In the late 90s and early 2000s, electronic music experienced a brief but influential revival on US airwaves, championed by the big beat sounds of Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy and others – each of whom’s aggressive approach to dance music took our popular culture by storm. Not only were the tracks some of the most iconic of the time, but their music videos were equally influential – allowing the big beat sound to infect airwaves and television sets alike. The charm of this era of dance music speaks to most dance music fans – it sparks nostalgia for a simpler time, when the parties were deeper, the beats bigger, and the scene much more authentic. We’ve put together our 10 favorite big beat songs and their accompanying videos after the break, so grab your weapon of choice, find your head, start a fire or two and then let forever be – these are the Dancing Astronaut‘s Top 10 Block Rockin’ Big Beat Music Videos.
Released as The Prodigy‘s ninth single back in 1995, “Poison” was one of the stand out tracks off Music for the Jilted Generation and further reaffirmed that Liam Howlett is, in fact, god. Built from an array of samples deftly reconstructed by Howlett into a strange amalgamation of big beat vibes and infectious drum rolls “Poison” remains one of our favorite early The Prodigy tracks. Aided only by a hardware synth and not computer software, Howlett warped and distorted a variety of classic samples into one of the most iconic dance tracks of the Nineties. If uninspired electronica is your poison, then The Prodigy has the remedy.
The lineup for this year’s Creamfields UK festival in Daresbury is out. Major headline shows include an exclusive set from The Prodigy, along with Eric Prydz, Avicii, David Guetta, Richie Hawtin and Loco Dice, and many more. There will be individual stages for big chunk of dance music’s biggest labels and party brands: Pryda Friends (with Marco Carola, Adam Beyer, Maceo Plex), Size Matters, Anjnabeats, Annie Mac Presents, All Gone Pete Tong, Hed Kandi, Club Life, and pretty much all Radio 1 DJs. Even the silent disco lineup is stacked with Russ Chimes, Shadow Child, Duke Dumont, and Deniz Koyu.
The festival season in Australia is just picking up, and Avicii has snatched up the headlining spot at the EDM Stage at the touring Future Music Festival, set to kick off Saturday, March 2nd in Brisbane. The festival, hitting all major Australian cities throughout March, already has a large and diverse lineup but Avicii’s announcement is considered to be another cherry on top of this Aussie sundae for fan’s of his catchy and danceable productions from over the last several years. The full lineup includes heavy hitters like The Prodigy, The Stone Roses, Richie Hawtin, Boys Noize, Hardwell,Sven Väth, Cosmic Gate, and Madeon to name a few. For full lineup, tickets, dates, and more announcements head here.
On the heels of last month’s Zeds Dead and Noisiaremixes of The Prodigy, OWSLA-adept Alvin Risk has reworked “Firestarter,” the iconic track off of The Prodigy’s fabled third album The Fat of the Land. Preserving the gothic overtone of the legendary single, Alvin Risk ramps up the tempo to 170bpm for a drumstep/drum ‘n’ bass production just as menacing as the original. The Prodigy’s influence on Alvin Risk is quite clear, and thus it only makes sense that he pays tribute to the famed group by remixing one of their biggest singles. Risk’s remix is part of the official reissue of The Fat of the Land, released on XL Recordings.
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The Prodigy, the hard-electro innovators who produced the legendary album The Fat of the Land in 1997, celebrate its 15th anniversary with a reissue. This time the originals will be accompanied by remixes from some of 2012′s biggest names and the latest are from Zeds Dead and Noisia.
In anticipation of the rerelease, XL Records released an EP with a sneak-peek into the remixes. Noisia starts off the 2-part compilation with a remix of the long-lived “Smack My Bitch Up,” giving the track a sharper drum & bass edge. Zeds Dead rework “Breathe” another one of The Prodigy‘s biggest tunes, deconstructing the track entirely to recreate a dark vibrating electro beat. Keeping the original instrumental hook and a vocal sample, ZD remix “Breathe” into a club banger without losing its original eerie vibes.
The reissue of The Fat of the Land is due December 3 and will also include remixes from the likes of Major Lazer, Alvin Risk and Baauer.
i and AN21 collaborate a massive track is created. “Smack My Bitch Up!” is their new bootleg they have created together which is an excellent one indeed. Brand New! N-Joy!
