Propellerheads are a British
big beatBig beat is a term employed since the mid 1990s by the British music press to describe much of the music by artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, Propellerheads and The Prodigy, typically driven by heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns in...
music band made up of
electronicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
producers Will White and Alex Gifford. The term "Propellerhead" is slang for a
nerdNerd is a term often bearing a derogatory connotation or stereotype, that refers to a person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests that are age inappropriate rather than engaging in more social or popular activities...
, and when Gifford and White heard a friend from California use this in a conversation, they thought it the perfect name for their band.
Their first release was an
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
named
Dive!, published in 1996 through independent
labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Wall of SoundWall of Sound is an alternative record label from the United Kingdom, founded by Mark Jones. It started out producing electronic music genres such as big beat and ambient, but has now diversified to include some indie and hip-hop artists...
. They gained fame the next year by providing a remix for Bond composer
David ArnoldDavid Arnold is a Grammy Award-winning English film composer best known for scoring five James Bond films, the 1994 film Stargate, the 1996 film Independence Day, and the cult television series Little Britain....
's Bond tribute album
Shaken & Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project covering
John BarryJohn Barry, OBE is an English film score composer. He is best known for composing 11 James Bond soundtracks and was hugely influential on the 007 series' distinctive style.-Personal life:...
's
On Her Majesty's Secret ServiceOn Her Majesty's Secret Service is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, and the only one to star George Lazenby as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
the theme song to the sixth
James BondJames Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. The character has also been used in the longest running and most financially successful English language film franchise to date, starting in 1962 with Dr...
film, re-orchestrated by Arnold.
Propellerheads are a British
big beatBig beat is a term employed since the mid 1990s by the British music press to describe much of the music by artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, Propellerheads and The Prodigy, typically driven by heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns in...
music band made up of
electronicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
producers Will White and Alex Gifford. The term "Propellerhead" is slang for a
nerdNerd is a term often bearing a derogatory connotation or stereotype, that refers to a person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests that are age inappropriate rather than engaging in more social or popular activities...
, and when Gifford and White heard a friend from California use this in a conversation, they thought it the perfect name for their band.
History
Their first release was an
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
named
Dive!, published in 1996 through independent
labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Wall of SoundWall of Sound is an alternative record label from the United Kingdom, founded by Mark Jones. It started out producing electronic music genres such as big beat and ambient, but has now diversified to include some indie and hip-hop artists...
. They gained fame the next year by providing a remix for Bond composer
David ArnoldDavid Arnold is a Grammy Award-winning English film composer best known for scoring five James Bond films, the 1994 film Stargate, the 1996 film Independence Day, and the cult television series Little Britain....
's Bond tribute album
Shaken & Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project covering
John BarryJohn Barry, OBE is an English film score composer. He is best known for composing 11 James Bond soundtracks and was hugely influential on the 007 series' distinctive style.-Personal life:...
's
On Her Majesty's Secret ServiceOn Her Majesty's Secret Service is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, and the only one to star George Lazenby as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
the theme song to the sixth
James BondJames Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. The character has also been used in the longest running and most financially successful English language film franchise to date, starting in 1962 with Dr...
film, re-orchestrated by Arnold. They also collaborated with Arnold on the track Backseat Driver, for the
Tomorrow Never DiesTomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Bruce Feirstein wrote the screenplay, and it was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. It follows Bond as he tries to stop a media mogul from engineering...
soundtrack. The single "
History Repeating"History Repeating" is a song performed by Propellerheads and Shirley Bassey.It reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart and number 1 on the UK Dance Chart in 1997...
" followed, a collaboration with diva
Shirley BasseyDame Shirley Veronica Bassey DBE is a singer who found fame in the late 1950s and has continued a successful career since then worldwide. She is also well-known for recording the theme songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger , Diamonds Are Forever , and Moonraker...
, fusing big beat with jazz.
The only Propellerheads album to date is
DecksandrumsandrockandrollDecksandrumsandrockandroll is the first album by the British band Propellerheads, released on 26 January 1998 by Wall of Sound and DreamWorks .-Wall of Sound:...
, released in 1998 by Wall of Sound in Europe and DreamWorks in the US and Japan. The Dreamworks versions include collaborations with
hip hopHip hop music is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, and is commonly based on concepts of loop, rapping, freestyle, DJing, scratching, sampling and beatboxing. The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues...
veterans
De La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop group formed in 1987 in Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
and
Jungle BrothersThe Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop group that pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip-hop and also became the first hip-hop group to use a house-music producer. The group began performing in the mid-1980s and released its first album, Straight Out the Jungle, in 1988...
, and the Japanese version is a 2 disc special edition including some of their earlier singles. A track from the album, "
Spybreak!“Spybreak!” is a 1997 single by the big beat group Propellerheads from their first album, Decksandrumsandrockandroll. There are two versions of this song, called Spybreak! and Spybreak! . The former is approximately three minutes longer than the latter.It is most famous for its appearance in The...
", became widely known after its use in the lobby scene in
The MatrixThe Matrix is a science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
. They are also noted for providing "Crash" as the theme tune to
BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the BBC which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock or interviews. It is aimed...
