David Holmes (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Holmes
Holmes in 2024
Background information
Born	(1969-02-25) 25 February 1969 (age 56)
Origin	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genres	Electronic, trip hop, krautrock, house
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instruments	Turntables, samples, keyboards, guitar, drums, programming

David Holmes (born 25 February 1969) is a talented musician and composer from Northern Ireland. He started his career as a DJ, playing music for crowds. Later, he began releasing his own albums, mixing different styles like electronic music, trip hop, and house music. David Holmes is also well-known for creating music for movies. He has worked closely with director Steven Soderbergh on many films, including the popular Ocean's trilogy.

Today, David is part of the band Unloved. Their music is often featured in the TV series Killing Eve, where David also works as a composer. He has also remixed songs for many famous artists and produced albums for bands like Primal Scream and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

David Holmes' Music Journey

Starting as a DJ

David Holmes began his journey as a DJ in Belfast when he was just 15 years old. His first big success was a track called "De Niro" in 1992. He created this song with Ashley Beedle and Lindsay Edwards as part of a group called the Disco Evangelists.

In the early 1990s, David ran two popular club nights in Belfast. These nights were called Sugar Sweet and Shake Yer Brain. The famous band Orbital even wrote their song "Belfast" after playing at his Sugar Sweet club night.

Creating Albums and Film Scores

In 1995, David released his album This Film's ... Let's Slash the Seats. He said the album was inspired by movies and their soundtracks, which became a common theme in his work. One song from this album, "No Man's Land," was even used in the movie Pi.

Two years later, in 1997, David released Let's Get Killed. For this album, he recorded sounds of Brazilians dancing in the streets of New York City. The first single from this album, "My Mate Paul," became his first big commercial hit.

His 1997 Essential Mix, which was a blend of northern soul, funk, and hip hop, was named "mix of the year" by Muzik magazine. This success led to a big opportunity. In 1998, director Danny DeVito asked him to create the music for Steven Soderbergh's film Out of Sight. David continued to work with Soderbergh, scoring Ocean's Eleven in 2001. He even included some songs from his earlier albums in the Ocean's Eleven soundtrack.

After releasing a remix album in 2002, David changed his approach. He released David Holmes Presents The Free Association. Unlike his previous solo work, this album featured four other bandmates. They also toured with David after the album came out.

David has remixed songs for many well-known artists. These include U2, Doves, Manic Street Preachers, and Ice Cube. In 2008, he created the music for the "New iPhone" advertising campaign.

His album The Holy Pictures was released in September 2008. A song from this album, "Holy Pictures," was chosen for the soundtrack of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010. Another track, "I Heard Wonders," was featured in the movie Cherrybomb. It was also played during the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. This was the scene where David Beckham and Jade Bailey brought the Olympic flame up the River Thames by speedboat.

David also worked with Leo Abrahams to create the music for the award-winning film Hunger. This film was directed by Steve McQueen. The music for Hunger won an IFTA at the Irish Film Awards. In April 2009, The Irish Times newspaper named him the top Irish act at that time.

David's film company, Canderblicks Film, produced its first feature film, Good Vibrations. This movie tells the story of Terri Hooley and is set in the punk rock scene of 1970s Belfast. The film was nominated for a BAFTA award.

Music for TV and Movies

David Holmes composed the music for all three seasons of the TV series The Fall. His music for the first season was nominated for an RTS Craft and Design Award in 2013. It also won the best score award at the Irish Film and TV Awards in 2014.

He also scored the film '71, which earned him an Ivor Novello Award. This film is about a British soldier who gets separated from his unit during a riot in Belfast in 1971. In May 2015, David's first film that he directed and wrote, I Am Here, was shown on Channel 4's The Shooting Gallery.

David produced the third album for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. This album, Who Built the Moon?, was recorded and mixed in Belfast and released in 2017. In 2019, David and American musician Keith Ciancia won a BAFTA TV Craft Award. They won for their amazing work on the music for the TV series Killing Eve.

David Holmes' Music Albums