Leeroy Thornhill (born 8 October 1968) is a British electronic music artist and formerly a rave dancer and occasional keyboardist for the British electronic group the Prodigy. Thornhill's live performances throughout the 1990s included his unique style of shuffling.
Leeroy Thornhill | |
|---|---|
 Leeroy Thornhill in August 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 8 October 1968 Barking, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | |
| Instruments | Synthesisers |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Member of | Smash Hi-Fi |
| Formerly of | The Prodigy |
| Website | leeroythornhill |
He has also recorded under the names Longman and Flightcrank.
Life and work
editThornhill was born in Barking but raised in Rayne near Braintree in Essex, and grew up as a football and James Brown fan.[citation needed]
He joined the Prodigy along with Keith Flint and Maxim Reality after they met Liam Howlett at a local rave club The Barn.[1] Thornhill also contributed occasional live keyboards; however, he did not make any musical contributions to the band's albums.[2]
In 2000, Thornhill left the band and went on to record various solo EPs under the names "Longman" and "Flightcrank".[2] He subsequently started a DJ career, but he continued to keep in touch with the Prodigy.[2] During the Prodigy's "Their Law" tour Thornhill was the DJ support act at several venues.[citation needed] He also remixed tracks for other artists, such as the Italian Subsonica's "Nuvole Rapide".[citation needed]
Thornhill had worked with Hyper, appearing on their live shows. He appeared at the V Festival in 2007 in Chelmsford, Essex.[citation needed]
His latest project is the creation of nu skool breaks record label Electric Tastebuds.[3] He signed[when?] breakbeat group The Wrongstar Society to the label.[citation needed]
In October 2008, a music video was created for "Everything U Need", a track by Thornhill's Smash Hi-Fi project. The video was directed by Philip Carrer and Bleeding Apple.[citation needed]
Personal life
editDuring his time in the Prodigy, Thornhill's height was in direct contrast to the group's other dancer Flint. Thornhill was reported as 6 feet 7 inches (201 cm) tall, compared to Flint who was 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall. In the late 1990s, Thornhill dated broadcaster Sara Cox.[2] Thornhill married Elena Sadchikova in 2014. His wife is an artist who has also contributed to his projects as well.[4]
Leeroy is also a keen Arsenal FC fan.
Thornhill set a release date of 24 October 2024 for his memoir Wildfire: My Ten Years Getting High in the Prodigy. The announcement stated that the book plans to chronicle the decade he spent in the Prodigy, along with a personal collection of photographs.[5]
Videography
editThornhill appeared in numerous music videos during his time as a member of the Prodigy.
- Music videos
- "Charly" (1991)
- "Everybody in the Place" (1991)
- "Fire" (1992)
- "Out of Space" (1992)
- "Wind It Up" (1993)
- "One Love" (1993) (CGI likeness and photographs, no physical appearance)
- "No Good (Start the Dance)" (1994)
- "Voodoo People" (1994)
- "Poison" (1995)
- "Firestarter" (1996)
- "Breathe" (1996)
- Video albums
- Electronic Punks (1995)
Discography
editThis section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (April 2017) |
Singles & EPs
- Lowrise EP 12" (1993)
- The Longman EP 12" (1996)
- Flightcrank EP CD Ltd & 2×7" Ltd (2000)
- Inside Out (Original Version) / Outside In 10", Ltd (2000)
- Amazing CD & 12" (2001)
- What U Need CD & 12" (2001)
- Wait for Me / Breaking Out Digital Download (2018)
- The Calling / Vibrations Digital Download (2018)
References
edit- ^ "Braintree: The Prodigy back where it all began". Gazette. 2 November 2005. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d "A Prodigy returns". The Guardian. 18 February 2001. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Electric Tastebuds Archived 5 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Leeroy Thornhill [Ex Prodigy] Long-Awaited New Release". Iconic Underground Magazine. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Ramage, Jack (2 May 2024). "The Prodigy original member Leeroy Thornhill announces memoir, Wildfire". DJMag. Retrieved 16 September 2024.