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The Prodigy’s Liam Howlett Disses Ultra Gig

Darren Ressler 16 Comments

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After ripping the roof off Roseland in New York City, The Prodigy, who are riding on their new album, Invaders Must Die, flew down to perform at Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Bad weather and flight delays almost caused the revered UK band to miss the gig—something that mastermind Liam Howlett almost wishes had happened. “Ultra didn’t really float my boat, “Howlett tells Big Shot. “We’ve done [Ultra] before, and I really don’t like it.”

Keith Flint had a different take on the show. “It was wicked,” he told Big Shot. “I didn’t see much of the festival. We got delayed coming in from New York, and we went straight onto the stage from the airport. That mission to get onstage is always exciting, especially when it’s a banging show. Miami rocks—they love their dance music. We banged it and it rocked.”

“We’ve done [Ultra] before. I don’t really enjoy it. I didn’t think the crowd was very good. It was very flat. It’s meant to be like a rave or a party, but it was the most unresponsive crowd I’ve ever seen. It was, like, dead. [Miami] is filled with holidaymakers that time of year, innit? I could have a better party in my living room.”

Nonetheless, Howlett says he isn’t planning to rush back to Ultra—or Miami—in the near future. “It’s not my type of thing, you know? We’ve done [Ultra] before. I don’t really enjoy it. I didn’t think the crowd was very good. It was very flat. It’s meant to be like a rave or a party, but it was the most unresponsive crowd I’ve ever seen. It was, like, dead. [Miami] is filled with holidaymakers that time of year, innit? I could have a better party in my living room. It was, like, nothing. I was like, c’mon, c’mon…what the fuck are we doing? You can print me saying this. I don’t give a shit.”

The Prodigy return to the U.S. for an eight-day tour kicking off on May 18th in Washington, DC. Strangely enough, no Miami area dates are on their upcoming itinerary.

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Weeks After Grooverider’s Release, Big Shot Writer Is Detained in Dubai

Darren Ressler 2 Comments

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A month after Grooverider’s release from a Dubai prison, Big Shot‘s UK Editor Oliver Guy-Watkins was detained by airport officials at the country’s international airport. Oliver reports on the scary incident which took place last week.

I happened to be working in Dubai last week…. So my plane touches down with no issue (after flying over Iraq), and I proceeded to baggage claim after being ushered through passport control. As I awaited my bag, there was a tap on my shoulder. A short man in a blue uniform asked if I would let him look in my bag. I said, “Sure.”

After pulling out my camera, books, pants, etc., he begins to run his finger along the lining of the bag. When he pulls out his finger he reveals a small piece of tobacco stuck to the end. “Ah, you smoke,” he said. “Yes, tobacco.”

“Hash.”

“No, no, no.”

But my feeble pleading gets me nowhere, and I quickly found myself in a very small metal room with the clothes I was wearing on the floor. They brought in my hold bag, and began to take everything out. At the bottom they discovered two tiny balls of mud. “See hash, I knew,” said the little man, as another larger guy arrived. They talked briefly in Arabic. Then the larger guy said, “We know what you do. You go to college, you sit around with your friends playing computer games, listening to dance music and smoking weed….”

The short guy has the balls of mud inside my passport and he looks at me to says, “Okay, sir, we test now and arrest…okay?”

I should have really thought my reply here as “I didn’t go to college” wasn’t the response he was looking for. An hour later, after being ushered between various guys who smell the balls of mud and point toward someone else, I found myself back in the baggage claim hall. The short guy has the balls of mud inside my passport and he looks at me to says, “Okay, sir, we test now and arrest…okay?”

No, this was not really okay, and my complexion began to drain.

He began to walk me toward a man I assume is a policeman, then after five steps he stops, turns around, looks me in the eye and says, “I know this is hash.” He then throws the two balls of mud in the bin, gives me my passport and tells me to go. A request I am quite happy to fulfill.

photo by Craig Cowling

Exclusive: Judge Jules Talks New Artist Album, Clothing Line, and Monster Massive Gig in LA

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The last time Big Shot talked with Judge Jules he had signed on as an international ambassador for Amsterdam-based Dance4Life, a nonprofit working to educate young people about this ongoing global HIV/AIDS pandemic. A few weeks later, Jules gave us the exclusive lowdown on his forthcoming second artist album, Bring The Noise, as well as his new clothing line and upcoming gig at Monster Massive in LA.

