In preparation for the next Audio Fundamentals session, I was asked to find an example of Laptop Performance or Turntablism.  

Liam Howlett – The Prodigy 

The Prodigy are an electronic music group formed in 1990 and emerged from the UK rave scene. The Prodigy consists of Liam Howlett who writes the music and fronted by MC and later vocalist Maxim (other previous members include dancer Leeroy Thornhill 1990-2000 and Keith Flint, dancer and frontman 1990-2019). Unlike a lot of other rave acts, The Prodigy have always performed live. At first Liam Howlett performed live with Drum Machines, Keyboards and MIDI Keyboards triggering samplers to recreate the songs live. In more recent years with advancements in technology, Liam Howlett has changed his live setup. Instead of using physical samplers, he triggers samples using MIDI keyboards and controllers connected to a laptop. As seen in this photo of Liam Howletts live setup from 2013, where he has a laptop running Ableton Live.

Here is some footage of the Prodigy performing later in the same year.