Liam Howlett
Encyclopedia
Liam Paris Howlett known as Liam Howlett (born 21 August 1971), is a member of the English
band
The Prodigy
, occasional DJ
, and a music producer.
, Essex
. He was trained in classical piano
from childhood. 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 Humanities College
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 of the band, Liam left Cut 2 Kill and started to write his own music.
He became connected to rave music
and he reportedly went to his first rave in 1989.
approached him and asked whether Liam could do some mixes for him. When Liam had done the mixes he would pass it to Keith. One night, when Keith and Leeroy Thornhill
were returning from a rave, they flipped Liam’s tape onto side B (which was titled "the prodigy" in reference to the Moog synthesizer
used) to find some of Liam's own tracks on it and got completely hooked. They decided to approach Liam and ask him if he wanted to play on stage with Keith and Leeroy dancing at the front of the stage. Liam agreed, and The Prodigy
was born. The Prodigy name came from a synthesizer called a Moog Prodigy
which Liam used in his tracks. Howlett signed to leading UK rave label XL Recordings on the strength of several tracks played to XL boss Nick Halkes
and in 1991 the debut Prodigy single was released.
Liam used to purchase records from a record shop owned by Tim Palmer
, although Liam did not know this prior to the XL meeting. The shop was mainly staffed by Tim Palmer's mother. Liam and his friends would travel into London, where the shop was located, and ask for the most underground of dance tracks, the ones only a dedicated specialist dance DJ would know of, simply to test Tim Palmer's mother. Time after time they would be amazed as she acknowledged the track and handed it over for them to listen to.
' 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 presents Dirtchamber Sessions Volume 1.
In the end of January 2006, a compilation album
titled Back to Mine
: Liam Prodigy was released. It was a collection of Howlett's favorite tunes, including an exclusive Prodigy track called "Wake the Fuck Up", which is 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.
' Natalie Appleton
. Their son, Ace Billy, was born on 2 March 2004. In his spare time, Howlett is fond of snowboarding
. He's a big fan of horror films. Howlett owns a McLaren F1
supercar, one of the 106 ever manufactured.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
, occasional DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, and a music producer.
Life and career
Howlett was born in BraintreeBraintree, Essex
Braintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. He was trained in classical piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
from childhood. 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 Humanities College
Alec Hunter Humanities College
Alec Hunter Humanities College, formerly Alec Hunter School and Alec Hunter High School, is situated in Braintree, Essex. It is a comprehensive school for 11–16 year olds, and has Humanities specialist status.-History:...
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 of the band, Liam left Cut 2 Kill and started to write his own music.
He became connected to rave music
Rave music
Rave music may either refer the late 1980s genre or any genre of electronic dance music that may be played at an electronic dance party such as a rave. Very rarely, the term is used to refer to less electronic related genres glam, powerpop, psychedelic rock and dub music parties...
and he reportedly went to his first rave in 1989.
The Prodigy
On weekends, he went to all the raves and when the clubs closed down in the early morning those ravers went on to party on the beach while Liam played a compilation of the latest rave tracks out of a van. One day, Keith FlintKeith Flint
Keith Charles Flint is a dancer and vocalist of the British Electronica band The Prodigy.- Early life :Flint was born in Redbridge, London, England, to Clive & Yvonne Flint and initially raised in East London; in the mid-1970s his parents moved out to Springfield, Essex, but due to his parents'...
approached him and asked whether Liam could do some mixes for him. When Liam had done the mixes he would pass it to Keith. One night, when Keith and Leeroy Thornhill
Leeroy Thornhill
Leeroy Thornhill is a British electronic music artist and formerly a rave dancer and live keyboardist of the British rave act The Prodigy. He has produced solo work under the names Longman and Flightcrank. He was born in Barking but raised in Rayne near Braintree in Essex, and grew up as a...
