30 Years Of The Prodigy’s Firestarter

The Prodigy‘s Firestarter – the first single from their album, The Fat of the Land – is 30 years old.

Firestarter, released in March 1996, was the group’s first track to feature the late Keith Flint on vocals. The track – and Flint’s appearance in the music video – were so striking that it went to #1 in 16 countries.

The song was written by Liam Howlett and Flint, but songwriting credits include several others – including The Breeders and The Art Of Noise – because of samples used.

Flint took his life in 2019, at the age of 49. In their first tour after his death, the group turned their Firestarter performance into a tribute to Flint.

39 thoughts on “30 Years Of The Prodigy’s Firestarter”

  1. Who cares?

    Gear news is all good.
    This is irrelevant.
    No one involved in underground rave, particularly in Europe, and even more so the UK, had the slightest interest in this commercial tripe anyway.

    1. I care, Not everyone who reads this is some underground European rave dude. I was a teenager when this came out and it blew my mind, i had heard nothing like it, huge influence to me and one of the bands, songs that inspired my lifelong pursuit of synths and music production and loads of people I know and countless others found this to be super influential as well. Love this track, production on this album is one that stands the test of time to me.

      1. ### PERSONAL ATTACK DELETED ###

        It was never influential to anyone but posers and was in no way original in any respect. Just watered down and commercialised tripe to market as ‘edgey’ pop music for the TOTP crowd.. Stupid haircuts and all. Just pathetic

        1. Admin: B Real, I deleted your personal attack. It was unnecessary and detracted from the discussion.

          We encourage all perspectives, as shown on this post, but draw the line at personal attacks, hate speech and spam, which ruin the experience for everyone else.

          Keep your comments on topic and constructive in the future, and they will not be deleted.

      3. Seconded as well.

        The Prodigy is what got me seriously listening to music. That naturally lead me to electronic music production via questions like ‘what’s sampling?’ and ‘what do sequencers do?’

        Gateway bands like this should always be celebrated.

    3. Ya it’s just one of the best and most influential electronic music album ever made, made by a band that takes their name from a synthesizer and made large use of electronic gear with synthesis and sampling… totally irrelevant on a website that is about music and synthesizers.
      You also use the word commercial as a derogatory term clearly showing you don’t know their career before this album, it got commercial because it was so successful.
      Change hobby buddy. This ain’t for you.

    4. Back when The Prodigy started in 1990, there was no such thing as „underground rave.“ Everyone danced together at THE rave, regardless of class, social status, wealth, or education. That’s what made rave culture so amazing, and The Prodigy are one of the big acts associated with this unique moment in music history. So yeah, it’s very relevant to those of us into electronic music.

      1. Prodigy NEVER had anything to do with the free party or squat scene. They’d have been laughed out of the building, and likely got a sound kicking too

        1. The scene you describe was only a small part of early rave culture and not even relevant in many parts of Europe. The Prodigy headlined raves in my hometown in 94.

        2. Yeah, because nothing says ‘authentic music scene’ like the notion of violence against musicians and performers.

          Pathetic. No doubt your allegiance to the so-called ‘free party or squat scene’ vainly continues to this day. I can almost picture you…

    8. Such a tripe comment, and this is coming from someone who makes tripe comments.

      The Prodigy, Empirion, and Frank Klepacki ignited my love as a child for synth music and were instrumental in my life.

    9. Fascinating, really. I was there when it was happening, raving, organising, building the thing from the inside. The Prodigy were never especially my cup of tea, I barely took notice beyond “Firestarter” but their impact is indisputable, and the feral urgency of ‘Firestarter’ hardly needs defending.

      What is more fascinating is the ritual that follows. The moment someone from a scene achieves even a whisper of commercial success, they are excommunicated. Instantly a chorus of previously invisible purists appears, suddenly more hardcore, more underground, more authentic than anyone who actually built the culture.

      Of course, one should be careful with that sort of posturing. Dig too far below “underground” and you are no longer in the scene at all. You are in the sewer, under the watchful care of Thames Water. That, one assumes, is where these “thoughts” originate: the solids lacking the decency, or the self-awareness, to sink below the flow.

        1. If it is…

          Many thanks for your 2am set at Glade Glastonbury 23… blew my mind right when it needed to be blewed…

          (You’ll have to imagine the love heart, guitar, mushroom emojis I tried to add)

    10. All the gear has a purpose and this is a prime example of this purpose. When this came out “underground rave” was mainstream. We can pull the nights at Shoom if you want. The joy of this single isnt how underground appealing it was, it is about how good the track was, how it has stood the test of time etc. It hit the charts in the UK, doing that is far more of a Trojan horse than your bog standard techno number.

      I care. I wonder how many are here because of these sorts of tracks?

      Perhaps the greatest electronic dance track, I Feel Love, was number 1 in the UK charts. That is not underground but the track still absolutely rocks.

      Any suggestions on a better track from your version of the “underground” that still works today?

  2. This is probably the most underrated influencial album. The way it was composed is the way how we should treat gear and information. Sampling is essential when things come to mind in other ways than intended. Today some say “he just bought some gear with expansions and did some tracks with it”. No! He was inspired and we all shall or shut up and sell everything!

  3. Probably one of the most influential groups of 90’s but,
    This track is not one of my favourites though, there are other tracks that tickle my fancy more than Firestarter (Funky Shit) and I do have entire collection of Prodigy releases…

    1. Agree with “Leslie”, “Firestarter” is not my favourite track from Prodigy but “No Good (Start The Dance)”, oh yeah!
      Prodigy perform near my hometown in June…

  4. I’m more a Utah Saints/Orbital type. William Orbit is also a guiding star for pulling things off with class. I like rave-flavored music that’s clearly a studio creature. The best ground sits right between dance sweat and studio craft.

  6. Great album. Firestarter was the dope pre-LP release. Breathe and Smack My were cool but not as good.
    Singles aside, i thought LP tracks ‘Diesel Power’ and ‘Climbatize’, for me, were also great.
    Especially ‘Diesel Power’: that one kicks SO hard. That drum/bass funk pattern is to die for. Still electrifies me. Crank it and irritate your neighbours. So damn good.

  8. This song was cool, also ‘Smack my bitch up’, even if you’re not into that type of music which is my particular case. But let’s be real, this dude looked really insane already at that time…

  9. ah, me at 21. i was incarcerated in San Diego for distribution of narcotics. the music that got made was rap accompanied by creative use of metal bunks and large plexiglass windows. those dudes knocked out some inspired stuff! nonetheless i remember that tune, it filtered its way into maximum security. and you’re welcome for bringing y’all the candy. those raves were a happy customer heaven. shoutout to the Bailey Boys of George Bailey Detention Facility, wherever you are

  10. Liam Howlett’s production, particularly his use of samples, on the first few Prodigy albums is frankly astounding. Particularly as it was mostly sequenced on the Roland W30, a workstation keyboard. Also, the majority of people into dance music (or indeed ‘underground rave’) in the 90s were fully into the Prodigy, in the UK at least.

  11. B real,
    If that is in fact your real name sir or madam!

    Please post a link where we can all listen to your music! It must be amazing if you are the first in to put down a track that sold shit-loads.

    No, seriously, do it. Put up or shut up.

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