How The Prodigy changed the way I see music (A tribute to Keith Flint)

How The Prodigy changed the way I see music

A tribute to Keith Flint

Today, death unfortunately caught up to another superstar. Keith Flint, the clown-haired mastermind and vocalist for punk-rave pioneers The Prodigy has passed away, age 49.

With the group releasing their latest record No Tourists only back in November of last year, I can imagine that this must've been very sudden to a lot of people. And looking back on it now, I definitely don't think I'd be nearly as much of a creative person and have such a diverse palette for different genres if it weren't for Mr Flint and The Prodigy. The overall craziness of their aesthetic was one of the few musical things to really wow me as a kid.

The first track I remember listening to from The Prodigy was either "Firestarter" and "Breathe". It's still quite foggy as to which one I liked first, but one thing I do remember clearly was that I seemed to like both for the same reasons. Both had a wretched and poisonous energy to them and had some very grizzly music videos (which seemed very important at the time when I look back on it).

As well as my childhood, The Prodigy seemed to make up quite a chunk of my teenhood as well. I remember listening to "Invaders Must Die" to accompany the Call Of Duty matches I had with an old friend of mine. I remember going H.A.M to "Voodoo People" at house parties and I remember the release of their sixth LP The Day Is My Enemy which happened to be released around the same time as my 18th birthday (theres no need to stress the details on how that went). Needless to say however, The Prodigy makes up part of the soundtrack of my life. And I am sure that many a fan and music lover alike feel the same way.

What has interested me today is that I have heard a few people thank The Prodigy for being their gateway to dance music especially. But with me, it is slightly different. 

I am starting to believe that I may have The Prodigy and Keith Flint especially to thank for getting me into heavy music and maybe even Punk as well. Listening to a chart topper like this as a kid was just what the doctor ordered when it came to bridging that gap between my initial taste for conventional (dance) music and the "darker side".

Going back to the visuals of their music videos, they did scare me slightly as a kid at first glance. But eventually it became something that I became more and more intrigued in. There was something about the videos and the music as well that I remember just sounded so exciting. It felt it in my soul, like I shouldn't be listening to music like this, like I wasn't supposed to, like I wasn't allowed to. But that just made me want to listen to it so much more.

And what this has turned me into is a far more open-minded individual, not only when it comes to music but life in general, in my understanding of different people. It made me accept the quirkier people far easier. And I think acceptance today feels oddly scarce and abundant all at once, and I would wager that part of this abundance is thanks to this magnificent group and the magnificent man who led the way.

Thank you Keith Flint, for everything.

And thank you reader for going through what was essentially me rambling. But either way, I hope you enjoyed the read. If you'd like to see my review for their most recent (and potentially last) album No Tourists, Click Here

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