Maxim - My Web EP

This raw, five-track release marked the beginning of Maxim’s true solo voice. The side that had been simmering just behind The Prodigy fire.

What started as a limited 10" promo quickly became the spark for everything that followed. Recorded entirely at Maxim's own Red Room studio and produced by Maxim himself under Six Finger Productions, the EP features vocals mixed by Liam Howlett on the title track.

This was Maxim at his most unfiltered: quiet, menacing, and hypnotic. Delivering his signature "obscure fucked-up music with lyrics on it" vibe, the EP showcases an artist stepping out of the arena shadow to create purely for himself.

Tracklist breakdown

• Pissed – A raw and explosive opener that sets the tone instantly.
• My Web – The crown jewel where Maxim steps fully into his alter-ego. The lyrics hit like a storm:

  Distort your mind, corrupt children of all kinds / Your intellect I deform and warp… Caught up in my web, you got me caught up in your head

• My Web (Instrumental) – Pure, menacing atmosphere.
• Sin City – Dark, heavy, and driven by sample cuts.
• Paranoid – A dark and relentless track sampling Worried Life Blues by The Animals and Darondo.

Original 10" promo release letter

The following text is taken directly from the promo letter included with select copies of the original 10" release:

Maxim has spent much of the 1990s touring the globe with Prodigy, and as the millions who has seen the band will confirm, his stage presence - all concentraded ferocity and risk-taking showmanship - is the streamlined propulsion unit of the Prodigy live experience. But while his destinctive vocals have added a taste of moody precision to classic cuts like "Poison", "Breathe" and "Mindfields", there's allways been another side to Maxim which the Prodigy live shows only hints at.

My Web provides a few more clues. It's an introducition to the music that he's been working on in scare Prodigy downtime for many years, and which, in 1999, he's finally had time to devote himself to proberly. Taut, introspective, atmospheric and sparsely funky, the tracks on the EP provide a stark contrast to the explosive pulgist who stalks Prodigy's stages. The twitchy beats reveal a love of underground while the artful use of samples and abstract noice are testament to both ample programming and a good dose of dark imagination.

The legacy

My Web wasn’t a commercial push—it was Maxim speaking to himself, creating for the pure joy of the craft. That same uninhibited ethos laid the groundwork for his 2000 debut album Hell’s Kitchen, which spawned the UK Top 40 hits "Carmen Queasy" (UK #33) and "Scheming" (UK #53).

Today, My Web stands as a vital bridge between Maxim’s Prodigy legacy and his evolution as a solo artist.

This EP is an introduction to a few of the elements that make up my musical taste… The track ‘My Web’ is an alter ego talking to me.
— Maxim

A rare glimpse into the real Maxim—the one who makes music for the craft, not the charts.

My Web EP
(August 9th 1999, XL-Recordings 2 * 10" XLT 108)
A1. 00:00 My Web
A2. 00:00 My Web (Instrumental)
B1. 00:00 Sin City
B2. 00:00 Paranoid

My Web EP
(August 9th 1999, XL-Recordings XLS 108 CD)
01. 01:20 Pissed
02. 04:32 My Web
03. 04:33 My Web (Instrumental)
04. 04:04 Sin City
05. 04:12 Paranoid

My Web EP
(1999, Cutting Edge CTCR-17067)
01. 01:20 Pissed
02. 04:32 My Web
03. 04:33 My Web (Instrumental)
04. 04:04 Sin City
05. 04:12 Paranoid

The credits says:
All tracks written and produced by Maxim at the red room for six finger productions.
Track 2 vocals mixed by L. Howlett.
Track 4 contains samples from: Worried life blues by The Animals. Included courtesy of EMI records limited.
Let my people go by Darando.
All rights reserved. Made in England. Distributed by Vital.
The copyright to this recording is owned by XL recordings limited.
(P) and (C) XL recordings ltd 1999.
(XL address)
Photography: Colin Hawkins (flies) and Steve Gullick (hands).
Art direction and design: Alex Jenkins