Leeroy Thornhill – another dance music true hero steps up to the plate. Say hello to The Prodigy prodigy…
Hi pal. Brought up in Essex, got into James Brown as a teenager listening on your stereo, joined The Prodigy… erm – a bit of a journey to begin your musical life! Tell us about The Prodigy era – you were one of the most amazing dance bands of all time – what were your highlights – that you can remember?
“The time I had with The Prod was awesome, we rocked every place we went to. We started out just playing the parties we used to go, to then it all kicked off and then we were one of the best live acts around. I think the band was ground breaking. Liam is a genius when it comes to music and we all knew what vibe and energy we wanted to portray. For me personally, there were so many highlights, playing in Red Square Moscow was mad, there was so many people, the soldier’s who were acting as security didn’t know how to deal with it when it kicked off. Playing as surprise guests at the Oasis gig at Knebworth w as also class again – so many people and an amazing atmosphere. Its hard to single out many separate occasions, there were so many. We got to play gigs with and met so many cool people, the likes of Bowie, Chili Peppers, Foo fighters, Wu Tang Clan and so many other bands we were in to. The Nineties produced some top bands and I am proud to have been part of them.”
Charly Says’ and the album ‘The Fat Of The Land’ – quintessentially, tunes of the rave era – what were the thoughts behind the single and album?
“At the time of Charly Says, we were all out partying every week and Liam just thought the Charly sample would do a few heads-in, any one who was young at the time would remember the advert and was likely to be out raving. But I still believe ‘Your Love’ was the strongest track on the EP and that’s why ‘Charly’ did so well. The Experience album reflects where we were at the time, out at raves listening to a good mixture of music. You could here every genre of dance music – it was about the tempo, all different styles together. ‘Jilted Generation’ was the start of a change for us, and rock sounds started to get incorporated, we were playing at as many festivals as we were raves and it was a natural progression. ‘The Fat of the Land’ took the rock element to the next stage, although we never lost the dance elements.”
What clubs/festivals/parties are fond memories from back in the day?
“The Barn in Braintree was where it all started for me, top nights always had top named DJs and bands, Adamski at The Barn is still one of my best nights ever. Raindance, Perception, Rage at Heaven, the Astoria – proper good nights out. Never any trouble people were just out to dance.”
What DJs rocked your boat then – and now?
“I was into Carl Cox Mickey Finn, Mr. C, Frankie Bones, Lenny D, DJ Hype – there were loads. I preferred it when DJs played for the crowd. As soon as everyone started playing dub plates I think it started to go downhill – you ended up going out and not knowing any of the tunes. Now I am into more of the breaks DJs as that is what I hear more than anything. Marten Hoerger from Germany, Krafty Kuts, DJ Hyper – you know?”
What was it like living in a windmill?
“Yeah the windmill is cool, its great having an old house, but the upkeep can be a pain in the arse.”
What made you leave the band in 2000?
“I left the band because it was the right time, we had been touring ‘Fat of The Land’ for so long – we never had time to stop and write music. I had had enough of touring, living out of a case for 10 years was enough for me. I didn’t have the same buzz for it any more. Also as a band it had to go in a new direction again and the vocal element was becoming more prominent than the dance element, so we all decided it was the right time to call it a day.”
You then went on to make various EPs under the guises of Longman, Flightcrank – was the idea then to just set out on your own?
“After the band I wanted to experiment with lots of things in music and TV. Music is one of my passions and I wanted to play around with some vocals just for a change from the dance thing. It was a learning process…”
You played out at the Premier All Stars Celebrity Football Match for Arsenal – was football something you considered over music ever?
“I always wanted to play football and a few of the mates I played with went on to be Pros, but I feel I could have played at some level. I was too old by the time the band started, football clubs were looking for kids. But I got to wear the Arsenal kit, play and score at Highbury and meet and play with some class players.”
After three single releases so far this year, there are new projects and releases coming in the near future. You’ve teamed up with Marten Hoerger from Germany’s Boogie Army to form Smash Hifi. How did this all come about?
“I started a digital label this year called Electric Tastebuds. I wanted to be able to put out music, quite quickly after it was finished – sometimes it can take so long to put out a track you don’t feel it as much as when you wrote it. The first single release ‘Feel Da Breaks’ was a collaboration with Jamie Smart (Empirion) – I have always been into working with other people. I have been Djing with Marten for around 5 years and I rate him as a DJ and really liked the music he was making with Boogie Army. We decided to get into the studio and get writing, so that was how Smash Hifi came about. The first release ‘Everything You Need’ is out November and has been dropping well in the clubs, with the second single well under way – we will eventually get going on an album…”
You have another new project, Jagged Slap with Joe Morena, who blimey, remixed for Simply Red once. First single ’10 Pence Short’ that has a pulsing remix from the Wrongstars that is sure to get the dancefloors jumping… it seems music is just in your blood…
“Jo has worked with many artists and used to work at The Strongroom Studio and again with Jagged Slap, collaborating brings another sound to what you achieve on your own – its just a buzz to be creating music and knowing it will get released and heard – that is why we do it. I met the Wrongstars at a gig and I liked their sound, so we swapped remixes, they have done a great job and I hope to work with them again. That’s the great thing about the breaks scene, so many of the artists are into working together.”
What’s next for the big man in dance music?
“I’m still DJing all over the planet and having a good time doing it. I’m really into the music again, so plenty more of that to come. Studio wise im just finishes a remix for Shahin Badar. I’m also working on the next singles for both new projects, and I hope to get a few more collaborations and remix going with the likes the Drumattic Twins and Jay Stewart. The new Hyper Album ‘Suicide Tuesday’ is out October and I have worked with Guy again and I’ve done vocals on a few of the tracks. Also I’m just looking to slowly build up the label with some quality toons, and see where it goes…”
