"Ghost Voices"
Raito remix cover
Single by Virtual Self
from the EP Virtual Self
ReleasedNovember 8, 2017 (2017-11-08)
Recorded2017
GenreNeotrance
Length
  • 4:27 (album version)
  • 3:53 (video version)
LabelVirtual Self
Songwriter(s)Porter Robinson
Producer(s)Porter Robinson
Virtual Self singles chronology
"Eon Break"
(2017)		 "Ghost Voices"
(2017)		 "Angel Voices"
(2018)

"Ghost Voices" is a song by American electronic music producer Porter Robinson under the alias Virtual Self.[1] It was released on November 8, 2017 as the second single from the alias' debut EP Virtual Self. Robinson wrote, produced, and performed the track. The song is classified by Robinson on Twitter as "neotrance".[2][3]

An official audio video was released via Robinson's YouTube channel, in which the song plays over a visualizer depicting moving orbs of light orbiting a floating crystal connected by cables to something off-screen.

An official music video was released via Robinson's YouTube channel on February 28, 2018.

In July 2018, Robinson released a trance remix of the song, "Angel Voices",[4][5] one of VR game Beat Saber's default tracks.[6][7] "Ghost Voices" received a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.[8]

Background

Released fourteen days after Virtual Self's first release, "Eon Break", "Ghost Voices" was announced via Robinson's Twitter account, as well as the Twitter account of Virtual Self. The track follows in the previous single's footsteps, as it is also a stark divergence from Robinson's collaboration with fellow electronic music producer and close friend Madeon, "Shelter", as well as Robinson's debut album, Worlds.[9]

Virtual Self continued to build on its cryptic, techno-based social media presence with the release of "Ghost Voices".[10]

"Ghost Voices" was released on November 8, 2017.[11][12] An accompanying music video for the track was released on February 28, 2018, via Robinson's YouTube channel.[13]

Composition

"Ghost Voices" begins with a vocal-like synth, not dissimilar to some of Robinson's Worlds synths. The drums then join in, with a classic trance beat. A vocal then joins in, with a heavy echo placed on it. The synths that follow are reminiscent of the late 1990s and early 2000s trance music sounds, with heavy delays and echoed vocals.

The track includes elements of trance and deep house.[14]

Critical reception

Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork stated in his review of Virtual Self, "...the song’s lithe vocal flips and slinky air peg it to the post-Disclosure era; it’s the record’s most contemporary-sounding cut."[15]

Billboard staff chose it as the 32nd best dance/electronic song of 2017, with Kat Bein stating that "Ghost Voices" "is the dankest song on the five-track self-titled EP. Its classic house groove and futuristic touchest beckon you to the dark side of the dance floor and the web."[16] In an interview for the same magazine published in February 2018, DJ Calvin Harris stated that the song "restored his love of dance music".[17] In January 2019, it was announced that "Ghost Voices" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, marking Robinson's first nomination. In a statement to Billboard Dance, Robinson says he discovered the nomination through Twitter "of all places". At the time, he hadn't even realized "Ghost Voices" was submitted for consideration.[18]

Release history

Version Region Date Format(s) Label
Original Worldwide November 8, 2017 Virtual Self
Music video Worldwide February 28, 2018 Virtual Self
Raito Remix Worldwide April 6, 2018 Virtual Self
Raito Old School Remix Worldwide April 6, 2018 Virtual Self
Angel Voices Worldwide July 20, 2018 Virtual Self

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Belgium Bubbling Under (Ultratop Flanders)[19] Unranked
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 19
UK Singles Downloads Chart (Official Charts Company)[20] 79

References

  1. ↑ Erik (November 8, 2017). "Porter Robinson Drops His Second Track As Virtual Self And it Is Near Perfect". EDM Sauce. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  2. ↑ robinson, porter (November 8, 2017). "NEW @VIRTUAL_SELF ARTIST: VIRTUAL SELF TRACK: GHOST VOICES GENRE: NEOTRANCE". @porterrobinson. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  3. ↑ "BREAKING: Porter Robinson Just Surprised Everyone With His Best New Song In Years". Your EDM. November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  4. ↑ Sweeney, Farrell (July 20, 2018). "Virtual Self's technic-Angel releases 'Ghost Voices' spinoff called 'Angel Voices'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  5. ↑ Bein, Kat (July 20, 2018). "Virtual Self Releases Technic-Angel Remix of 'Ghost Voices". Billboard. Lynne Segall. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  6. ↑ Lang, Ben (July 23, 2018). "New 'Beat Saber' Song 'Angel Voices' Now Unlocked by Default". Road to VR. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  7. ↑ Graham, Peter (July 20, 2018). "Beat Saber Update Includes Easter Egg Track". VRFocus. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  8. ↑ "61st GRAMMY Awards: Full Nominees List". GRAMMY.com. December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Virtual Self Steps His Game Up With 'Ghost Voices'". EDMTunes. November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Porter Robinson Takes Virtual Self Into Another Dimension With New Song 'Ghost Voices'". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  11. ↑ "BREAKING: Porter Robinson Just Surprised Everyone With His Best New Song In Years". Your EDM. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  12. ↑ Erik (November 8, 2017). "Porter Robinson Drops His Second Track As Virtual Self And it Is Near Perfect". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  13. ↑ Bein, Kat (February 28, 2018). "Porter Robinson Shares More About Virtual Self in 'Ghost Voices' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ Erik (November 8, 2017). "Virtual Self - What We Know About Porter Robinson's New Alias". EDM Sauce. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Virtual Self: Virtual Self EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Billboard's 50 Best Dance/Electronic Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 15, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  17. ↑ Bein, Kat (February 12, 2018). "Calvin Harris Says Porter Robinson Restored His Love of Dance Music". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  18. ↑ Sunkel, Cameron (January 9, 2019). "Porter Robinson Speaks About Grammy Nomination for Virtual Self". EDM.com. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  19. 1 2 "Virtual Self – Ghost Voices" (in Dutch). Ultratop Flanders. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 27 April 2018 – 03 May 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
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