Big Shot: When was the last time you played LA? What can people expect from your set?

Judge Jules: It’s been a whole year since I last performed on the big stage in LA. Monster Massive is one of those untouchable events that have to be experienced to be believed. The line up for this year’s event is outstanding, and the crowd are in for a really special night. I’m going to be road testing some of my new material from my new album at the event, so expect some hot off the press exclusives that not many people wouldn’t have heard before.

Monster Massive is always such a huge event. Is there a difference in the way you approach big gigs vs. small gigs?

Personally I try to make an impact on people, to leave the crowd feeling excited for what’s coming next. Naturally playing to bigger audiences means you’ve more people to keep involved in the dance floor, although this can sometimes work in your favor. Ultimately it’s important to focusing on what matters, which is playing the right records, generating an aura to the event and exciting the crowd. Putting on a show and giving the audience an experience to remember is the fun part for all events.

What’s your favorite part about playing in LA?

I love coming to LA. As a city, it has an amazing vibrancy to it which is really captured in the night life making it the perfect setting for an event like Monster Massive. As you mentioned, it is always a huge event and a phenomenal experience to be involved in.

Tell us about your forthcoming album.

The album is called Bring the Noise and it’s my second artist album. This [full-length] is a lot different from my previous album [Proven Worldwide]. I’ve collaborated with a few people on this album—most notably Si Paul and Headstrong—but the album consists mostly of solo work. One particular single from the album to look out for is “Judgement Theme”—which is a kind of reflection on the past year in Ibiza. The release date for the album is set for the last week of January 2009 and will be out on Maelstrom Records.

I understand you are involved in a clothing venture with Heroes and Villains. What is your involvement with the brand?

Men’s fashion is something I’m interested in, and I’ve always felt there was a shortage for the male shoppers on the high street. So with this in mind, I put together a selection of offerings that I felt would stand out, whether in a club or as regular day wear, and with the Heroes and Villains team developed them into a clothes range. The side of the brand that I’m involved in is the creative aspect which allows me to develop my ideas and tailor them to my inspirations.

Your Radio 1 show has a devoted global following. How do you keep it fresh?

The bedrock of any dance show is the music, an area which we’ve always worked hard to stay at the front of. It’s about pushing new talent and new music while retaining a familiar nucleus which the audience can associate with. As the majority of shows one does are mixed in a studio environment, we make use of having phone-ins with DJs and promoters, as well as allowing the listeners to do shout-outs. We frequently invite guests on to the show or have guest perform exclusive mixes for us. Another aspect is presenting from outside the studio. Radio 1 has a long history with ‘live’ based shows, something which is a firm favorite with the station’s listenership.

Grooverider Speaks About His Incarceration and Release

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Grooverider has given his first interview to the BBC about his ten months in prison in Dubai.

“I got on a plane to go to Dubai to play a gig. I was picking up my luggage and the customs inspector came over to me and he said, ‘Can I check on your bags?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, of course,’ because I didn’t think nothing was wrong. He checked through my bags and found nothing. He checked through my bags and found nothing. Then he found a bit of dust in the trouser pocket. It was marijuana but it was a very, very small piece. It was just under a joint that was loose in the pocket that had been washed out.”

While under police custody, he said he was allowed to use his cell phone and thought he’d get a slap on the wrist until he met a few fellow Brits in the detention area. “I saw a couple of English guys and they said to me, ‘What are you in for?’ I said, ‘They found a little bit of dust, weed in my pocket. He said, ‘You know you’re going to be here for four years.’ I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’. When I heard four years, I kind of dropped a little bit, I nearly fell on the floor.”

The legendary drum ‘n’ bass DJ said he passed the time by reading and playing chess. Now that he’s a free man, Grooverider is eager to return to DJing and making music.