Bleep

The Prodigy have never been strangers to the UK rave scene, spawning countless imitators in an already meteoric rise throughout the early 90s, but it was 1996's ‘Firestarter’ that crowned them rave royalty, bringing the band international stardom. This was Keith Flint's introduction to the world proper after years spent dancing to Liam Howlett's tunes, and it would cement The Prodigy's position between punk and rave forevermore.

There's a cheeky aspect to ‘Firestarter’, (strike flint with steel to start a fire) a daredevil grin, which is perhaps what helps make its genuine blood pumping energy so widely inviting. Flint's staccato phrases with spitting and barking enunciation make for fast paced action statements, heightening the body quaking bass rushes and breakbeat shrapnel flying around him. The song has found itself everywhere from WipeOut 2097’s soundtrack to Arca and Shayne Oliver’s mixtapes, its labelling as “controversial” by the press only making the public more eager to launch the single to #1 across Europe, and rise from instant gold to double platform status over thirty years.

The track's urgency is amplified in Empirion's mix, detonating a chain reaction of crispy fried bass synths while ping ponging throaty acid stabs cause alarms to sound. The Andy C remix sets those screaming guitars ablaze with molten techstep bass and hard hitting drums on high attack. It's quite stunning how much slower the original track's instrumental that follows is in comparison; tempo is no question when any version of ‘Firestarter’ feels totally exhilarating.

Thirty years later, The Prodigy's ‘Firestarter’ remains one of the UK's favourite musical manifestations of reckless abandon.