Three years ago, the world lost Keith Flint. The frontman of legendary electronic group The Prodigy, Flint is one of the most iconic figures in the history of UK dance music. It’s a good time to revisit the work of The Prodigy; With the current state of UK politics in somewhat of a shambles, the current climate feels poised for revolt. There’s a touch of anarchy in the air, and the arrival of The Prodigy for a new generation of agitators could not be better timed.
More so, the group is essential to the evolution of drum’n’bass and many of its offshoots. With the increasing presence of UK breaks and bass from jungle to garage in current music, the potential for a drum’n’bass resurgence feels massive. Perhaps signalling the beginning of this is The Prodigy’s reissuing of their seminal album, The Fat Of The Land for its 25th anniversary. Released in 1996, The Fat Of The Land would give rise to perhaps the most quintessential The Prodigy track of all time: Firestarter.
Pre-order The Fat Of The Land: 25th Anniversary Edition here
Firestrater is significant in that it’s the first song by the band to feature Flint’s now iconic voice. His anything but masterful grasp of the English language became a definitive part of The Prodigy’s sonic identity and DIY punk attitude. Bringing Firestarter to the present is RAM co-founder, Andy C. The prolific drum’n’bass producer is a suitable choice, and he mostly honours the source material, but raises the BPM and sharpens the beats. He adds polish to the chrome of his breaks, and adds an intro that makes Firestarter’s famous synthline feel more epic than before. Significantly, he removes most of Flint’s vocals, retaining the “I’m a firestarter” refrain and working it into the mix at strategic points. It’s more an update than a complete reworking, and one which pays homage to the legacy of its source material by somehow going harder and faster.
Listen to Firestarter (Andy C Remix) below.
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