's Official Chart Show between 1998 and 2002, when
Mark GoodierMark Goodier is a British radio disc jockey.-Early career:Mark Goodier was born in Zimbabwe. His family moved to the UK when he was a child, eventually settling in Scotland. He was educated at George Heriot's School, in Edinburgh. He became a mobile DJ in Edinburgh and then joined local station...
was the host. This song was also used in the 1999 hit comedy film
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged MeAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in 1999, is the second film in the Austin Powers series. The series began with Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and continued with Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film was directed by Jay Roach, co-written by Mike Myers and screenwriter...
.
After touring for their hit album, Will White fell ill. They released
Extended Play EP in 1998, and in the song "Props' Vote Of Gratitude", Alex Gifford raps for the first time, explaining to the attentive listener that the band would "be back after this short break". Gifford moved to
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and produced the
Jungle BrothersThe Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop group that pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip-hop and also became the first hip-hop group to use a house-music producer. The group began performing in the mid-1980s and released its first album, Straight Out the Jungle, in 1988...
' 1999 album
V.I.P. in which he raps with The Black Eyed Peas among others. Will White provided the drums for the eponymous track. He has also produced a track for
Rufus WainwrightRufus McGarrigle Wainwright is a Grammy-nominated, Canadian-American singer-songwriter. He has recorded five albums of original music, several EPs, and numerous tracks included on compilations and film soundtracks...
("Shadows") on his 2001 album
Poses. White has since released a mix compilation for the
Beatz and Bobz series, and he has also appeared as a member of the
De-Fex music project.
The Propellerheads also appear on the Red Hot and Indigo album on the track "Star Crossed Lovers", with vocals by
Martha WainwrightMartha Wainwright is a Canadian-American folk-rock singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of American folk/blues musician Loudon Wainwright III and Canadian folk singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle...
.
In November 1998 the song "Bang On!" was included in the
Nintendo 64The , often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo's third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released on June 23, 1996 in Japan, September 29, 1996 in North America, March 1, 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1, 1997 in France and December 10,...
computer game
Wipeout 64Wipeout 64 is the third game in the Wipeout series and the only for the Nintendo 64. At the time of the game's release developers Psygnosis had been owned for 5 years by Sony Computer Entertainment, for whose hardware all subsequent Wipeout games have been released exclusively.Set in 2098, just a...
.
In October 2003 Wall of Sound commemorated its 10th birthday, and to celebrate, released a two disc album charting 10 years of its pioneering British music. The first CD featured alumni such as
RöyksoppRöyksopp is a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, composed of Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge. The group formed officially in 1998 and released their debut album Melody A.M. on Wall of Sound in 2001.- History :...
,
The WiseguysThe Wiseguys was a British electronica and hip hop band that was responsible for creating the song "Start the Commotion" that was in a Mitsubishi TV advertisement, as well as the films Lizzie McGuire, Zoolander and Kangaroo Jack; and "Ooh La La", which was used in Budweiser commercials...
and
MekonMekon may refer to:*The Mekon, ruler of the Treens in the Dan Dare stories.*The Mekons, a British punk rock band.*Mekon, a big beat musician.*The river Mekong ....
, while Gifford provided a mix CD for the second disc. The first track on that disc was a new song by Propellerheads featuring Brooklyn based writer Livingroom Johnston, entitled "10 Years".
Their song "Take California" was the first song ever used in an Apple
iPodiPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched on . The product line-up includes the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the video-capable iPod Nano, and the compact iPod Shuffle. The iPhone can function as an iPod but is generally...
television ad.
Will White is now part of the live incarnation of
Long RangeLong Range is an English techno band formed in September 2005 featuring Phil Hartnoll and Nick Smith.Long Range played live a few times in 2006 accompanied by Kelly Malone and Mick Mula on vocals, Jimi Mula on keyboards, Sarah Tunnel on violin and Will White of the Propellerheads on drums.Their...
, the latest project of Phil Hartnoll of
OrbitalOrbital are a British electronic duo from Sevenoaks, England, consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, but in 2008 they announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill, in addition to a number of other live shows in 2009...
fame.
Albums
- Dive EP (1996)
- Propellerheads EP (1997)
- Decksandrumsandrockandroll
Decksandrumsandrockandroll is the first album by the British band Propellerheads, released on 26 January 1998 by Wall of Sound and DreamWorks .-Wall of Sound:...
(1998)
- Extended Play EP (1998)
- Star profile (2000)
Singles
- "Take California" (1997)
- "Spybreak!
“Spybreak!” is a 1997 single by the big beat group Propellerheads from their first album, Decksandrumsandrockandroll. There are two versions of this song, called Spybreak! and Spybreak! . The former is approximately three minutes longer than the latter.It is most famous for its appearance in The...
" (1997)
- "History Repeating
"History Repeating" is a song performed by Propellerheads and Shirley Bassey.It reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart and number 1 on the UK Dance Chart in 1997...
" (1997) - featuring Dame Shirley Bassey
- "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1997) with David Arnold
David Arnold is a Grammy Award-winning English film composer best known for scoring five James Bond films, the 1994 film Stargate, the 1996 film Independence Day, and the cult television series Little Britain....
- "Bang On!" (1998)
- "Crash!" (1998)
- "Velvet Pants" (1998)
- "Take California And Party" (1999)