Hong Kong fans of British electronic-punk pioneers The Prodigy are in mourning after the death of the band’s frontman, Keith Flint. The singer, 49, was found dead at his home in England’s southeast county of Essex on Monday after reportedly committing suicide. The Prodigy have a huge following in Hong Kong and performed live in the city twice – in Kowloon Bay’s Kitec centre in 1998 and at the Clockenflap festival in 2017. One of their most passionate Hong Kong fans is celebrated local DJ Janette Slack, who was hugely inspired by the 1998 Prodigy show she caught as a teenager. “I first got into The Prodigy when I was 13 when I fell in love with [early albums] ‘Experience’ and ‘Music for the Jilted Generation’. Coming from an alternative music background, they were my gateway into dance music,” she says. Who shall I be today? The many faces of DJ Janette Slack “Sadly I wasn’t around for the Clockenflap event they performed at, but I’m really pleased I got to experience seeing them when I was a kid as that seems to have had quite a lasting effect. Seeing Keith walk on stage and grab the crowd by the balls with his presence was pure magic. I’ve always enjoyed seeing Prodigy crowds just lose control in the mosh pit yet still come together. It’s an exhilarating experience. “I’ve only heard good things about Keith. Everyone says he was a true gent and a very kind man, which is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.” Another long-term local fan of Flint is Justin Sweeting, music director of Clockenflap festival organiser Magnetic Asia, who booked The Prodigy as the festival’s Saturday night headliners in 2017. “Keith was the ‘fire-starter’ – an icon and true original,” Sweeting says. “The Prodigy changed the shape and scope of dance music by bringing the spirit of punk rock to rave culture. You only have to look at their status as consistent festival headliners throughout their long career as testament to their continued relevance and what they mean to their fans across the globe. “Offstage and in person he was disarmingly charming and was the consummate gentleman in my brief interactions with him. It’s sad news and, while his music and influence lives on, we can be thankful that we were able to witness him in his element.”