were returning from a rave, they flipped Liam’s tape onto side B (which was titled "the prodigy" in reference to the Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
used) to find some of Liam's own tracks on it and got completely hooked. They decided to approach Liam and ask him if he wanted to play on stage with Keith and Leeroy dancing at the front of the stage. Liam agreed, and The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
was born. The Prodigy name came from a synthesizer called a Moog Prodigy
Moog Prodigy
The Moog Prodigy was a synthesizer produced by Moog Music from 1979 to 1984. Of the 11,000 produced, versions released after 1981 included a control voltage/gate input on the back that allowed the VCF of the filter to be triggered and controlled by an external source.These later versions began at...
which Liam used in his tracks. Howlett signed to leading UK rave label XL Recordings on the strength of several tracks played to XL boss Nick Halkes
Nick Halkes
Nick Halkes is a U.K. based music industry executive known for signing and breaking multi-million selling dance act The Prodigy. He is also a part time lecturer on the music industry to BA and MA students at University of Westminster in London.-Career:...
and in 1991 the debut Prodigy single was released.
Liam used to purchase records from a record shop owned by Tim Palmer
Tim Palmer
Tim Palmer is a British music producer, audio engineer and songwriter of rock and alternative music.-1980-1990:Palmer worked as an assistant engineer at Utopia Studios in London, England in the early 1980s...
, although Liam did not know this prior to the XL meeting. The shop was mainly staffed by Tim Palmer's mother. Liam and his friends would travel into London, where the shop was located, and ask for the most underground of dance tracks, the ones only a dedicated specialist dance DJ would know of, simply to test Tim Palmer's mother. Time after time they would be amazed as she acknowledged the track and handed it over for them to listen to.
Other Musical Projects
In 1998, Liam was offered the chance to do a mix for Mary Anne HobbsMary Anne Hobbs
Mary Anne Hobbs is an English DJ and music journalist from Garstang, Lancashire. She launched a new Primetime show on Xfm on 9 July 2011-Early career:...
' 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 presents Dirtchamber Sessions Volume 1.
In the end of January 2006, a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
titled Back to Mine
Back to Mine
Back to Mine is a series of mix albums, usually mixed by renowned DJs or composers of electronic music. The compilations usually feature artists other than the artist compiling the album, and are based on what the artist would play at home after a night out, rather than as part of a nightclub...
: Liam Prodigy was released. It was a collection of Howlett's favorite tunes, including an exclusive Prodigy track called "Wake the Fuck Up", which is 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
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
act Pendulum's
Pendulum (band)
Pendulum is an Australian drum and bass and electronic rock band founded in 2002 in Perth by Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen, and Paul Harding.Swire and McGrillen were members of the rock band known as Xygen. After hearing Konflict's "Messiah" at a club, they were inspired to enter into the drum and...
third album Immersion
Immersion (album)
Immersion is the third studio album from Australian electronic rock/drum & bass band Pendulum. The album was announced in early 2009, with the name being confirmed in December 2009. The album was released 21 May 2010 in Australia and Ireland, and 24 May for the rest of the world, followed by a UK...
, which was released in 2010.
Personal life
On 6 June 2002 Howlett married All SaintsAll Saints (band)
All Saints were a British/Canadian girl group. Founded in 1993 as All Saints 1.9.7.5, the group consisted of founding members Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis, and sisters Nicole Appleton and Natalie Appleton...
' Natalie Appleton
Natalie Appleton
Natalie Jane Appleton Howlett is a Canadian pop singer and actress who rose to fame as a member of the band All Saints. During All Saints' five years of inactivity, she was a member of Appleton with her younger sister Nicole.-Biography:...
. Their son, Ace Billy, was born on 2 March 2004. In his spare time, Howlett is fond of snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
. He's a big fan of horror films. Howlett owns a McLaren F1
McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 is a supercar designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. Originally a concept conceived by Gordon Murray, he convinced Ron Dennis to back the project and engaged Peter Stevens to design the exterior of the car...
supercar, one of the 106 ever manufactured.
External links
- Interview at SuicideGirls.com 25 March 2006