Leeroy Thornhill

Leeroy Thornhill
Leeroy Thornhill in August 2015
Leeroy Thornhill in August 2015
Background information
Born (1968-10-08) 8 October 1968 (age 56)
Barking, London, England
Genres
Occupations
InstrumentsSynthesisers
Years active1990–present
Member ofSmash Hi-Fi
Formerly ofThe Prodigy
Websiteleeroythornhill.com

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.

He has also recorded under the names Longman and Flightcrank.

Life and work

Thornhill 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

During 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

Thornhill appeared in numerous music videos during his time as a member of the Prodigy.

Music videos
Video albums

Discography

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

  1. ^ "Braintree: The Prodigy back where it all began". Gazette. 2 November 2005. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "A Prodigy returns". The Guardian. 18 February 2001. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  3. ^ Electric Tastebuds Archived 5 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Leeroy Thornhill [Ex Prodigy] Long-Awaited New Release". Iconic Underground Magazine. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  5. ^ Ramage, Jack (2 May 2024). "The Prodigy original member Leeroy Thornhill announces memoir, Wildfire". DJMag. Retrieved 16 September 2024.