Liam Howlett's Earthbound Studios is an impressive sight. I tracked down The Prodigy's musical mastermind, Liam Howlett, at his home studio in darkest Essex to see how the band create their music, and to discuss their new musical style, which is continuing to develop as Liam works on the forthcoming, as‑yet‑untitled Prodigy album. Despite their increasingly uncompromising take on dance music, the band continue to enjoy both critical acclaim and popular success - and all without losing the respect of their hardcore underground following, too.
Remarkably, the group has achieved its success without becoming enmeshed in the trappings of stardom, or having to devise an image suitable for the teenage music press. With album sales at over the two million mark, The Prodigy (Liam Howlett, Maxim Reality, Keith Flint, and Leeroy Thornhill) have reached heights unscaled by many other artists making out‑and‑out '90s dance music. Paul Nagle tackles some burning topics of modern music‑making with the group's aural architect Liam Howlett.
Essex dance outfit The Prodigy have long outgrown their pure rave beginnings, and their recent number one single, 'Firestarter' points the way to a new, even harder sound.