David Johnson Kim - FIRST CONCERT EVER

In this First Concert Ever segment, the metal artist, David Johnson Kim, talks about the story of his first experience with live music. You can check out the story below:

My first concert was Porter Robinson's Nurture Tour in LA back in 2021.

How I got into Porter Robinson's music is interesting. I have been producing music for nearly ten years, and throughout the time when my tastes were developing, I would draw inspiration from the things that surrounded my upbringing. I would primarily listen to classical, Japanese game soundtracks, experimental ambient artists, and early 2000's electronic music. I thought the eclectic variety made my music sound very different from what my colleagues would be producing, but people would often mention that my sound design would give "Ghibli vibes" or be "Porter Robinson-esque".

This was a surprise to me because I was unfamiliar with Joe Hisaishi (composer of many Ghibli films) and Porter Robinson at the time. I did more digging and listened to their discographies in 2020. I remember hearing "Worlds" for the first time, and I was speechless. I have never had that deep of a connection with music before. The creativity and expression placed into that album was a unique feeling, but also I was able to recognize how people found my music to sound like his. I went deeper into finding interviews and blogs about Porter, and saw that his inspirations were nearly identical to my own, especially with his love for rhythm game soundtracks. It was no surprise at that point why hearing his songs felt like I was looking into a mirror. Porter's music rocked me, and with his album "Nurture" releasing soon after (masterpiece by the way), I knew I had to go to his concert.

The concert was just as the pandemic's circumstances were starting to even out and the world was slowly going back in person. Most people were wearing masks, but all of us were so close to each other because the show was a GA arrangement. It was pretty uncomfortable to say the least, but regardless of the packed crowd, it was truly a special moment for me to see Porter performing live. The thoughtful and careful design of his visuals and exclusive live versions of his music left me awe-inspired, and it's one of the happiest days of my life that I continue to cherish.

Although my recent release differs in style as a metal track, I was able to include ambient and cinematic elements that show my roots as a producer. It's drastically different in sound from my debut album, but still carries the same musical DNA. And as a new artist, constantly exploring and discovering my own sound has been an exciting time, and I'm glad to be able to share my diverse tastes with this release and the many planned to release soon.