Liam Howlett

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Liam Howlett
The Prodigy - 15.07.2022 - O2 Academy Leeds - 53401883961.jpg
Howlett at the O2 Academy Leeds on 15 July 2022
Background information
Birth nameLiam Paul Paris Howlett
Born (1971-08-21) 21 August 1971 (age 53)
Braintree, Essex, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
Years active1986–present
Labels XL
Member of The Prodigy
Formerly ofCut 2 Kill
Spouse
(m. 2002)
[1] [2]
Children1

Liam Paul Paris Howlett (born 21 August 1971) is an English record producer, musician, songwriter, co-founder and leader of the British electronic band the Prodigy.

Contents

Early years

Liam Paul Paris Howlett [3] was born on 21 August 1971 in Braintree, Essex, England. [4] Howlett was trained in classical piano (from childhood). [5] At the age of 14, he mixed songs recorded from the radio using the pause button on his cassette player. He was first influenced by hip hop music and culture when he began to attend school at Alec Hunter High School in Braintree. He learned breakdancing alongside his crew called the Pure City Breakers, and DJed in his first band Cut 2 Kill. After a fight at a gig in support of the band, Liam left Cut 2 Kill and started to write his own music.

He went to his first rave in 1989. [6]

Music career

The Prodigy

Howlett and dancer/vocalist Keith Flint formed the Prodigy in 1990. [7]

Other musical projects

In 1998, Howlett was offered the chance to do a mix for Mary Anne Hobbs' radio show. He dug out some of his old favourite tracks again and this prompted him to release an edited (due to some copyright issues) version of the mix in February 1999. It was the first material which was recorded in his new home studio "The Dirtchamber", so accordingly the album was to be called Prodigy present The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One .

In 1999, Howlett composed music for the film The Uranus Experiment . Described as an "anal space opera", [8] the film featured the first sex scene shot in microgravity. [9] [10]

At the end of January 2006, a compilation album titled Back to Mine: Liam Prodigy was released. It was a collection of Howlett's favourite tunes, including an exclusive Prodigy track called "Wake the Fuck Up", which was often performed as an intro in the Prodigy's live concerts.

Howlett was a co-producer on the track "Immunize" from Australian drum and bass act Pendulum's third album Immersion , which was released in 2010.

In 2012, Howlett co-produced the first single "We Hate Everyone" from K.Flay's EP Eyes Shut. [11] He also produced the song ‘Stop, Focus’ from the same EP. [12]

On March 30, 2022, it was announced that Howlett would compose the musical score for the Netflix's movie Choose or Die . [13]

Personal life

Howlett has been married to Natalie Appleton of All Saints since 2002. [14] [15] They have a son, Ace Billy Howlett, born in 2004, [16] [17] and live in Hampstead, London. [18]

Related Research Articles

<i>Music for the Jilted Generation</i> 1994 studio album by the Prodigy

Music for the Jilted Generation is the second studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy. It was first released on 4 July 1994 by XL Recordings in the United Kingdom and by Mute Records in the United States. As with the group's debut album, Experience (1992), Maxim Reality and Liam Howlett were the only official members of the group to contribute to the album. The other two members, Keith Flint and Leeroy Thornhill, were not credited on any tracks.

<i>Experience</i> (The Prodigy album) 1992 studio album by the Prodigy

Experience is the debut studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy. It was released on 28 September 1992 by XL Recordings in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States.

<i>The Fat of the Land</i> 1997 studio album by the Prodigy

The Fat of the Land is the third studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy, released on 30 June 1997 through XL Recordings. The album received critical acclaim and topped the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. It has sold over 10 million copies worldwide as of 2019. It is their best-selling album.

<i>The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One</i> 1999 compilation album (Mixtape) by The Prodigy (Liam Howlett)

Prodigy Present: The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One is a 1999 solo mix album by Liam Howlett of The Prodigy, initially produced for BBC Radio 1's mix show The Breezeblock.

