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Updated 4/29/2013:

Here’s a 3:30 video taken by someone in the crowd. Not the highest quality and you have to deal with some dance moves but the moment police cut Porter’s power is easily recognized.

Original Post: 4/28/2013 6:00 am EST

Porter Robinson is an electro-house producer and DJ based out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. While only 20 years old, the young phenom has already made it big in the world of dance music. Producing huge chart-topping hits such as his Spitfire EP, his “Easy” collaboration with Mat Zo, or his latest single, “Language”, Porter Robinson is continuing a meteoric rise to stardom. He has played internationally at such events as Electric Daisy Carnival and Ultra Music Festival.

Santa Barbara, CALIFORNIA – Last night, rising electro-house producer Porter Robinson took the stage at Matador Music Festival in Santa Barbara – Earl Warren Showgrounds – as the event’s highly touted headliner and most anticipated performance.

The set, originally scheduled for 9:30-11:30 pm PST, was cut short 35 minutes by Santa Barbara police. Of all times, they decided to shut down power right in the middle of ‘Language’ (oh yea, we’re cringing too).

Porter took to Twitter immediately, addressing the public regarding the night’s occurrences:

the cops cut me 35 minutes short and shut down this show halfway through language. really sorry to everyone to paid to see this show. — porter robinson (@porterrobinson) April 28, 2013



He continued to delve further into the surface details on twitter. Bound by a 140 character limit, Robinson outlined the situation as it unfolded and revealed some surprising information.

i got on the mic and said “guys, the cops are shutting us down in 5 minutes. gonna play language. don’t get mad, stay positive.” — porter robinson (@porterrobinson) April 28, 2013

the cops cut the power two minutes after that, claiming that i was ‘inciting a riot’ by explaining the situation to the crowd. — porter robinson (@porterrobinson) April 28, 2013

the sheriff told me he was going to arrest me and seize all of my equipment ‘as evidence’. vindictive tyrant is embarrassed about the truth. — porter robinson (@porterrobinson) April 28, 2013

And then he made a short, but emotionally driven statement…

the police are not on your side. — porter robinson (@porterrobinson) April 28, 2013

Why This Is Relevant

P-Rob isn’t normally one to sound off through social media. Typically he tends to remain humble and even sparse with his tweets, in comparison to other DJ’s. It’s safe to conclude that he was genuinely disturbed with the methods of force rather than the force itself. Unfortunately, shows getting shut down is a reality that comes with the territory (and bass). The problem here seems to be with the way it was addressed by Santa Barbara law enforcement.

His mentioning that police claimed he was ‘inciting a riot’ is merely a reflection of the stigma behind electronic dance music and the culture which surrounds it. It’s unfortunate, but a truth we must all be aware of nonetheless. All we can do is continue to represent ourselves properly as a whole and respect the bounds of necessary limitations.

Matador Music Festival is a production of Disco Donnie Presents and Collective Effort Events. It’s important to note that at this time no fault is identified with the festival organizers. Disco Donnie is one of the country’s most reputable brands in terms of presenting shows. At the time of publish, no comment has been offered however, we are reaching out for a statement and intend to update as the story develops.

How The Industry Is Reacting:

Editor’s Note: This story was reported first (at approximately 6am EST 4/28/2012) by WhiteRaverRafting.com and will remain a source for updates. Make sure to check back as the story develops :).

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