"Ghost Voices"
Raito Remixes cover
Single by Virtual Self
from the EP Virtual Self
ReleasedNovember 8, 2017 (2017-11-08)
Recorded2017
GenreTrance
Length4:27
LabelVirtual Self
Songwriter(s)Porter Robinson
Producer(s)Porter Robinson
Virtual Self singles chronology
"Eon Break"
(2017)		 "Ghost Voices"
(2017)		 "Angel Voices"
(2018)
Music video
"Ghost Voices" on YouTube

"Ghost Voices" is a song by American electronic music producer Porter Robinson under the alias Virtual Self. It was released on November 8, 2017 as the second single from the alias' debut EP, Virtual Self, which uses early 2000s sounds and aesthetics. Robinson said that "Ghost Voices" was the easiest song from the EP to compose, and he used a house-styled drum pattern and a trance-styled break. In 2018, the song received an official music video and was remixed by Raito and Robinson himself, the latter remix being called "Angel Voices". "Ghost Voices" received a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

Background and release

Porter Robinson wrote "Ghost Voices" for the Virtual Self EP, released through an alias of the same name where Robinson used the early 2000s as the main source of inspiration for sound and visuals.[1][2] He said the track came together far easier than the other songs on the EP. He was trying to write a new lead sound similar to the human voice, as well as an ambient sound "where it sounded like she was going to heaven, a very beautiful, sad, nostalgic chord progression." The initial result sounded "more cute" than the released version of "Ghost Voices". Robinson said he was "just playing the keys" and after making the riff, he noticed it was "catchy", which made him write a bassline behind it, resulting in a "really good" sound. After this, Robinson wrote the house-styled drum pattern. He wrote the first drop from the melody into the hook, giving it a dark, mysterious feel, then focused on creating a trance-styled break inspired by the year 2000. He spent two or three days editing the vocals from a random demo he'd been sent, a pop performance, to make it sound "ghostly and ethereal".[3]

"Ghost Voices" was released as the second single from the Virtual Self EP on November 8, 2017, following "Eon Break", along with what Kat Bein of Billboard described as a "cool-toned, purple visual" with strong GameCube-era influences.[4] An official music video was released via Robinson's YouTube channel on February 28, 2018. The video presents Virtual Self's two main characters, Pathselector and Technic-Angel,[lower-alpha 1] wandering through an old warehouse filled with abandoned computers.[5] A radio edit was released on March 12,[6] and remixes by Raito were released the next month on the 6th.[7] On July 23, Robinson released a happy-hardcore remix of the song, "Angel Voices".[8][9]

Composition

The Virtual Self alias is represented by two characters created by Robinson, Pathselector and Technic-Angel.[lower-alpha 1] Robinson wrote "Ghost Voices" as a Pathselector song; Pathselector's songs were described by Robinson as neotrance, strictly having a trance style, being mid-tempo and having less hardcore influences than technic-Angel songs.[1] The track has a tempo of 120 BPM.[3]

Andrew Rafter wrote to DJ Mag that "Ghost Voices" "[combines] low-slung deep house basslines with trance-y top lines",[10] while Kat Bein of Billboard said it is "a slick, sexy house tune bringing soulful, halftime garage vibes", that has "a shine like dark velvet with fat bass synths and echoes of trance."[4] Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork said that, although the song contains "rushing snare rolls and classic 'Reese' bass", its "lithe vocal flips and slinky air" make it closer to "the post-Disclosure era", being, in turn, the most contemporary-sounding song on the Virtual Self EP.[12] Conversely, Billboard's Kat Bein described it as the "dankest" song on the EP, and that its "classic house groove and futuristic touchest beckon you to the dark side of the dance floor and the web."[13]

Critical reception

Billboard staff chose "Ghost Voices" as the 32nd best dance/electronic song of 2017.[13] In 2019, Bein said that the track had become "the project's standout track".[3] In an interview for the same magazine published in February 2018, DJ Calvin Harris stated that the song "restored his love of dance music".[14] "Ghost Voices" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, marking Robinson's first-ever nomination to the award. In a statement to Billboard in January 2019, Robinson said he hadn't even realized the song had been submitted for consideration. Robinson felt like he won "the moment it got nominated".[3]

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Belgium Bubbling Under (Ultratop Flanders)[15] Unranked
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 19
UK Singles Downloads Chart (Official Charts Company)[16] 79

Notes

  1. 1 2 The Virtual Self alias is represented by two characters created by Robinson, Pathselector and Technic-Angel, which have their own Twitter accounts.[2] In the Virtual Self EP, the white-dressed, gold-masked Pathselector represents tracks "Ghost Voices" and "a.i.ngel (Become God)", while Technic-Angel is a fair-skinned, dark-cloaked harbinger that represents tracks "Particle Arts", "Key" and "Eon Break".[11]

References

  1. 1 2 Lhooq, Michelle (February 18, 2018). "Porter Robinson's ambitious, human Virtual Self". The Fader. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Ochoa, John (February 15, 2018). "Porter Robinson: DJ Mag North America cover feature". DJ Mag. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bein, Kat (January 9, 2019). "Porter Robinson on Virtual Self Grammy Nomination: 'I Won the Moment It Got Nominated'". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Bein, Kat (November 8, 2017). "Porter Robinson Takes Virtual Self Into Another Dimension With New Song 'Ghost Voices'". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  5. ↑ Bein, Kat (February 28, 2018). "Porter Robinson Shares More About Virtual Self in 'Ghost Voices' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Ghost Voices (Radio Edit) - Single by Virtual Self on Apple Music". March 14, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Ghost Voices (Raito Remixes) - Single by Virtual Self on Apple Music". April 6, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  8. ↑ Sweeney, Farrell (July 20, 2018). "Virtual Self's technic-Angel releases 'Ghost Voices' spinoff called 'Angel Voices'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  9. ↑ Bein, Kat (July 20, 2018). "Virtual Self Releases Technic-Angel Remix of 'Ghost Voices". Billboard. Lynne Segall. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Rafter, Andrew (November 29, 2017). "Porter Robinson releases Virtual Self EP: Listen". DJ Mag. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  11. ↑ Bein, Kat (April 10, 2018). "Porter Robinson Talks Writing a 'Really Sincere Love Letter' to the Early 2000s With Virtual Self Project". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Virtual Self: Virtual Self EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  13. 1 2 "Billboard's 50 Best Dance/Electronic Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 15, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ Bein, Kat (February 12, 2018). "Calvin Harris Says Porter Robinson Restored His Love of Dance Music". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Virtual Self – Ghost Voices" (in Dutch). Ultratop Flanders. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 27 April 2018 – 03 May 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
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