The Prodigy
Music for the Jilted Generation
The Prodigy were a rave band that evolved into a more mainstream act. Liam Howlett wrote all their music, with other members later getting increasingly prominent on vocals.
Quotes
My music's hand-built. I don't copy sections. I always looked at it as being hand-built on the W-30. I write every fucking thing, even the little cymbal patterns that I'll sit and tap out for five minutes! Different notes come out at different velocities that way, and I thought that Cubase would take all that away.
When I use Cubase, I turn off cycle mode and use it as I would have used the W-30. Now I've got over the fear. I can't get into doing an eight-bar section and then arrange it from there. I have to do it as I'm going along. For something mechanical, it works, and it's obviously good for dance music because most dance music just repeats anyway.
I try to make the tracks a bit more song based, which helps me get out of the routine of having eight bars here and eight bars there. Because it's up on the screen, it's too easy to get into that.
— Liam Howlett, The Prodigy, 1997[1]
Equipment list
Circa What Evil Lurks
Additions circa Experience
- Akai S1100[3][4][5][6]
- Alesis QuadraVerb[3][5][6]
- Mackie CR-1604[3][7]
- Roland Alpha Juno-2[3][5][1]
- Roland JD-800[3][5]
- Roland Juno-106[3][5][6][1]
- Roland Jupiter-8[4][5][6] (modded for MIDI)
- Roland SH-101[3][5][6][1]
- Roland TB-303[3][4][5][6][1] (×2; one with Kenton MIDI box mod)
- Roland TR-909[3][4][5][6][1]
- Roland U-220[3][5][6][1]
- Sony DTC-1000[5] ("There's no multitrack tape machine here.")
- Technics SL-1200[3][5][6] (×2)
Additions circa Music for the Jilted Generation
- E-mu Proteus/3[5][8][6][1]
- E-mu Vintage Keys[6][1]
- Moog Minimoog[5] (with Kenton MIDI mod: "Such a good machine. The sounds are so meaty and strong.")
- Roland JD-990[9][10][11][1] (with SR‑JV80‑04 "Vintage Synth" expansion board)
Additions circa The Fat of the Land
- Akai CD3000[6][1]
- Akai DR8[1]
- Akai S3200[6] (×2)
- Boss SE-70[6][1] (×4)
- E-mu SP 1200[1]
- Roland TR-808[6][1]
- Roland VP-330[6][1]
- Sequential Circuits Pro-One[1]
- Steinberg Cubase[1]
Selected discography
- Experience, 1992
- Music for the Jilted Generation, 1994
- The Fat of the Land, 1997
References
- "Playing With Fire!" Robin Green, The Mix, Mar 1997
- Everybody in the Place The Prodigy, 1991
- "The Lone Raver" Tim Goodyer, Music Technology, May 1992, pp. 68—72
- Wind It Up (Rewound) The Prodigy, 1993
- "Prodigious Talent" David Robinson, Future Music, Feb 1993, pp. 31—34
- "Liam Howlett: The Prodigy & Firestarter" Paul Nagle, Sound On Sound, Sep 1996
- "Liam Howlett: Recording Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned" Sue Sillitoe, Sound On Sound, Oct 2004
- "Skylined" The Prodigy, Music for the Jilted Generation, 1994
Note: "Skylined" features the Proteus/3's preset 4 "Spirit Catch" as a main hook. - "Voodoo People" The Prodigy, Music for the Jilted Generation, 1994
Note: "Voodoo People" has a prominent riff used throughout the track. This is the JD-990's internal preset 45 "Wailing guitar". - "Poison" The Prodigy, Music for the Jilted Generation, 1994
Note: "Poison" has a prominent rhythmic part with lots of moving resonance, used throughout the track. This is the SR‑JV80‑04's JD-990 preset 208 "EML Wobbler". - "3 Kilos" The Prodigy, Music for the Jilted Generation, 1994
Note: The outro for "3 Kilos" uses the SR‑JV80‑04's JV series preset 255 "RSS Spinner", with the second voice turned off.
Artists: Aphex Twin | Autechre | Derrick May | Fatboy Slim | Juan Atkins | Kevin Saunderson | Kraftwerk | LFO (artist) | Man Machine | Moby | Nine Inch Nails | Orbital | Richie Hawtin | The Future Sound of London | The Prodigy | Underworld | Vladimir Ussachevsky | Wendy Carlos | William Orbit | Zoë Blade
