The Prodigy - No Tourists Review

When one considers the varying degrees and sub genres of electronic music and mainstream EDM nowadays, it’s hard not to remember one of the style’s most famous originators, The Prodigy. With early hits with undoubted club energy and aggressive poise, such as "Smack My Bitch Up" and "Firestarter", there’s certainly a style of hardcore acid synth rave which The Prodigy made their own, and which still sounds good to this day, even when considering that their first album was released over a quarter century ago. As music evolved and became more diverse electronically over the decades, The Prodigy have kept with the times and evolved their sound, keeping it current, even into the later 2010’s.

The artwork features a London bus, with the title of the album printed on the front, as well as the next stop, The Four Aces, which just so happens to be the location of The Prodigy’s first live show. This apparent throwback pays tribute to their roots, and as a result, No Tourists functions as a vehicle to transport newcomers and hardcore fans alike to the definitive 90’s sound that The Prodigy pioneered, but with a fresh coat of 2018. Much of the music calls back and pays tribute to some of their older songs, with their infectious blend of EDM/hip-hop vocal cuts, heavy metal acid synths and bombastic drum and bass and half step beats. Cut to a surprisingly short runtime of 38 minutes, No Tourists succeeds in creating a tight mix of banging dance tracks to drop on any dance floor or car system, and runs the risk of getting repeated playthroughs by any fans of electronic dance music.

The album's opener, “Need Some1”, introduces listeners, and anyone uninitiated, to The Prodigy’s synth heavy dance groove, interspersed with a 90’s style female vocal sample, singing “I need someone!”, overall sounds turn of the century and 2018 at the same time. Followed up with "Light Up The Sky", The Prodigy bring in their famous acid synth sound heard through much of their previous work. The title track ups the ante even more, and again with its followup, "Fight Fire With Fire". These high energy, booming tracks were clearly tooled for their live show, and their world tour this year, but each hip-hop, drum n bass, and rave infused track also has the right amount of breaks and hooks to keep EDM fans listening over and over.

No Tourists might have some of the same ideas from previous releases, and The Prodigy might not be breaking new ground per se, but when they want to pay tribute to when and where they got started, one can't ask for much more, especially when the album serves up some masterfully woven dance tracks to enjoy in headphones, car systems, or nights out partying. The Prodigy are clearly masters of their craft and are not going anywhere.

No Tourists - 8/10

Recommended Tracks: Need Some1, Timebomb Zone, Resonate