Three decades after its release, “Firestarter” is getting a physical, collectors’ edition once again. XL Recordings has announced an anniversary 12-inch package titled “Firestarter – x30 Vinyl Edition” – black vinyl with a release date set for 13 March 2026 and the catalog number XL1644T. The edition is set to pair the original version with remixes by Andy C and Empirion, plus an instrumental variant.
How “Firestarter” was made
The track was released in March 1996 via XL Recordings as the first single from the album “The Fat of the Land” (1997). The vocal – which became a symbol of an entire era – belonged to Keith Flint. It was his first vocal appearance in the band’s history, and also its most instantly recognizable one.
Sonically, “Firestarter” is a collage – but a precisely controlled one. You can hear a sample from “S.O.S.” by The Breeders, drums based on a remix of “Devotion” by Ten City, and a brief “hey” lifted from “Close (to the Edit)” by Art of Noise.
In practice, this construction did something that still wasn’t obvious in the mid-’90s – it translated rave energy into an aesthetic that made sense to fans of guitars, punk attitude, and a rock “frontman,” without abandoning its breakbeat backbone. This is where The Prodigy made it crystal clear that electronic music can feel “live,” even when it’s built in the studio from samples and sequencers.
Video, controversy, and a UK number one
Chart success only sealed the scale of the phenomenon. “Firestarter” became The Prodigy’s first No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart and – according to Wikipedia – stayed at the top for three weeks. Official Charts confirms this, describing the track as a “three-week chart-topper.”
To this day, it’s hard to separate the song’s impact from its visual identity. The black-and-white video, directed by Walter Stern, was shot in the London Underground (the Aldwych station tunnel). It sparked controversy, and Wikipedia notes that after airing on Top of the Pops it was reportedly banned by the BBC, among other reasons due to viewer complaints.
It was the moment when electronic music stopped being “safe” background for a club night. Suddenly it had a face – and it was a face of provocation. Years later, Official Charts called “Firestarter” one of the band’s most recognizable tracks, also referencing a “flurry of controversy” around the lyrics and the video.
From Essex to icon status
The Prodigy’s story begins in 1990 in Braintree (Essex). From the start, the core of the group was producer and composer Liam Howlett, while the classic ’90s lineup is most closely associated with Keith Flint, Maxim, and Leeroy Thornhill – figures who helped turn a club project into a phenomenon with rock-level intensity and global reach.
A key chapter closed in 2000, when Leeroy Thornhill left the band. Years later, on 4 March 2019, Keith Flint died – one of the most recognizable faces of the British scene of the ’90s, an artist who grew from dancer to the group’s defining front presence. In terms of output, The Prodigy have released seven studio albums, and their discography also includes, among other things, live releases and compilations.
