When Porter Robinson came up with the idea for the Second Sky Festival — which is scheduled to take place Saturday-Sunday, June 15-16, at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland — he had no idea if it would work.

The plan was to bring back the elaborate stage show the 26-year-old electronic music producer used for the tour in support of his sole studio album, 2014’s “Worlds”; load the bill with a bunch of friends and obscure DJs he admires; and stage it at a venue he has never visited (some 3,000 miles away from his home in North Carolina).

What could possibly go wrong?

It turns out not very much. With the support of Goldenvoice, the promotion company behind the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Southern California, the first day of Second Sky sold out instantly. So they added a second day — and that one sold out too. Now Robinson, who this year was nominated for the best dance recording Grammy under his alias Virtual Self, is wondering where his ambition can take him next.

The Chronicle spoke to him from his home in Chapel Hill.

Q: After laying low for so long, you’re having a pretty epic year. What spurred the burst of activity?

A: It’s weird because from my perspective it’s kind of an off-year. I’m in between projects at the moment. If you ask my fans, they’re like, “All right, do something!” People are waiting for me to be a little more active. I mean, I’m working really hard on my own, but I tend to be quite secretive about what I’m doing until it actually comes out.

The Grammy thing was unexpected. And then Second Sky turned out to be a bigger moment than any of us expected.

Q: Did you even know you were eligible for a Grammy?

A: I was in Indonesia, and I got back to my room, and I saw it on Twitter. I thought there had been a mistake. I thought, “For what?” I realized that my side project, which I consider to be this incredibly niche thing, was nominated.

When I did Virtual Self, I considered not even telling people it was me. I really felt like I was making the music for myself and some of the people who were incredibly enthusiastic about some of the things I love from the early 2000s. To get a nomination for that completely blindsided me. I was ecstatic. I’m not going to lie — I was jumping around my hotel room for 20 minutes.

Q: There are a lot of music festivals out there. What do you think Second Sky brings to the mix?

A: I guess my idea was, for once, to give my fans what they want by doing the show that they wanted to see. In exchange, I’m able to put all these other artists that I’m passionate about in front of them.

It’s really hard for high-quality music to get through right now. My hope is to elevate this little slice of my taste and, hopefully, improve the music scene in general by one or two degrees.

Q: How difficult was it to put your dream lineup together?

A: I got pretty lucky. I put together a list of people I would like to see, who I’m really listening to that I think my fans might enjoy and who are able to put together a festival-size live performance — and I sent that to my managers. We got almost all the people that I tried to get.

I really want to make this thing pro-artist. My hope is it will showcase everyone in a good light.

Q: Both days of the festival sold out almost immediately. Were you surprised how quickly tickets went considering you were performing songs from a 5-year-old album on a bill loaded with unknown acts?

A: I was anxious about selling out a single day. The demand vastly exceeded the capacity several times. I really wanted everybody who wanted to go to be able to go, and I thought we had the right-size venue.

There were some people who were in my ear who said, “It can’t all be artists who you think are cool.” I really resisted that. I wanted it to be my friends and artists I admire. When I hear music that I think is great and I know the individual behind it is struggling to make ends meet, I want them to have bigger platforms.

Next year, I can go even more weird with it.

Q: It’s amazing that you even got it far enough to have that conversation.

A: Yeah, again and again, in my career I felt like, “When is all this going to stop?” I just feel really lucky that I’ve been able to do something approximating whatever I think is right. I want that to be possible for more people. I don’t want artists to have to compromise for career reasons. I’m trying to create a little world where I can be on the same stage as a lot of artists that I like.

Second Sky Music Festival with Porter Robinson, Madeon, Cashmere Cat, Kero Kero Bonito, G Jones, Nina Las Vegas, others: Noon-10 p.m. Saturday, June 15, and Sunday, June 16. $75-$195. Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, 2777 Middle Harbor Road, Oakland. Venue is only accessible via a free shuttle from the West Oakland BART Station; or get a ride to a designated drop-off location near the venue. No on-site parking is available. www.secondskyfest.com

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