Electronic Sound May 2015 (Regular Edition) | Page 17

THE FIRST LIAM HOWLETT INTERVIEW
The first interview with Liam Howlett in the music press was published in
Melody Maker in August 1991, around the time of the release of ‘Charly’.
The short piece was written by Electronic Sound editor PUSH
“A lot of my friends have told me that
they think the new single will get into
the Top 40 but I hope they’re wrong,”
says Liam Howlett, the brains behind
The Prodigy. “It’s not that I don’t ever
want to be successful, it’s just that I’d
rather continue to be an underground
act for another two or three records and
work on expanding a hardcore following.
The reason so many dance groups are
sitting in the charts one week and then
completely forgotten the next is because
they have no real foundation. The last
think I want is for The Prodigy to be a
one hit wonder.”
Whether he likes it or not, Liam’s friends
may well be right. The single in question
is ‘Charly’, one of the most ingenious and
infectious rave tunes you’ll try to break
your neck to this summer. The hard
and fast breakbeats are a clue to Liam’s
former role as a DJ with London rappers
Cut 2 Kill, the orchestrated keyboards
reflect his admiration for the new wave

of Belgian beat masters, and the samples
are instantly recognisable. First there’s
the sound of a cat angrily miaowing and
then comes the sad little boy’s voice:
“Charly says always tell your mother
before you go off somewhere”.

has performed at countless raves up and
down the country. He insists on as much
of the show as possible being live and
is usually joined onstage by an MC, a
couple of percussionists and two madcap
dancers.

“Yeah, I’m sure everybody will remember
that television advert from when they
were kids,” says Liam. “It used to be
on every Saturday morning without fail.
The samples have certainly helped the
track take off, but because I don’t want
it to be seen as a novelty record I’ve
made sure that the tracks on the flip are
radically different. ‘Pandemonium’ is a
fairly straightforward hardcore tune while
a piano and snatches of vocals give ‘Your
Love’ a more uplifting, melodic feel.”

“We work our live show along the same
lines as N-Joi and Shades Of Rhythm,
both of whom I have great respect for.
It’s a shame that more dance acts don’t
think about that side of things instead of
just aimlessly wandering about the stage.
Even when I’m not actually playing, I go
to a lot of raves and I’m forever hearing
people moan when a PA is announced.
On the other hand, because I am a raver,
I know what they want to see and hear,
and I’ll often come home from a night
out and feel inspired to switch on the
keyboards and the computer and start to
work. The Prodigy is basically all about
getting the buzz of a rave onto vinyl.”

Signed to XL Recordings at the end of
last year, ‘Charly’ is the long-awaited
follow-up to The Prodigy’s acclaimed
‘What Evil Lurks’ EP. In the six months
or so since the latter was released, Liam