The Prodigy
United Kingdom, 1990–now
Essex group led by Liam Howlett, formed in 1990. The Fat of the Land combined rave, breakbeat and punk-derived aggression and was performed as a live band show.
MusicRoots documents 4 artists who influenced The Prodigy and 4 artists The Prodigy influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.
Who influenced The Prodigy?
- Public Enemy — Public Enemy and the Bomb Squad's dense, layered production were, in Howlett's words, an influence that 'never left him' — the sample-collage backbone of The Prodigy.
- Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five — Howlett fell into hip-hop at secondary school through Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five — the breakbeat culture beneath The Prodigy.
- Juan Atkins — Early electro — Cybotron's 'Clear', Juan Atkins's foundational track — was Howlett's gateway into the sample-and-machine sound that became The Prodigy.
- Rage Against the Machine — Howlett named Rage Against the Machine an influence — the rap-rock aggression The Prodigy channelled into their guitar-sampled, mosh-pit electronic anthems.
Which artists did The Prodigy influence?
- Scooter — Scooter came out of the same early-90s rave explosion — The Prodigy's hardcore-rave energy is the model Scooter turned into shouted happy-hardcore anthems.
- Infected Mushroom — The duo named The Prodigy's hard electronic sound as a formative inspiration for their style of pulsing, aggressive psytrance.
- Enter Shikari — Rou Reynolds credits The Prodigy's Music for the Jilted Generation with igniting his love of electronic music as a teenager — the rave/electronic half of Enter Shikari's electronicore.
- Die Antwoord — The Prodigy's aggressive big-beat rave is a clear model for Die Antwoord's rap-rave assault.