Experience - Prodigy (The)

...... was to be an Experience or representation of the rave scene at the time, which was still developing from it's origins of acid house in the mid 80's into various branches of what was later termed as "dance music".

Rave music, as a term, later became more synonymous with a branch of dance music, most notably called "old skool" today. However, everything within the dance music scene, whether it be drum & bass, ...
...scene.

Although Experience is considered one of the oringial rave / breakbeat albums, it does include a large amount of hip-hop rhythms and provides early tell tale signs of Liam Howletts fantastic ability to fuse different styles and make it work to tremendous effect. The band where then and remain today about evolution, something evry branch of music has done since the year dot. Most of today's most successful artists have an abilityto ... more

THE PRODIGY "EXPERIENCE" CD - Buy it for no more than £6.99

Liam Howlett, the brains behind The Prodigy (see my review of "Music for the Jilted Generation" for more in depth detail regarding the band), originally wanted to write this album almost as a concept album, similar to what Pink Floyd did with "Echoes" (A fantastic album in it's own genre). Hence, I would imagine, the title "Experience" ... was to be an Experience or representation of the rave scene at the time, which was still developing from it's origins of acid house in the mid 80's into various branches of what was later termed as "dance music".

Rave music, as a term, later became more synonymous with a branch of dance music, most notably called "old skool" today. However, everything within the dance music scene, whether it be drum & bass, hardcore, garage, funky house, trance, originated from these initial sounds, full of mixed up fast beats and synthetic sounds. In fact, there are few songs on the album below 140 bpm (beats per minute).

The Prodigy managed to do what very few rave acts, at the time, were able to do, and that was hit the charts high and stay there. The album entered the charts at number 12 and stayed in the charts for 25 weeks - that's almost half of the year! - in 1992/93.

The group, hailing from Braintree in Essex, had massive success with their second single release "Charly", which shot to number 1 in the National Dance Charts and No.3 in the top 40 singles chart. It is renowned as a rave classic to this day and fully represents the era and the music of the time. The Prodigy had to be a little clever about the meaning of the track when it reached the mainstream, and thus recorded a video for the single encompassing a young cartoon boy with a cat named "Charly". Everyone knew that the actual title of the track had slightly different connotations, much more in keeping with what was going on and continues to go on in the rave scene.

Although Experience is considered one of the oringial rave / breakbeat albums, it does include a large amount of hip-hop rhythms and provides early tell tale signs of Liam Howletts fantastic ability to fuse different styles and make it work to tremendous effect. The band where then and remain today about evolution, something evry branch of music has done since the year dot. Most of today's most successful artists have an abilityto blend and fuse different styles to bring something new to the masses, providing fresh appeal. To me, The Prodigy are centrally about innovation, and this album suggested the boys from Essex were not going to be a flash in the pan.

1. Jericho - High tempo breakbeat from start to finish, with a whole assortment of electronica sounds and beat box breaks, adding to the occasional male vocal.

2. Music Reach (1,2,3,4) - High pitched male vocal questions "Does the music reach?". Again, following the style of the first track, highly strung breakbeat techno track.

3. Wind It Up - This track is wound up and unleashed like a breakbeat techno time-bomb. One of the many rave classics from this album still revered today.

4. Your Love (remix) - First of the electronica piano style tracks and incredibly fast paced (Liam was a classically trained pianist). Once again features a male vocal "Your Love", with an assortment of beats and breaks. Really good track full of zest.

5. Hyperspeed (G-Force pt 2) - Space theme to the track, with electronica sounds you may expect to hear in the soundtrack of "Close Encounters of the 2rd Kind". Again, full of breaks and beats throughout, building and stopping abruptly during the track, before kicking in again without warning.

6. Charly (Trip into drum and base version) - A different version to the massively successful single release, but this extended drum & bass version is just as good. "Meeeowww, Charly says always tell your mummy before you go off somewhere..." ... Very good advice kids. See, ... not only where they an awesome rave band, but also very publicly spirited aswell, providing excellent advice to children !

7. Out of Space - First of the hip-hop fused breakbeat / techno tracks, which was a massive hit with pretty much everyone. Probably one of the quickest songs on the album and still an absolute classic today. If you were to venture into any student night club in the land, you would be bound to hear this classic at some stage during the evening.

8. Everybody In The Place (155 and rising) - Was released as a single to wide acclaim after Charly, and was later available as a dual single release with Charly. Big breakbeat electronica anthem with fairground theme ... "Everybody who's in the place .... let's go!"

9. Weather Experience - Very different track to the remainder of the album, focussing on a more mellow techno trip, and demonstrating Liam's diversity still further. Uses samples from BBC Weatherman Michael Fish and BBC Radio 4's shipping forecast.

10. Fire (Sunrise version) - There are a whole number of vocal and sound samples throughout this album, but one of the most famour is the Arthur Brown sample from "Crazy World of Arthur Brown" in this crazy breakbeat fuelled track "I am the God of Hellfire... And I bring you .. Fire!"

11. Ruff in the Jungle Bizness - Again, another fusion of hip-hop and breakbeat techno. This track is completely bonkers .. "Feel the jungle vibe baby ... in the jungle, in the jungle!"

12. Death of The Prodigy Dancers (Live) - The only live track on the album, which gives you a small insight into the raw energy the band produce during a live performance. The crowd noise is electric and really get the feel that the band are feeding of it. Quite an anthemic hard techno track that bounces along between 180-200 bmp, before coming to it's finale with a bass drum mimicking a heart beat that slowly come to a stop !

If you like old skool rave music, or wish to get a feel for the origins of drum & bass or The Prodigy themselves, then this is a must own album. You won't be disappointed. 

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