Hoodlum Priest

Infobox musical artist
Name = Hoodlum Priest


Img_capt =
Img_size = 100
Background = group_or_band
Birth_name = Derek Thompson
Alias = Technietzsche Surfers For Satan Komuso Monobloc
Born =
Died =
Origin = London, United Kingdom
Instrument = Bass guitar Keyboards Trumpet
Genre = Industrial, Trip hop
Occupation = Programmer, Remixer, record producer
Years_active = 1989-present
Label = ZTT Records (1989–1994) Concrete Productions (1994–1998) Iris Light Records (1998-2000)
Associated_acts = SPK The Cure Apollo 440
URL = [http://www.hoodlumpriest.net www.hoodlumpriest.net]
Current_members = Derek Thompson (1989-present)
Past_members = Sevrier (1990-1990;vocals)

Named after a 1960s movie, Hoodlum Priest is a name used by producer/multi instrumentalist and composer Derek Thompson, born of an Irish background but born and raised in London, the name later became his self-chosen moniker for his work as a producer and engineer, using hip-hop, industrial, and techno influences as the source of material for his sounds.

Biography:

Often known for been an eccentric in interviews, he claimed to have been kicked out of the Maynooth Seminary after producing a Thesis of the Devil having "the best tunes" [taken from the history section of the HP website, last accessed 07-30-08 [http://www.hoodlumpriest.net] ] and later retiring from full time employment at the age of 22 [ an interview with Derek, 1994 [http://www.obsolete.com/convulsion/interviews/convulse/4.48.html] , URL last accessed 2006-12-08.] . His first major musical background through the late 1970s and 1980s was with avant-garde industrialists SPK, and he played a variety of instruments including bass, keyboards and the trumpet. He departed after founder member Graeme Revell took the group to what Thompson felt was too commercial of a direction. After leaving SPK, Thompson had done a very brief stint with the Cure (a position he got after apparently meeting Robert Smith in a bar who apparently asked him what colour was his bass guitar and Derek replied 'Black' [ an interview with Derek, 1994 [http://www.obsolete.com/convulsion/interviews/convulse/4.48.html] , URL last accessed 2006-12-08.] . He only played one show with The Cure, which was The Oxford Road Show in April, 1983 and later appeared on the writing credits of the Lullaby CDV and the Pictures Of You 12".

With Hoodlum Priest:

His initial goal with Hoodlum Priest, one of several musical projects he explored during the 1990s and beyond, was to draw in both film influences on his work -- primarily via dialogue but also musically -- and hip-hop with a specific goal of recruiting a London-based MC. He was introduced to one, Sevier, at a club performance in 1989, and the two worked together for a while, but Sevier's strong Christian background and Thompson's more free-thinking philosophy and darker musical approach eventually led to the MC's departure. The band was later dropped by ZTT, due to having a fallout about refusing to release the controversial song called 'Cop Killer' and being unpleased that the label had no idea on how promote the band [an Introduction to Iris Light Records, 1998 [http://rem_ind.tripod.com/audio/irisfeat.htm] , URL last accesed 2006-12-26] [ an interview with Derek, 1994 [http://www.obsolete.com/convulsion/interviews/convulse/4.48.html] , URL last accessed 2006-12-08.] . Thompson continued on his own, working on various sideprojects and interspersing his background work (notably with occasionaly with Apollo 440's Cliff Hewitt, and remixing a tune for Pop Will Eat Itself) with occasional album releases such as 1994's "Beneath the Pavement" (which featured 2 tracks produced by Raymond Watts of KMFDM fame) and 1998's Hoodlum Priest, which featured former Gaye Bykers on Acid frontman and Pigface/Apollo 440 bandmember Mary Byker on vocals. After the release of the self titled album, the group has been on hiatus. Recently, Derek became a member of Brighton's experimental music collective [http://www.spiritofgravity.com Spirit of Gravity] and is currently gigging as Komuso. It had also been announced that a new Hoodlum Priest album was planned for 2006, but these rumors have been proved false.

Cop Killer Controversy

Derek created a track entitled "Cop Killer" (not related to the Body Count song Copkiller of the same name) ZTT refused and the record was later banned by the record label due to heavy use of various 'cop killer' samples (most notably from movies like "Robocop"; it took 2 years to collect most of the samples) and due to a fear that this song would cause uproar. This song and the single "Caucasian" were banned, although some white labels of the records do exist. Derek Thompson later commented on the song saying it "wasn't supposed to be a great piece of music or Art, just 100% kill cops. If you don't do anything with your life...go and kill pigs". [cite web |url=http://www.obsolete.com/convulsion/interviews/convulse/4.48.html |title=An interview with Derek Thompson of Hoodlum Priest |accessdate=2007-06-10 |last=Bains |first=Jon |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year=1994 |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

Discography

* "The Heart of Darkness" 1990
*"Beneath the Pavement..." 1994
*"Hoodlum Priest" 1998

Other Appearances:

*"Metal Dance" 12" (percussion, trumpet, keyboards) by SPK 1983
*"Lullaby" CDV (writing credits) by The Cure
*'Maldoror Ceases to Exist' on the Dogs Blood Order album.
*'Sportster' on Spike (Works From B.E.A.S.T. - Volume 1)

Miscellena:

*Derek has also been a member in The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Quartet and Apollo 440.

*The album "Beneath The Pavement.." was only Limited to 1200 copies.

*Derek is apparently obesessed with Surfing and started a 'British surf band' named Surfers for Satan.

* To continue his fascination with surfing, Derek added music to little known cult surf movie named "Pete And Deadly". He also starred alongside Pete Lee Wilson in this movie.

*Other notable fims scores have been the Danish film "The King is Alive" directed by Kristian Levring and the ski film "Groove: Requiem in the Key of Ski" by Greg Stump.

References:

External links

* [http://www.hoodlumpriest.net/ www.hoodlumpriest.net - free downloads of Hoodlum Priest albums]
* [http://www.atdot.demon.co.uk/hoodlum// Unofficial Site]
* [http://www.zttaat.com/ Zang Tuum Tumb and all that]
* [http://www.spiritofgravity.com Spirit Of Gravity Collective]

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