Maxim | |
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 Maxim on tour in Leeds, 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Keith Andrew Palmer |
| Also known as | Maxim Reality |
| Born | 21 March 1967 Peterborough, England |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | |
| Member of | The Prodigy |
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Keith Andrew Palmer (born 21 March 1967), [1] better known by his stage name Maxim (previously Maxim Reality), is a British musician, known for being a vocalist of electronic music band the Prodigy.
Keith Andrew Palmer [2] was born in Peterborough to Jamaican parents. [3] He enjoyed writing poetry and verse and began MCing around the age of 14. He gained inspiration from his ten-years-older MC brother, Hitman, who introduced him into the Peterborough Reggae Soundsystem Scene. [1] At the age of seventeen he had his first gig in Basingstoke. Ian Sherman, a fellow musician from Nottingham teamed up with Maxim and they formed 'Maxim and Sheik YanGroove'. After recording some tracks together without attracting much attention, Maxim left and went on a three-month travel throughout Europe and North Africa. Upon returning to England he moved to London to get involved in the music and reggae scene. [4] His prior stage name, "Maxim Reality", was a reference to his interest in lyrics based on real issues. [3]
Maxim lived near Keith Flint, a fan of Liam Howlett. After convincing Howlett to start a band, Flint recommended Maxim as a manager on the strength of Maxim's experience in the reggae scene and the music contacts he developed. Maxim did not show up at a scheduled meeting but joined them unexpectedly at their next gig, improvising lyrics. [5] After MCing, Maxim contributed lyrics to studio albums after Experience from 1992 (although his vocal contributions were heard in the live track "Death of the Prodigy Dancers" on Experience). Maxim provided lyrics in the single "Poison" from Music for the Jilted Generation (1994), "Breathe" and the canned single release "Mindfields", both from The Fat of the Land (1997). However, Maxim was absent from the Prodigy album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned from 2004; Howlett said he believed the band needed to reinvent itself, without vocals from Flint or Maxim. Despite rumours to the contrary, the band did not break up, though Maxim explored a solo career. [6] On Invaders Must Die , Maxim returned as a vocalist, as the band reverted to its prior way of working. [7]
After the Prodigy's intense touring to support The Fat of the Land, Maxim worked on his solo projects, and in 1998 he released "Dog Day" on the XL Recordings compilation CD Against the Grain, [8] which also featured Howlett's "Dirtchamber Remix" of "Diesel Power" (from The Fat of the Land). Also in 1998, Maxim's cover version of the Rolling Stones' "Factory Girl" was released on the Beggars Banquet compilation CD, 21 Beggars Banquet. [9] On 9 August 1999, Maxim released the EP My Web, which contained five tracks. [10] In 2000, Maxim collaborated with Skin from Skunk Anansie on the song "Carmen Queasy", which remains his biggest solo success, peaking at number 33 on the UK singles chart in June that year. [11] Maxim released a second single, "Scheming", on 11 September 2000, which reached number 53 on the UK singles chart, [11] and released his debut album, Hell's Kitchen , on 2 October 2000. Maxim's second solo album, Fallen Angel, was released in 2005 [12] and spawned one single, "I Don't Care", which failed to chart. The album was released on multiple formats, including a limited-edition CD.
Maxim has performed as a DJ and in 2013 had his first United States DJ tour. He's quoted as saying, "DJing for me is a completely fresh challenge—it gives me the opportunity to play music I’m into. I love the spontaneity, its freestyle form." [13] Maxim's DJing was inspired by trap, and in 2014 he collaborated with Cianna Blaze and producer Blaze Billions to create and release original tracks that he could DJ, released under the name 'We Are Noize'. [14] In an interview, Maxim said that the collaboration was a 'collective', not a new band. [15]
In September 2019, Maxim signed an exclusive global publishing deal with Peermusic that includes their partnership on Maxim's "Red Room Arts" publishing company. [16] In December 2019, Maxim's third solo album Love More was released on the Red Room Arts record label. [17]
Using the pseudonym MM (Double M) [18] for his mixed media artworks made with materials that include items like pills, blades, needles and bullets, [19] Maxim's first exhibition was named "Lepidop Terror" and held in September 2011 at INC Space in London's Covent Garden. [2] [20] [21] Some of his artwork is displayed online at Taylor Barnes Gallery. [22] Maxim has donated pieces of his artwork to fundraising causes including in 2020 the "heART & Soul Auction" [23] for "Arms Around the Child" [24] and the online anti-racism exhibition "United for Change" hosted by Artnet to raise funds for the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust in the UK and "Underground Museum" and "For Freedoms" in the US. [25] [26]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been run and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group.
Liam Paul Paris Howlett is an English record producer, musician, songwriter, co-founder and leader of the British electronic band the Prodigy.
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.
James Donald Davies is the former live and studio guitarist for English band the Prodigy. He is also a former member of Pitchshifter.
"One Love" is a song by British electronic music act the Prodigy, released on 4 October 1993 by XL Recordings as the first single from the act's second album, Music for the Jilted Generation (1994). The song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and number five on the UK Dance Singles Chart. It was also a top 30 hit in Sweden and Switzerland.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
English electronic music group the Prodigy has released seven studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, one mix album, three extended plays, twenty-one singles, and twenty-two music videos. Hailed as pioneers of genres such as rave, techno, and big beat, the group have sold over 20 million albums worldwide. As of 9 November 2018 their UK album sales stood at 4,707,982.
Invaders Must Die is the fifth studio album by English electronic dance music group The Prodigy. The album was released on 23 February 2009 on the band's new record label Take Me to the Hospital, and was distributed by Cooking Vinyl. Although Liam Howlett, Maxim and Keith Flint all contributed material for The Fat of the Land, Invaders Must Die is the first Prodigy record where, given the departure of Leeroy Thornhill, all band members took part in the creative process. It is their first and currently only album to not contain any explicit songs.
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.
World's on Fire is the first live album and second DVD by English electronic dance music band the Prodigy, released on 11 May 2011.
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.
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.
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