I saw them live in Birmingham in November, approx 28 years after I first saw them. I though it would be weird without Flint but it was absolutely amazing, with a fitting tribute
Good find.
I expect it's been someone's life work to track down all those original sources.
That's nice to hear. I saw them at Glastonbury 1997. I was right down the front and it was amazing. The lights were something else, and obviously the volume was huge, but without losing definition. A standout gig for me.
> That's nice to hear. I saw them at Glastonbury 1997. I was right down the front and it was amazing. The lights were something else, and obviously the volume was huge, but without losing definition. A standout gig for me.
It was indeed amazing, so good that I tried to get tickets for the last two dates of the tour, which were both sold out. I would go again in a heartbeat it was that good.
Or someone just made a video out of what they read on here!? https://www.whosampled.com/The-Prodigy/?ob=0
I don't think Liam's eclectic 'borrowing' has ever been a secret. It is great to see so many laid out in one place though and how something can be re-used in a completely different context.
It all gets very Meta with some of these samples though. Did they sample Run-DMC or Bob James? Hardnoise or the Meters?
How many people who have used the Amen break have a copy of Amen Brother?
Not many but I bet Liam does!
Those convoluted sample histories are amazing, in a very nerdy way. There's a whole video here about the "tramen" break, which is something like a third generation break, being a widely sampled loop from a dnb track which was made by rearranging bits of other hardcore / jungle / dnb tunes, which themselves were mostly processing and rearranging actual soul and funk loops, possibly via a couple more steps in between:
youtube.com/watch?v=c0DrajJjjBg& (skip to two minutes after the intro if you don't need the details of the beer that he's drinking...)
Funnily enough I was just listening to aider Dnb mix that had Mutant Revisited on it last night. Love that era of DnB, and have got quite geekily into spotting all the breaks and simples over the years, love this stuff!
Not sure about the bloke in that video “one half of Dom and Roland” fallen into a classic error there!
> Not sure about the bloke in that video “one half of Dom and Roland” fallen into a classic error there!
He does follow it with "the other half being..." and then gives the right answer, though!
oh he does? Literally turned off right as he said that!
My bad... I've misjudged him.
Am just listening to the Prodigy as I saw this... (Skylined!))
Did you listen to the Avalanches "Since I Left You" album back in the day? Amazing album made entirely out of samples - in fact I think that was the whole goal to turn trashy old records into a great modern album.
Great album that.
DJ Shadow's Endtroducing is widely considered the first 100% sample based record, though not sure it is. Another brilliant album though.
The original fire starter, fantastic. I knew Keith from motorcycle track days, as he was really into bikes and even sponsored a team.
I vaguely remember them saying the quantity of samples used would have made it a financial disaster if they credited them all, so instead they opted to not credit any, and/or were canny enough to only sample a certain % of a track which was below the royalty level.
I did, by fluke, find where the drum sample of Frontier Psychiatrist came from
The complexity was also why it took them over 20 years to release the follow up
This thread has helped solve a quest I've been on for years.
Many moons ago I bought a cassette of DJ Shadow "Camel Bobsled Race (The Q-bert Mix)". It was 20 mins of turntablist magic and there were 2 sections of organ samples that I always enjoyed but could never identify.
A few years ago I managed to find out one was from "Tears" by Giorgio Moroder but the other one evaded me until yesterday. Turns out it's the intro to "Get Out of My Life, Woman" by Iron Butterfly.
Reminds me of this:
https://youtu.be/AYwCZqzrmaQ?si=kPCPGMXosC3JDLEI
The Beastie Boys sampledelic Paul's Boutique dissected.
I listened to that DJ Shadow album today while decorating. I had to stop to turn it up.
> The original fire starter, fantastic. I knew Keith from motorcycle track days, as he was really into bikes and even sponsored a team.
My hearing has never been the same since seeing them in 2017, but I'll always value the experience. I may need hearing aids at some point (not just down to the Prodigy), if I can always converse I'll be happy.
Back in 2002 a friend and I aid-climbed Zodiac Wall in Yosemite. Whoever was leading had Prodigy's The Experience album playing on a loop
Awesome, love it when a long term quest like this is finally resolved! Glad to have been part of a thread that got you there!
It’s a truly fantastic album isn’t it?
I really think it’s right up there with the greats. Despite change in taste and just about everything else in my life, I would say it’s been in my top 10 since the day I first heard it 25 years ago.
I love it and I’m highly familiar with it on a variety of listening setups. It’s one of the pieces of work that always makes me rue having given up a wired hi-fi in favour of wireless speakers and streaming as it loses some of the detail. Pretty visionary really considering the equipment he had - the equivalent of a dictaphone, basically, that Akai sampler.
It just goes to show that with the right creative expression, the kit doesn’t really matter.
It’s in my Top 10 of the 90s without doubt.
Have you heard Compassion by Broadway Project?
It doesn’t ring a bell, but I’m going to tune in now. Thanks.
Edit: It sounds very familiar actually, or at least that first guitar sample does. Thanks for this - I’m going to enjoy this by the sounds of it. Brilliant share!
Edit2: No I haven’t heard this. I wish I had a wired hi-fi even more now. Knowing what Spotify does to work I know well, I get the feeling I’m listening to a ghastly simulacrum of what I should be listening to. I go to a lot of psych rock gigs so you’d think my ears were less sensitive!
Double thank you in fact. That first guitar sample was nagging at me all day. About 10 mins ago it clicked - Mahavishnu Orchestra, You Know, You Know. It’s a masterpiece played by some talented motherf8€$kers, which has taken me full circle back to some earthy and innovative Rock. You should check out that tune. Jan Hammer (who wrote the theme to Miami Vice), Billy Cobham and McLaughlin were at it in a big way.
Cool. I've got a Mahavishnu album somewhere in the racks, can't remember which one, I always loved John McLaughlin's guitar playing.
Here's a great use of a single sample, listen to this Tribe Called Quest song:
https://youtu.be/QuZu_9UcUKY?si=S6viw13irz1tMHtM
Then this:
Both amazing tunes, lovely.
You know, there was a time I felt it had no place in music; sampling, the piracy of the talentless. I did some guitar session work with some Hip-hop outfit in Bristol and it changed my view massively, almost a complete turnaround.
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