The Prodigy: Their Law- The Singles 1990-2005 (XL)
release: February 28, 2006


In 1997-98 the Prodigy were kicking serious ass (more so, of course, in the UK). The videos were dope, Fat of the Land was bursting with big-beating energy and its shows (two manic vocalists in front and two dudes programming the music in the back) was genius. This two-cd set captures all of that and then some. Only thing is, you gotta pretend that much of this is not semi-dated. Fatboy Slim, Crystal Method, Orbital and a few other '90s electronic dance artists are now suffering from a lack of evolution and changing trends. What (almost completely) saves the Prodigy from that fate is that their music was darker and more intense than Fatboy or Chemical Brothers. Hits "Breathe", "Firestarter" and "Smack My Bitch Up" all still hold up well and will get club kids on the dancefloor, but dizzying cuts like "Out of Space" and "Voodoo People" unavoidably belong to the rave/techno culture of the '90s, given the loopy looping vocals and ultra-high pitched orchestra hits. Still, this thorough collection, which includes remixes, live and a few unreleased tracks, is an essential page in electronic music history. -Kenyon

Notes: Comes with photo booklet. DVD of the same title, with videos and concert footage, will be released the same day. Select dates in the US include March 22 @Nokia Theatre, New York.