Flicker (song)

"Flicker" is a song recorded by American electronic music producer Porter Robinson. It was released on July 28, 2014 as the fourth single from his debut studio album Worlds (2014). Robinson wrote, produced, and performed the track. Musically, the song contains elements of disco and hip-hop, as well as sampling of soul music. Vocally, the song contains a text-to-speech voice incorrectly translating "never seen" Japanese song titles that have been chopped and screwed in a rap-like style.

"Flicker"
Single by Porter Robinson
from the album Worlds
ReleasedJuly 28, 2014
Recorded2014
GenreSynth-pop
Length4:39
LabelAstralwerks
Songwriter(s)Porter Robinson
Producer(s)Porter Robinson
Porter Robinson singles chronology
"Lionhearted"
(2014)		 "Flicker"
(2014)		 "Shelter"
(2016)
For the song by Niall Horan, see Flicker (album).

An official music video for the single premiered on August 14, 2014, and involves footage of Japan filtered with effects including those of 8-bit video games. The song was well-received from critics, and was a hit on the American Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

Composition
"I liked the way it sounded, I liked the rhythm of it, the cadence and the flow, so I decided to keep it. But yeah, that song is kind of a frankensong. It’s one of my prouder moments on the album because it goes so many places, but flows naturally in between them. It has, I think, a great climax, a very powerful and big moment."

 — Robinson in an interview with Cuepoint.[1]

With "Flicker", one of Porter Robinson's favorite songs of his debut studio album Worlds (2014), he wanted to experiment with samples of soul music, which he became a fan of ever since he listened to his favorite album, Daft Punk's second studio record Discovery (2001).[2] The result was a hip-hop-style instrumental that he felt was "incomplete" with only drums and the phased samples.[2] He didn't initially plan "Flicker" to be a track on Worlds until some time later when he was using a translation website to translate "song titles that would never be seen" incorrectly into Japanese, and then put the Japanese text into a text-to-speech program for it to be converted into a WAV file for him to "cut it into a rap" which he called a "charming little thing".[2] Finally, he composed the lead melody and chord progression.[2]

Robinson described "Flicker" as more of a "journey" than a pop song, saying that it goes "to a lot of different places" structure-wise.[2] The text-to-speech speaker on the song says "Watashi wa choudo nani ga juuyou ka mitsukeyou toshite iru,” translating to “I’m just trying to find what is important to me,” which Robinson said was "nice, because it could have come out as something completely random."[1] The song also contains influences of disco, opening with a "summer-y disco guitar" before moving into "hands-in-the-air synth blasts" as a critic for Vice magazine described.[3] The pitch shifting of the samples was influenced by the works of Jay Dilla.[4] The song's composition and arrangement was compared by Spin magazine's Garrett Kamps to the works of Boards of Canada,[5] while other listeners compared the track's use of soul samples to that of "The Glory," a track from Kanye West's third album Graduation (2007).[1]

Release and promotion

"Flicker" premiered on July 28, 2014 by Vogue magazine for streaming as Worlds' fourth and final single.[6] The song was initially planned to be the album's second single after "Sea of Voices," but Robinson replaced it with "Sad Machine" three days before its release. Robinson wanted Flicker to be the LP's last single, given that it presented the record's "cuter" aspect.[7] Upon its release, it debuted at number 37 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart in the United States on the issue week of August 16, 2014,[8] later re-appearing at its peak of number 34 on the week of August 30.[9]

A remix by Robinson's friend Mat Zo, which he said was “One of the best remixes I've ever gotten in my life”, was first heard at his performance at the Monstercat label showcase, and was released on September 9, 2015 as a single off the official remix album for Worlds.[10] The re-cut was ranked number seven on Billboard's "The 15 Best Dance / Electronic Remixes of 2015," Matt Medved writing that "What Mat Zo's meandering revision of the Worlds fan-favorite lacks in cohesion, it more than makes up in imagination."[11] An official animated music video for "Flicker" premiered on August 14, 2014. Lucas Villa described the video as "like seeing Japan on a train ride," where "scenes of the area fly by with an abounding amount of digital alterations."[12] Footage of Japan in the video is filtered with "stunning visuals" and 8-bit video game effects.[12] The video was well received, with Villa calling it "as awe-inspiring as the track itself."[12]

Critical reception

"Flicker" was very well received by critics. Elissa Stolman praised Robinson on the track for not being "overwhelmed by his influences, which seem to extend farther back into history than most producers in his field", while joking that "it's just a bit of a shame that disco is one of them."[3] In his mixed review of Worlds, Derek Staples of Consequence of Sound praised “Flicker” and “Goodbye to a World” for highlighting "Robinson’s more intricate big room capabilities" in an album where "Robinson hides his former bass-fueled self behind the album’s sheen."[13] Allmusic journalist Andy Kellman said in his review of the album that "Flicker", along with "Lionhearted" and "Years of War" "have sections muscular and bold enough to move large crowds",[14] while Las Vegas Weekly critic Mike Prevatt described the track's hook as having an "emotional payoff."[15]

Charts
Chart (2014) Peak
position
US Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[9] 34

Release history
Version Region Date Format(s) Label
Original Worldwide July 28, 2014[6]
Astralwerks
Juventa Remix February 23, 2015[16] Independent
AgNO3 Remix April 29, 2015[17]
Nitro Fun Remix August 25, 2015[18]
Mat Zo Remix September 9, 2015[10] Astralwerks
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References
  1. "DJ" Pizzo, Mike (October 4, 2015). "Porter Robinson Reflects on "Worlds," One Year Later". Cuepoint. Medium. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  2. Worlds Commentary. Porter Robinson. 2014. Spotify. Sample Sized.
  3. Stolman, Elissa (August 5, 2014). "Beat by Beat Review: Porter Robinson – Worlds". Vice. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  4. T. Sterling, Scott (August 12, 2014). "Interview: Porter Robinson’s Journey to the Center of the ‘Worlds’ Album". Radio.com. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  5. Kamps, Garrett (August 14, 2014). "Porter Robinson, 'Worlds' Review". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  6. Frank, Alex (July 28, 2014). "Porter Robinson Gives EDM a Makeover With His Latest Track". Vogue. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  7. Greene, Scott (October 31, 2014). "Your EDM Exclusive Interview: Porter Robinson On 'Worlds'". Your EDM. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  8. "Hot Dance/Electronic Songs". August 16, 2014. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  9. "Hot Dance/Electronic Songs". August 30, 2014. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  10. Porter Robinson Shares Mat Zo's “So, So Incredible” Remix of Flicker" Archived 2015-12-23 at the Wayback Machine. Beatport. September 9, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  11. Medved, Matt (December 22, 2015). "The 15 Best Dance / Electronic Remixes of 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  12. Villa, Lucas (August 19, 2014). "Porter Robinson colorizes Japan in music video for 'Flicker'". AXS. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  13. Staples, Derek (August 12, 2014). "Porter Robinson – Worlds". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  14. Kellman, Andy. "Worlds – Porter Robinson". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  15. Prevatt, Mike (September 3, 2014). "CD Review: Porter Robinson's 'Worlds'". Las Vegas Weekly. The Greenspun Corporation. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  16. "Porter Robinson – Flicker (Juventa Remix) [Free Download] Archived 2016-03-01 at the Wayback Machine". Bangin Beats. February 23, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  17. Meadow, Matthew (April 29, 2015). "Porter Robinson – Flicker (AgNO3)". Your EDM. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  18. Meadow, Matthew (August 25, 2015). "Porter Robinson – Flicker (Nitro Fun Remix) [Free Download]". Your EDM. Retrieved June 18, 2016.

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