David Holmes (musician)

See David Holmes (disambiguation) for other persons with this name.

David Holmes (born 14 February 1969) is a Northern Irish DJ, musician and composer.

Career

Holmes began djing in Belfast from the age of 15. His first hit was the song "DeNiro", with Ashley Beedle, in 1992. In the early to mid 1990s he ran two club nights in the Belfast Art College known as Sugar Sweet and Shake Yer Brain. Orbital wrote the track "Belfast", released on their debut album Orbital, after playing at Sugar Sweet.

Holmes released This Film's Crap Let's Slash the Seats, in July 1995.^[1] At the time he described the album as being inspired by movies and movie soundtracks, a recurring theme throughout Holmes' work (see Discography). The opening track, "No Man's Land", featured on the soundtrack to the film, Pi. In the same year, he also provided the ambient links between the songs on the album Infernal Love by Therapy?. In 1997, Holmes released Let's Get Killed.^[1] Many of the tracks featured Brazilians dancing in the streets of New York, recorded by Holmes using a minidisc. The album's first single, "My Mate Paul," was Holmes' first commercial success.

His 1997 Essential Mix, a mixture of northern soul, psychedelic funk and hip hop was voted mix of the year by Muzik magazine

In 1998, Danny DeVito commissioned him to do the score for Steven Soderbergh's film Out of Sight. He scored a second film for Soderbergh in 2001, including some songs from Let's Get Killed and Bow Down to the Exit Sign on the Ocean's Eleven remake.

After releasing a remix album, Come Get It I Got It, in 2002, Holmes released David Holmes Presents The Free Association in 2003. This was a departure for the artist as all his previous work had been solo. The Free Association featured four other bandmates who toured with Holmes after the album was launched.

As a remixer he has reworked tracks by artists such as U2, Doves, Manic Street Preachers, Primal Scream, Page and Plant, Saint Etienne and Ice Cube.

Before beginning his musical career, Holmes worked as a hairdresser and chef. He also briefly owned and ran a café called Mogwai near the Queen's University of Belfast and, since 2009, has run an intimate club in South Belfast called The Menagerie.

In 2008, he composed the music for the "New iPhone" ad campaign. An album, The Holy Pictures, was released on 8 September 2008,^[2] from which the track "Holy Pictures" was selected for the soundtrack of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010.

In April 2009, he topped the Irish Times' "50 Best Irish Acts Right Now".^[3]

His latest release was a best of compilation, The Dogs Are Parading, released on 26 April 2010.

Discography (Incomplete)

Albums

• This Film's Crap Let's Slash the Seats (1995) - featured Sarah Cracknell, Steve Hillage and Jah Wobble - UK #51^[4]
• Let's Get Killed (1997) - UK #34^[4]
• Essential Mix (1998) - previously broadcast on BBC Radio 1
• Stop Arresting Artists (1998)
• Bow Down to the Exit Sign (2000) - UK #22^[4]
• Holmes on the Decks (2000) - remix album; a limited edition un-mixed vinyl version was also released
• Come Get It I Got It (2002) - remix album
• David Holmes Presents The Free Association (2003) - UK #78^[4]
• The Holy Pictures (2008) - UK #65^[5]
• The Dogs Are Parading (2010)

Film soundtracks

• Resurrection Man (1998)
• Out of Sight (1998)
• Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
• Ocean's Eleven (2001)
• Analyze That (2003)
• Code 46 (2003)
• Stander (2003)
• Ocean's Twelve (2004)
• The Good German (2006) (Score rejected by director Steven Soderbergh; Holmes replaced by Thomas Newman)
• Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
• Hunger (2008)
• The Girlfriend Experience (2009)
• Perrier's Bounty (2009)
• The Edge (2010)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. p. 455. ISBN 1-84195-017-3. 
2. ^ "David Holmes returns with 'Holy' new album", NME.com, 20 Jun 2008.
3. ^ "The 50 best Irish music acts right now". www.irishtimes.com. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2009/0403/1224243925837.html. Retrieved 2009-04-10. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Zobbel (2007-06-16). "Chart Log UK". Zobbel. http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_H.HTM. Retrieved 2008-09-10. 
5. ^ "Official Album Chart for the week ending 20 September 2008". ChartsPlus (Milton Keynes: IQ Ware Ltd) (369): 5–8. 

External links

• David Holmes - official website
• Gritty Shaker - fan site (at the Wayback Machine)
• David Holmes (musician) at the Internet Movie Database
• David Holmes discography at Discogs
• David Holmes discography at MusicBrainz
• David Holmes at Last.fm
• Profile on BBC website
• David Holmes MySpace page
• Album Review of 'The Holy Pictures (2008)

Persondata
Name	Holmes, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1969-02-14
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death