<i>Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned</i> 2004 studio album by the Prodigy

Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned is the fourth studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy. It was first released on 11 August 2004 in Japan, on 23 August 2004 in the United Kingdom by XL Recordings, and on 15 September 2004 in the United States by Maverick Records. Recorded almost entirely using Propellerhead Reason and mastered with Pro Tools, the album contrasts with the group's previous releases, and features a larger use of vocals than their previous album The Fat of the Land (1997). Keith Flint and Maxim Reality do not provide any contribution to the official record, which leaves Liam Howlett as the sole band member to do so for the only time in the group's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Appleton</span> Canadian-born English singer (born 1973)

Natalie Jane Appleton Howlett is a Canadian singer. She is a member of the British girl group All Saints and the duo Appleton with her younger sister Nicole Appleton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Flint</span> English dancer and vocalist (1969–2019)

Keith Charles Flint was an English singer and a vocalist of the electronic dance act The Prodigy. Starting out as a dancer for the group, he became the vocalist and performed on the group's two UK number-one singles, "Firestarter" and "Breathe", both released in 1996. He was also the singer of his own band, Flint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxim (musician)</span> English musician

Keith Andrew Palmer, better known by his stage name Maxim, is a British-Jamaican musician, known for being a vocalist of electronic music band the Prodigy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeroy Thornhill</span> British musician

Leeroy Thornhill is a British electronic music artist and formerly a rave dancer and occasional keyboardist for the British electronic group the Prodigy. Thornhill's live performances throughout the 1990s included his unique style of shuffling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smack My Bitch Up</span> 1997 single by the Prodigy

"Smack My Bitch Up" is a song by English rave group The Prodigy. It was released in November 1997 as the third and final single from their third album, The Fat of the Land (1997). In 2013, Mixmag readers voted it the third greatest dance track of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind It Up (Rewound)</span> 1993 single by the Prodigy

"Wind It Up (Rewound)" is a song by British electronica act the Prodigy, released as their fifth single on 5 April 1993. A remix of "Wind It Up", it is significantly different from the version featured on their debut album, Experience (1992), though does appear on CD2 of the Experience Expanded special edition. B-side "We Are the Ruffest" features a sped-up banjo riff. The Elektra Records version of the single in the United States was never re-released as some of the previous singles were, making it a rarity and much sought after. The Elektra version also exclusively contained four remixes never released on any other work by the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Good (Start the Dance)</span> 1994 single by The Prodigy

"No Good (Start the Dance)" is a song by English electronic music group the Prodigy. Written and produced by group member Liam Howlett, it was released on 16 May 1994 by XL Recordings as the second single from the group's second studio album, Music for the Jilted Generation (1994). Commercially, the track was presented with the slogan, "Hard dance with attitude" and is built around a repeated vocal sample from "You're No Good for Me", a song released by American singer Kelly Charles in 1987. Howlett initially had doubts whether to use the sample because he thought it was too pop for his taste. The song also contains samples from "Funky Nassau" by Bahamian funk group the Beginning of the End. It was certified Gold in Germany for 250,000 sold copies. The music video for the song was directed by Walter Stern and filmed in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poison (The Prodigy song)</span> 1995 single by the Prodigy

"Poison" is a song by English electronic music group the Prodigy, released on 6 March 1995 by XL and Mute as the fourth and final single from their second studio album, Music for the Jilted Generation (1994). It was written by Liam Howlett and Maxim Reality, and produced by Howlett. Reality performs the vocals on the track. "Poison" was a number one hit in Finland, while peaking inside the top five in Ireland and Norway. Additionally, it peaked within the top-30 in Sweden and Switzerland. The music video for the song was directed by Walter Stern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breathe (The Prodigy song)</span> 1996 single by The Prodigy

