U2 have invited DJ/Producer David Holmes to man the decks at the after-show party following the official European launch of their new U23D live concert film at Cineworld in Dublin on February 20. The premiere will form part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, and the informal party will take place at the Jameson Distillery in Dublin, with all four members of U2 expected to be in attendance at the event.
Holmes and U2 are known to be keen admirers of each other’s work, and the idea of having him DJ the party is believed to have been inspired by the film’s director Catherine Owens, a major fan of both acts. As Holmes told Hot Press in an exclusive interview, “I haven’t seen the movie yet, so I’m really looking forward to that anyway. I like the band a lot, both as people and as artists. The last time I met any of them was when I bumped into The Edge about a year ago in a very surreal burlesque club in Hollywood. I admire the way they keep finding new ways to challenge themselves. They keep playing music for the best possible reason, because they love it.”
Asked if he’d be slipping any U2 tracks into his set on the night Holmes emphatically said, “No. I’ve played their records in the past, but I think it would be a bit cheesy, being invited by a band to do a set at their party and then playing their records at it. They’ve invited me to do my own set, with no stipulation whatsoever as to what I should play, and that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
Having previously applied his consummate remixing skills to U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’ and ‘Discotheque’, when pushed to nominate another U2 track that he might sometime like to work on as a remix, after some deliberation he said “Probably ‘I Will Follow’”.
Holmes also revealed details of his own recording plans. “I’m finishing an album that will definitely be my most personal to date. It’s called The Dogs They Are Parading and I hope it will be released sooner rather than later this year. It’s a collection of songs I’ve written, songs that are very personal to me, with a lot of emotional content in them. I’ve collaborated with several singers in the past, but this time I felt that the songs were so personal that I needed to sing them myself. This is new territory for me, but I like to avoid repeating myself anyway”.
He also confirmed that he plans to work on another soundtrack this year, probably with Turner Prize winner Steve McQueen. Holmes has previously scored the films Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen, Out Of Sight and Buffalo Soldiers, among others.