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Propellerheads | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Bath, Somerset, England |
| Genres | Big beat,breakbeat |
| Years active | 1995–2003 |
| Labels | Wall of Sound |
| Members | Will White Alex Gifford |
Propellerheads were an English electronic music duo, formed in 1995 in Bath by Will White and Alex Gifford.[1]
Prior to Propellerheads' formation, Alex Gifford played as a backing saxophonist forThe Stranglers appearing on the albumsDreamtime (1986) and10 (1990) as well as the live albumAll Live and All of the Night (1988).[2]
Their first release was anEP namedDive!, released in 1996 through the independent labelWall of Sound.[2] They gained fame the next year by providing aremix forJames Bond movie composerDavid Arnold's Bond tribute albumShaken & Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project coveringJohn Barry's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", the theme song tothe sixth James Bond film, re-orchestrated by Arnold.[1] They also collaborated with Arnold on the track "Backseat Driver" for the soundtrack of the Bond filmTomorrow Never Dies. The single "History Repeating" followed, a collaboration withShirley Bassey[2] (also well known for her James Bond music), fusing big beat withjazz.[1]
The Propellerheads albumDecksandrumsandrockandroll was released in 1998 by Wall of Sound in Europe andDreamWorks in the US and Japan.[2] The DreamWorks versions include collaborations withhip hop artistsDe La Soul andJungle Brothers,[2] and the Japanese version is a two disc special edition including some of their earlier singles. A track from the album, "Spybreak!",[2] became widely known after its use in the lobby scene in the 1999 feature filmThe Matrix. They are also noted for providing "Crash" (a remixed cover version of Brass Incorporated's "At the Sign of the Swinging Cymbal", perhaps best known as the theme song ofBBC Radio 1'sPick of the Pops) as the theme tune to Radio 1's 'Official Chart Show' between 1998 and 2002, whenMark Goodier was the host. This song was also used in the 1999 hitcomedy filmAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
After touring for their hit album, White fell ill. They releasedExtended Play EP in 1998, and in the song "Props' Vote of Gratitude", Alex Giffordraps for the first time, explaining to the listener that the band would "be back after this short break". Gifford moved to New York and produced theJungle Brothers' 1999 albumV.I.P.,[2] in which he raps withThe Black Eyed Peas among others. White provided the drums for the eponymous track. He has also produced "Shadows", a track forRufus Wainwright on his 2001 albumPoses. White has since released a mix compilation for theBeatz and Bobz series, and he has also appeared as a member of the De-Fex music project.
In November 1998, the song "Bang On!" was included in theNintendo 64 video gameWipeout 64. Earlier that same year, the same song was also featured on theLost in Space soundtrack. "Bang On!" would later be featured in the 2001Xbox video gameMad Dash Racing as part of the game console's launch into the American market. Another song "Lethal Cut" was featured in the PlayStation gameWipeout 3, while "Big Dog" was featured in the background music of the PAL version ofGran Turismo 2.
Following their 1997 collaboration, in 2000, Propellerheads again worked with Shirley Bassey, this time remixing her 1964 song, "Goldfinger". This version was included on Bassey's remix album,Diamonds Are Forever.
In 2001, the band recorded "Star Crossed Lovers" withMartha Wainwright for theRed Hot Organization's compilation albumRed Hot + Indigo, a tribute toDuke Ellington, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease.
In October 2003, Wall of Sound commemorated its tenth birthday. To commemorate the occasion, the label released a two disc album charting ten years of its pioneering British music. The first CD featuredRöyksopp,The Wiseguys andMekon, while Gifford provided a mix CD for the second disc. The first track on that disc, "Ten Years (Johnston's Strut, Part 1)", was a new song by Propellerheads featuring theBrooklyn-based writer Livingroom Johnston.
One of the trailers for the Disney/Pixar filmThe Incredibles featured "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".[3]
Their version of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" featured as a choice of Horizon presenterKevin Fong onDesert Island Discs, as this was the track he played every morning when driving to theKennedy Space Center while working withNASA.
White was part of the live incarnation of Long Range, the now defunct project ofPhil Hartnoll ofOrbital.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [4] | AUS [5] | CAN [6] | EUR [7] | FIN [8] | FRA [9] | GER [10] | NLD [11] | NZ [12] | US [13] | |||
| Decksandrumsandrockandroll |
| 6 | 13 | 56 | 18 | 36 | 20 | 26 | 29 | 11 | 100 | |
| Year | Title | Tracks | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [4] | AUS [5] | FRA [9] | HUN [16] | ITA [17] | NZ [12] | |||||||||
| 1996 | Dive |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1997 | Propellerheads |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1998 | Extended Play |
| 184 | 41 | 77 | 1 | 11 | 8 | ||||||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [4] | AUS [18] | EUR [19] | FIN [8] | FRA [9] | GER [20] | NLD [11] | NZ [12] | SCO [21] | US Dance [22] | |||||
| 1996 | "Take California" | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Decksandrumsandrockandroll | ||
| 1997 | "Spybreak!" | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 47 | — | |||
| "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (withDavid Arnold) | 7 | — | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | ||||
| "Bang On!"/"Dive" | 86 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "History Repeating" (featuringShirley Bassey) | 19 | 55 | 67 | 16 | 71 | 65 | 52 | 32 | 24 | 10 | ||||
| 1998 | "Bang On!" | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 56 | — | |||
| "Velvet Pants" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1999 | "Take California and Party" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Lethal Cut" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2004 | "Take California"(remix) | 154 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" | 1997 | Various Artists | Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project |
| "Lopez (Hard On)" (A Progressive Mix By The Propellerheads) (808 State) | 1998 | 808 State | "Lopez" single |
| "Goldfinger" (Propellerheads Mix) (Shirley Bassey) | 2000 | Shirley Bassey | The Remix Album...Diamonds Are Forever |
| "Star Crossed Lovers" (Propellerheads +Martha Wainwright) | 2001 | Various Artists | Red Hot + Indigo |
| "Ten Years (Johnston's Strut Part 1)" | 2003 | Various Artists | Off The Wall (10 Years Of Wall Of Sound) |
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