MTV

Prodigy Loses Dancer Thornhill

• 5th April 2000
• Sorelle Saidman

Dance act The Prodigy, currently in the studio recording its fourth album, will have to tour in support of the disc without band co-founder/dancer LeeRoy Thornhill.

The group released a statement April 4 that quoted Thornhill as saying, "I have been a full member of Prodigy for a brilliant nine years but I wish to concentrate fully on my own music as Flightcrank and I wish the band all the best for the future.

Prodigy songwriter Liam Howlett said that the dancer's departure from the group "is obviously not going to affect the music." Howlett added they were both moving in different directions and that he respected Thornhill and wished him luck.

The departure of Thornhill leaves Howlett and vocalists Keith Flint and Maxim in the lineup of the group, which is currently recording "Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned," the follow-up to 1997's "The Fat Of The Land.

Just days before the announcement, Thornhill had been quoted by the BBC's Radio One as saying he thought the pending album could be the band's last, noting that the group toured for so long between albums and the members were all busy on solo projects. He blamed the record's slow progress on the bandmembers not getting together as much as they should.

Thornhill told the network that he expected to have a Flightcrank EP released at the end of May, but that he was going to keep it "small and underground." He described it as being very different from The Prodigy -- "It's more on the dub-y vibe," he said, adding that he didn't want it to be compared to The Prodigy, because "I'm not another Liam -- he's a genius.

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• Leeroy Thornhill

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