(Keith Flint of The Prodigy, The Warrior Festival in Belgrade. Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)
British rave kings, The Prodigy hit our shores this week in support of their new album, No Tourists – high octane, timeless alt-rock-electronica that somehow makes you feel like you’re back at an early 90s rave witnessing the future.
In 1997 the band’s breakthrough song, “Breathe” (Fat Of The Land), topped charts around the world, going double platinum in Australia. With its unmistakable steel whip sample and dirty guitar tones, the track brought underground dance music into mainstream pop-culture, where The Prodigy have stayed for over 20 years now.
So, how did the band create their signature sound that so perfectly walks the line of classic and cutting edge, making them one of the most successful electronic acts of all time?
“We used to just watch VHS Kung Fu movies and just took it off of that,” Liam Howlett said [via The Music].
“You can do it in five minutes now, but back then you needed to chop each sound up on the soundboard. It was like making a rhythm with the swing thing, that's where the track started. That’s basically how that happened.”
“With any of these tracks, it’s about the feeling you get, and it’s either hitting that magic spot or it’s not.”
And hit the magic spot is exactly what it did, at a time when alternative music reigned supreme, “Breathe” went #1 around the world. What a time when all this attitude and hype dominated our Saturday morning breakfast TV!
The band’s new album, No Tourists, certainly cements the notion that these guys have no plans of ever mellowing out. It’s dizzying, menacing and totally brutal fun, Check it out on Spotify.
The Prodigy's No Tourists Australian tour continues this week, details below.
Fri 1st February
Melbourne Arena, Melbourne, VIC
Sat 2nd February
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW
Get amped up with their full collection of tracks on Spotify, proving that their instantly recognisable sound has never wavered.
