If you’re on this website you probably know who Gregory Porter is. His booming baritone has been a uniquely recognizable staple of the jazz scene since the release of his latest album Liquid Spirit on Blue Note Records. He won a Grammy for the album, and he’s been one of the biggest names in jazz since its release. But, would you believe that he’s also well on his way to becoming one of the most recognizable names in electronic dance music (EDM) as well?
Porter took over BBC Radio 1’s Ibiza Weekend last week after performing a version of his “Liquid Spirit” title track that had been remixed by German House DJ Claptone. And this was just a day after the crowd went wild when he jumped on stage with British electro-pop duo Disclosure for a surprise performance of “Holding On.”
You may be surprised to hear it, but Claptone’s remix of “Liquid Spirit” has been much more commercially successful than the original track. This is especially true in the UK where his album was certified Gold after selling over 100,000 units. This success was driven, in part, by EDM lovers trying to find out who he is after the Claptone remix debuted on the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix and topped the Beatport chart shortly after.
Blue Note’s well-timed release of a “Deluxe” version of the album featuring a few bonus tracks didn’t exactly hurt sales either. In fact, it helped the album peak at No. 9 in the UK Album Chart (something a true jazz album hasn’t done in a LONG time) and become the most streamed jazz album of all time in the UK.
Porter has never been shy about experimenting with different influences in his music. Earlier this year he told the Huffington Post: “My influences are actually very broad and include a lot of soul, blues and gospel music which are vocally the foundations of many of the classic dance tracks we all know and love. I suppose it’s not a huge leap for Disclosure to use my vocals on their tracks as they are influenced by the garage scene which used a lot of soul vocalists, but I never expected to be so welcomed and have such success in the dance scene, it’s been fantastic.”
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