The Prodigy

The Prodigy formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990, built around producer, keyboardist and songwriter Liam Howlett, with dancers Keith Flint and Leeroy Thornhill alongside him and MC Maxim fronting the live show. They came out of the underground rave scene and had early hits in 1991 with "Charly" and "Everybody in the Place", both UK top five singles. Howlett calls their sound electronic punk, and they are regarded as pioneers of big beat and breakbeat hardcore.

Experience arrived in 1992, followed by Music for the Jilted Generation in 1994, where techno and breakbeat took over from the rave roots. The Fat of the Land (1997) is the one to start with: it reached No. 1 in 16 countries, including the UK and US, and brought the UK chart-toppers "Firestarter" and "Breathe". Later albums include Invaders Must Die and The Day Is My Enemy. Flint died in 2019, leaving Howlett and Maxim to carry on.