The Prodigy’s Keith Flint dies. The music community remembers a rave icon. Musicians Mental health is back in the spotlight.
RIP Keith Flint. In news that shocked and saddened the music world, it was reported that Prodigy singer Keith Flint died, age 49. The singer was found at his home in Essex on Monday, and Liam Howlett, who formed the Prodigy in 1990, wrote on Instagram that Flint had taken his own life. Tributes poured in from all over the music world, as artists like The Black Madonna, Skrillex and Pete Tong shared memories across social media. The singer was a rave icon known for his intense, punk rock look and wild stage presence, and with The Prodigy, achieved major chart success. All seven of the group’s albums reached number one in the UK, and hit singles like 1996’s “Firestarter” and “Breathe” helped introduce the hardcore rave sound to a generation.
Musicians mental health.With the death of Keith Flint reported by Liam Howlett as a suicide, many musicians and industry members are urging anyone in need reach out for help. One such resource available to those working in the music industry is Music Minds Matter, which offers support, help, or someone to listen. Music Minds Matter has been supporting UK musicians for almost 100 years, and understands the complexities of working in such a volatile industry. If you or know someone you know needs help, visit Music Minds Matter on the web or call them at 808 802 8008.
Remembering Flint. Articles remembering The Prodigy frontman have come from all corners of the media. The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis remembers Keith Flint as “the neon demon who started a fire under British pop,” while Billboard runs down 8 of The Prodigy’s best performances. Dance music writer and historian Bill Brewster remembers Flint as “delivering a furious new type of dance music” for Mixmag, while Will Lynch remembers the rave icon in a touching piece for RA, complete with videos charting the group’s evolution and other early and rare highlight reels. The Prodigy have also announced that all of the band’s gigs are cancelled in the wake of Flint’s death.
A good Cause. In honour of the late Keith Flint, London club The Cause is hosting a fundraiser party on March 16th to raise awareness for mental health and depression. Nebula 2, Nookie & MC Five Alive, Billy Nasty, Slipmatt, Ellis Dee, Jason Warlock and NVWLS will play the event. And all of the evening’s profits from tickets and bar sales be split between charities Mind in Haringey and The CALMzone. Male suicide is the single largest killer of men under 45 in the UK, and anyone needing help should reach out to either charity. Find out more info about the event and both campaigns here.
303 Day surprise. On March 3rd, otherwise known by acid fans as 303 Day — in honour of Roland’s iconic TB-303 bass synthesizer — the Japanese company added a virtual 303 to the Roland Cloud subscription service as part of The Roland Cloud Techno Suite. The 303 joins other iconic Roland products, including the TR-808, TR-909, SH-101, Juno 106, and Jupiter-8, and the cloud version of the 303 will feature 36 acid patterns with 8 variations for big possibilities. Other cloud features include expanded sequencer view, extra patch memory and FX options like drive and delay. However, the virtual 303 will feature the same layout and interface of the hardware version. Roland Cloud runs £18.50 a month. Check their full catalogue here.
Arena closes. Berlin’s Arena club is closing next month for renovations. However the future of the space as a club — which hosted nights by Dystopian, Live From Earth, Aufnahme and others — remains unclear. Arena’s marketing manager Julian Kraske said the club will be “made fancy” and converted into a space available for hire and commercial events during renovations, according to Electronic Beats. The closure of Arena follows last week’s news that Berlin’s Farbfernseher will close in May. More here.
25 years on. This month marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works Volume II, a seminal album that many have remarked changed the course of electronic music. While ambient was mostly filled with airy Eno-esque works, Richard D. James barreled into the genre with a much darker and more disturbing album, which many at the time weren’t sure whether or not should be taken seriously. The album has since been etched into the annals of music history as one of the greatest ambient works of all time. In celebration, RA have provided a retrospective review of the LP, and Crack have interviewed artists like Nina Kraviz, Silent Servant, Object Blue and others on the enduring legacy of Aphex Twin. Check out this excellent article from Crack Magazine here.
Rent to own. Splice have teamed up Arturia to offer their latest plugin Pigments as a rent to own. If you don’t get on with it, you can cancel the subscription. Simple! Learn more here.