Disclaimer:

The purpose of this article is not to promote the band or to impose my musical views on others. The purpose of this article is to educate those interested in learning about the most successful band in the history of EDM. If you’re tired of listening to Lady GaGa on the radio, this article is for you. If you’re tired of listening to David Guetta at clubs, this article is for you. If you love music with character, variety and artistic integrity, this article is for you. If all you’ve ever been exposed too is House, be prepared to be sent out to space.

 

Keith, Liam & Maxim.
Keith, Liam & Maxim.

Members:

Keith Flint – Occasional vocalist.
Maxim – MC & Occasional vocalist.
Liam Howlett – Producer, programmer & keyboardist, the creative mastermind behind the band. He is The Prodigy.

 

Former members:

Leeroy Thornhill – Dancer and occasional live keyboardist.
Sharky – Dance.

 

Genres:

Alternative Dance, Big Beat, Rave.

 

History (quoted from MTV’s World Stage special):

The Prodigy first broke onto the music scene in the early 1990s where they achieved mainstream popularity as pioneers of the break-beat electronic dance genre. They have since sold an unequaled number of albums in dance music history, but it’s their live sets that have made them legends on the festival scene and around the world.

 

A short introduction to their music:

The Prodigy’s music is somewhat of an acquired taste. If you’re like me, the first time you hear their music you won’t have a clue WTF is going on. To make things a little clearer, their music is composed almost entirely of edited samples taken from a wide variety of tracks of all genres. If you’re curious, here’s a Youtube video someone made detailing where some of their main samples came from.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

The Prodigy is one of those bands that don’t like to make the same sounding music year after year, just like any other great artist of any genre. Their style has gone from Rave/Break-Beat to include Electro-punk and Hip-hop. Each album experiments with different sounds. If you’re like me, at first you’ll only enjoy a few of their songs, but over time, you’ll develop a taste for what they’re all about and you’ll start to love their more hardcore tracks. For this reason, I’ll make a list of entry-level Prodigy tracks as well as a list of Hardcore Prodigy tracks.

Entry-Level Prodigy Tracks ‘Easy to like’:

 

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video


Smack My Bitch Up by TheProdigy-Official

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Intermediate Prodigy Tracks ‘For dance music fans’:

 

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Hardcore Prodigy Tracks ‘Click at your own risk’:

 

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Note:

These tracks are by no means all that The Prodigy has to offer. If you like this, get a hold of their albums.

Discography:

Experience (1992) – Hardcore level
The Prodigy’s first album. It propelled them to the top tier of the Rave scene

Music For The Jilted Generation (1994) – Intermediate level
Considered by many to be the greatest dance album of all time.

The Fat Of The Land (1997) – Entry level
Number 1 across the Globe.

Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned (2004) – Hardcore level
Music to listen too in your car.

Their Law: The Singles [1990-2005](2005) – Entry level
A compilation of all of their singles released at or before 2005. There’s a collector’s edition as well (right) which contains previously unreleased tracks and remixes.

Experience Expanded (2008) – Hardcore level
2 disc re-mastered version of Experience so get this version .

More Music For The Jilted Generation (2008) – Intermediate level
2 disc re-mastered version of MFTJG so get this version .

Invaders Must Die (2009) – Intermediate level
Their most recent album. It’s well-rounded in terms of musical styles. There’s a collector’s edition (right) which includes 3 bonus tracks as well as a second Disc with the best remixes from their singles. It also comes with a DVD with music videos and Live performances from the IMD era.

End Comments:

I recommend visiting Youtube yourself and searching for live performances of your favorite songs. As good as their studio work is, this band is all about live shows so don’t miss them the next time they’re in your area.

Credit / Source / Original Post by Majin: http://theprodigy.com/forum/4-music/45785-the-prodigy-guide-for-dummies