”, Air2Earth, or any other alias he goes by, is unmatched.
Porter’s DJ era is in full swing, and he’s not slowing down anytime soon. More shows are still being announced, and each one feels like its own once-in-a-lifetime moment we want to keep experiencing over and over again. If he’s coming to a city near you, run, don’t walk. Whether you're a Nurture Enthusiast, Globe Head, a new Cheerleader to the team, or want to make sure you get 100% in the B*tch, there’s something in his set that'll hit you right in the feels.