The Prodigy Interview
We chatted to Liam about Pendulum, Dizzee and their new single Warrior’s Dance…
The Prodigy returned triumphant this year with their fifth studio album Invaders Must Die. The Essex boys fell out when producer Liam Howlett didn’t feature Keith or Maxim’s vocals on their last album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned.
MTV News spoke to Liam as the group release their new single Warrior’s Dance.
MTV:Hi Liam, how did it feel when the album went to number one given your well publicised problems?
LIAM:This is our revenge. Not even on the press- on the Invaders. Some of them are our friends- and they were happy to see us having problems.
Me and Keith weren’t talking- we were pig headed. The problems with the band were far greater than the problems with the press. The negative press was nothing but now we’re just happy to see people dig the tunes.
Is it extra special because you released the album yourselves after leaving XL?
The relationship with XL didn’t go sour but we reached a point where it ran out. They understand that we made the label what it is. With this new record we needed someone to have the enthusiasm we did.
When we signed with (new label) they’d only heard two tracks so I’m happy for them.
And you started your own label too?
My label (Take Me To The Hospital) is the start of trying to find some things we like to put out. I’ve got a stack of demos I’m looking through- Justice would have been great but I missed out on them.
When you listen to acts like Justice, Hadouken and Pendulum do you enjoy hearing your influence or worry that they’re ripping off The Prodigy?
I’m not one to say ‘that record sound like me.’ I’ll steal off of anybody- I don’t give a f*ck. I’m not fussed but if people are crediting me it’s nice to get that response.
I know the Pendulum boys and it was funny when people said Invader Must Die sounded like them- those people must have come to The Prodigy later.
How did you come to record Warrior’s Dance?
The track was never meant to be on the album. We were quite a few months into recording and we had Gatecrasher coming up. Keith was like “F*ck the album we need a new tune for on stage.”
So we wrote it just for the gig. It was 20 years since acid house so we used this track to look back. It felt more exciting than anything else we had recorded. It cut through all the nonsense and showed where we should go next. It was obvious it was gonna be a single.
Do you still get a buzz from live gigs?
After the studio it’s what we’re about. We are all back on the record and the two go hand in hand. The band wouldn’t exist without the live thing- we still buzz off it.
Why did you decide to get Dizzee Rascal on tour with you?
We respect Dizzee but we like the fact that he has come out of scene like we did. We went through all that bollocks when we had chart success. He made a good record after all that sh*t.
We wanted to do something different (with the support act) this time. It’s the ‘revenge on XL’ tour!
What else do the band listen to?
We love Chase and Status- I wasn’t into Drum and Bass a few years ago but now I like some records. I like Benga and Skream too. Dubstep is totally English and really fresh.
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