"Out of Space"

The Prodigy - Out of Space (1992)

Early stuff by The Prodigy. Who knew? British dance/rave fans, that's who.



Stretching the limits of what I find to be good music, this five minute long mix of a few samples, a few beats, and a few really annoying sounds is the just about the crystal center of what the British rave scene was all about in 1992. At this point in their career, The Prodigy was basically one guy doing production, and two guys dancing on stage. It wasn't until later that the dancers began singing and playing instruments, so this is all sampled vocals, created drum loops, and found sounds all done up by Liam Howlett.

The first minute actually sounds spacey. Orchestral synth chords are paired with a sound that I think may be a circus organ setting. Then the beats drop in and we've got a very forgettable, but danceable track. Then the song drastically shifts and we get the second section. A Reggae song loop, different drum beats and a really annoying spring "boing" sound. Then, just when you think nothing could be more annoying the first section starts again, this time with vocals sampled in from a Kool Keith song and a squeaking sound that grates on your ears worse than the "boing" though that sound continues as well. The song continues, but really, you've heard it all by this point. There are more sounds added, and the drum loops are actually fairly cool, but the two annoying sounds absolutely kill any enjoyment of this track outside of it's intended time and audience.