David Holmes' Career Revitaliazed by Movie and Video Game Soundtracks

Northern Ireland DJ and producer David Holmes made an immediate splash in the music industry with his acclaimed 1995 debut, 'This Film's Crap, Let's Slash the Seats.' Today, Holmes doubts other artists have that same chance.

"My heart really goes out to a lot of young kids that are kind of getting into bands," Holmes tells Spinner. "They just want to f---ing play music and then you've got this sort of situation where, in many ways, I don't really want to get into sort of slagging off record companies, but in a way they did this all themselves, and it's come back and bit them in the ass."

Holmes still makes records -- his last studio output was this year's 'The Dogs Are Parading' -- but these days he's probably better known for his work as a film scorer, particularly his collaborations with Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh on the 'Ocean's' series. With all he's experienced, Holmes is very grateful for his second career.

"I can sleep better at night knowing I can actually go and score movies and keep on doing the job that I love," he says. "I've heard so many stories from friends of mine in London about people who are actually just leaving the music industry because they actually can't make a living at it anymore, so to be reaching so many numbers by doing a soundtrack, I feel really privileged. I'm not stopping making records. I will make records until the day I die, [but] if I had to rely on that to actually make a living I'd be pretty worried."

Holmes is also reaching a wider audience with his contribution to the hit video game 'Red Dead Redemption.' Holmes produced the soundtrack, composed primarily by Woody Jackson and Friends of Dean Martinez's Bill Elm. The soundtrack, which also features original tunes by Jamie Lidell, Jose Gonzalez, Ashar Command and William Elliott Whitmore, marks Holmes' debut foray into the gamer world. In less than a month after its release, the acclaimed game sold more than five million copies, numbers currently unheard of in the music industry unless your name is Eminem. Unsurprisingly, Holmes is enjoying his entry into the gaming scene.

"The soundtrack couldn't have any better promotion than the fact it's the soundtrack to this incredible game," he says. "You put out a record like this and people wouldn't even find out about it. But the fact that it's the soundtrack to 'Red Dead Redemption' means it stands a far greater chance of reaching a far greater audience."

Holmes is hoping once people find the soundtrack they'll understand just how impressive it is. "Once you actually listen to the record, you realize it doesn't even matter about the game. It's like the best soundtrack to a Sergio Leone movie that no one's ever seen or heard," he says. "The good thing about the soundtrack album is it combines all the music throughout the game and gives it to you in an album form. It's a great album. I can't really say much more than that."