The Prodigy x Bobby Nio: Collab Story
After drawing inspiration from collaborating with guest artists on The Prodigy’s ‘Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned’, Liam Howlett continued his search for fresh talent in the years following its release. During this period, he crossed paths with Bobby Nio. Together, they recorded several tracks — enough to fill at least an EP — but none of them ever saw the light of day. All Souvenirs recently spoke with Bobby himself, and today we’ll dive into the story of this previously unknown collaboration with Master H.
Rumour has it that the mixed success of ‘Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned’ prompted Liam to consider producing for side artists while simultaneously working on material for the next Prodigy album — a move similar to what big-name artists/producers like, for example, Dr Dre have done. One of the artists who caught his attention during this creative phase was Bobby Nio, a promising young musician with a talent for seamlessly blending genres.
By that time, Bobby had already worked with renowned figures in the music industry, including Sugababes, Kraak & Smaak, and Mark Brydon of Moloko. At just 18, Nio was signed to the UK label Echo, home to acts like Feeder and Moloko. His releases during this period, such as ‘Music Ain’t Dead,’ ‘Rago,’ and ‘I Do Me,’ achieved notable success, topping the BBC 1Xtra charts. Bobby also collaborated with grime heavyweights like Skepta and Jammer, solidifying his street credibility in the UK scene.
Bobby also collaborated with All Saints, who were being produced at the time by Karl ‘K-Gee’ Gordon, a close friend of Liam Howlett. As many know, All Saints vocalist Natalie Appleton is Liam’s wife, making it likely that this tightly connected circle is how Bobby and Liam first crossed paths.
Neko: “Another one by JJapart from the Earthbound releases, did you ever release any others as white labels?”
LH: “That is for me to know. The answer is yes, but I’m not going to tell no one about that. They are not big tracks, but there is one other white label out there that people will know, but wont know its me”
In fact, Liam had already attempted something similar around that time, producing a track for All Saints under the pseudonym Nicky Santoro. By the spring of 2006, however, he was no longer keeping these plans a secret, as they began to take on a more concrete shape.
Daniel Robert Epstein: “What are you doing today, press?”
Liam Howlett: I’m in the studio”
DRE: What are you working on?”
LH: New album, side projects, different shit”
DRE: A solo album?”
LH: Not a solo album. Production on another vocalist”
DRE: Can you say who?”
LH: It’s top secret”
Liam eventually shifted his focus to the upcoming release of ‘Invaders Must Die’, and the British equivalent of Spank Rock was never destined to happen…
Despite the setback, Bobby retained numerous demos and instrumentals from those sessions. Some tracks remain unfinished, while others, like ‘Show Me’ and ‘Hot,’ eventually leaked online in 2019, years after their creation. Reflecting on it all, Bobby noted, “It’s a shame the music didn’t get released, I felt we ignited something exciting.” One of Bobby’s most recent projects is the album C U NEXT TUESDAY IN THE MATRIX, released in 2020. It’s available on Spotify, iTunes, and other music platforms.
Headmaster: SIXSHOT, SPLIT
Additional thanks to: Bobby Nio
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