The Prodigy nearly became trapped by their first hit single back in 1991. Charly used a sample from a children's safety cartoon that featured a talking cat warning kids about dangers. The song reached number three on UK charts and helped bring underground rave music to mainstream radio audiences.
Band leader Liam Howlett worried about getting stuck making similar tracks with cartoon samples. He spent his earnings from Charly on better studio equipment like a Roland mixer and drum machines. The new gear helped him create their debut album Experience with more sophisticated sounds.
Howlett moved away from obvious sample hooks after Charly's success. He found inspiration outside the rave scene and focused on original drum programming. The album version of Charly featured less prominent cartoon samples and stronger beats.
The famous hoover bassline came from Joey Beltram's track Mentasm. Beltram revealed he made the sound using a Juno-2 synthesizer run through a sampler. The B-side track Your Love proved more durable than the novelty hit over three decades later.
Band leader Liam Howlett worried about getting stuck making similar tracks with cartoon samples. He spent his earnings from Charly on better studio equipment like a Roland mixer and drum machines. The new gear helped him create their debut album Experience with more sophisticated sounds.
Howlett moved away from obvious sample hooks after Charly's success. He found inspiration outside the rave scene and focused on original drum programming. The album version of Charly featured less prominent cartoon samples and stronger beats.
The famous hoover bassline came from Joey Beltram's track Mentasm. Beltram revealed he made the sound using a Juno-2 synthesizer run through a sampler. The B-side track Your Love proved more durable than the novelty hit over three decades later.