"Breathe" is a song by English electronic dance music band the Prodigy, released in November 1996 by XL Recordings as the second single from their third album, The Fat of the Land (1997). It was written by band members Liam Howlett, Keith Flint and Maxim Reality, featuring a drum break from the song "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed" by Thin Lizzy. The whiplashing sword sound effect is a sample of "Da Mystery of Chessboxin" by Wu-Tang Clan. As with "Firestarter", Jim Davies played the guitar in the song. "Breathe" became the group's second consecutive number-one in the United Kingdom and also topped the charts in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. Its music video was directed by Walter Stern, depicting the band in an abandoned, decrepit apartment building. Melody Maker ranked "Breathe" number 29 in their list of the best singles of 1996, and Q Magazine featured it in their "1001 Best Songs Ever" in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby's Got a Temper</span> 2002 single by the Prodigy

"Baby's Got a Temper" is a song by English electronica group the Prodigy, released as a non-album single on 1 July 2002 by record labels XL and Maverick. It was the band's first single in five years after 1997's "Smack My Bitch Up", and was also their first release after dancer Leeroy Thornhill left the band in 2000.

Alec Hunter Academy is a secondary school with academy status located in East Braintree, Essex, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Prodigy</span> English electronic dance music group

The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and vocalist Keith Flint, dancer and live keyboardist Leeroy Thornhill, dancer Sharky, and MC and vocalist Maxim. They are pioneers of the breakbeat-influenced genre big beat, and describe their style as electronic punk.

<i>The Day Is My Enemy</i> 2015 studio album by the Prodigy

The Day Is My Enemy is the sixth studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy. It was released on 30 March 2015 by the record labels Take Me to the Hospital/Cooking Vinyl in the UK and Three Six Zero Music/Warner Bros. Records in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibiza (The Prodigy song)</span> 2015 single by the Prodigy feat. Sleaford Mods

"Ibiza" is the twenty-fourth single released by English electronic dance music band the Prodigy. It was released through the band's official YouTube channel in March 2015 as a single from their sixth album The Day Is My Enemy. The song features English hip hop duo Sleaford Mods.

<i>No Tourists</i> 2018 studio album by The Prodigy

No Tourists is the seventh studio album by the English electronic music band the Prodigy, released on November 2, 2018, on Take Me to the Hospital, their independent label managed by BMG. The album debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, marking their sixth consecutive studio album to achieve this feat. It ranked at No. 7 on the US Dance Albums chart and attained several Top 20 placements in other European countries.

References

  1. Michael Cragg (24 July 2018). "'I was throwing up before we went on CD:UK': All Saints on how to be a girl group". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  2. Lucy Todd (4 November 2018). "The Prodigy: 'We don't need to reinvent ourselves'". BBC News. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. "Companies House".
  4. Larkin, Colin (2011) [1992]. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 2005. ISBN   9780857125958.
  5. "Prodigy Interview w/Keith Flint, Liam Howlett". NY Rock. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  6. "Liam Howlett". Discogs (in German). Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  7. Crittenden, Ryan. "The Prodigy: A brief history". gigwise.com. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  8. Szoverfy Milter, Katalin; Slade, Joseph W. (31 December 2020), Sigel, Lisa Z. (ed.), "Global Traffic in Pornography: The Hungarian Example", International Exposure, Rutgers University Press, pp. 173–204, doi:10.36019/9780813541044-009, ISBN   978-0-8135-4104-4, S2CID   225035738 , retrieved 25 May 2022
  9. "'To Boldly Go': Star Trek, Sex and Space". SPACE.com. 16 May 2000. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008.
  10. "TALKIN' LEWD". NME. 28 March 1999. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  11. "K. Flay on Money, Education and Why She's Okay With Having No Street Cred". Rolling Stone. 9 March 2012.
  12. "K-Flay Facebook". YouTube .[ dead YouTube link ]
  13. "The Prodigy's Liam Howlett to score new horror film, 'Choose or Die'". NME . 30 March 2022.
  14. Lewis, Tim (13 March 2016). "All Saints: 'We're more confident now'". The Observer. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  15. Cragg, Michael (24 July 2018). "'I was throwing up before we went on CD:UK': All Saints on how to be a girl group". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  16. "All Saints Put Children Before Touring". Female First. 23 April 2016.
  17. "NATALIE DELIVERS AN ACE". Archived from the original on 12 June 2004. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  18. "All together now". The Sunday Times. 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016.