Roy Kerr, aka the Freelance Hellraiser, is one of the creators of the UK bootleg ( mashup) scene.

Career

Under the Freelance Hellraiser name, Kerr gained fame with a mashup in 2001 called "A Stroke of Genius", which combined an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

edit of

The Strokes The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of lead singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio More ...

' track "

Hard To Explain "Hard to Explain" is a song by American Rock music, rock band the Strokes. It was released as the lead single from their debut studio album, ''Is This It'' (2001), June 25, 2001. It peaked at number 10 in Ireland and number 16 in the United King ...

" with

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

's pop hit "

Genie in a Bottle "Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on May 11, 1 ...

". Although originally greeted by a

cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...

order by

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

(the label which both Aguilera and The Strokes are signed to), he went on to remix Aguilera's single " Fighter", as well as tracks for

Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...

and ex-

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

frontman

Richard Ashcroft Richard Paul Ashcroft (born 11 September 1971) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and occasional rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band The Verve from their formation in 1990 until their original split in 1999. So ...

. "A Stroke Of Genius" was later dubbed as "the song that defines the decade" by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''. In 2006, he released his album ''Waiting for Clearance'', featuring such artists as

Jan Hammer Jan Hammer () (born 17 April 1948) is a Czech-American musician, composer, and record producer. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra during the early 1970s, as well as his film scores fo ...

Iain Archer Iain Archer is a writer, producer and solo artist from Bangor, Northern Ireland. He is a two-time Ivor Novello Award winner, winning the 2004 Album Award – ''Final Straw'' by Snow Patrol and Most Performed Work in 2016 for Grammy nominated ...

and

Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (musician), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, ...

frontman

Gary Lightbody Gareth John Lightbody (born 15 June 1976) is a Northern Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol. He has also founded the musical supergroups The ...

. The next year he formed Kid Gloves with Anu Pillai, writing and producing two songs for Ladyhawke's gold-selling eponymous debut album, including the single "Paris Is Burning".

Collaborations

In 2004, he was commissioned by

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

to remix some lesser-known McCartney tracks as preshow entertainment for his tour of that year. Those tracks, and several more, were released under the name

Twin Freaks ''Twin Freaks'' is an album by Twin Freaks, a duo composed of Paul McCartney and Freelance Hellraiser (Roy Kerr), released on 13 June 2005. History and structure McCartney and Kerr created the double vinyl album as a continuation of Kerr's colla ...

. In 2009, Kid Gloves contributed to

Little Boots Victoria Christina Hesketh (born 4 May 1984), better known by her stage name Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter and DJ. She was previously a member of the band Dead Disco. Since performing as a solo artist she has released ...

' gold-selling debut album, ''

Hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...

'', writing and producing her duet, "Symmetry", with

The Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...

Phil Oakey Philip Oakey (born 2 October 1955) is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer, songwriter, and cofounder of British synth-pop band the Human League. Aside from the Human League, Oakey has enjoyed an e ...

Discography

Albums (as the Freelance Hellraiser)

* ''Waiting For Clearance''

Singles (as The Freelance Hellraiser)

* "Want You To Know" * "We Don't Belong" * "Weightlessness" * "You Can Cry All You Want"

Remixes (as The Freelance Hellraiser)

- "Check The Meaning" *

- " Fighter" * Arthur Baker - "Glow" *

- "English Summer Rain" *

The Reindeer Section The Reindeer Section are a Scottish indie rock supergroup formed in 2001 by Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, which released albums and gigged in 2001 and 2002. Lightbody describes the band's sound as "pretty much all very slow, quiet, folky-ty ...

- "Your Are My Joy" *

Ian Brown Ian George Brown (born 20 February 1963) is an English singer and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Stone Roses from their formation in 1983. Following the split in 1996, he began a solo career, re ...

- "Northern Lights" *

Editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

- "

Blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

" *

Just Jack Jack Christopher Allsopp (born 1975), known by the stage name Just Jack, is an English musician from Camden Town, London. He first came to prominence with the release of his 2007 single "Starz in Their Eyes", which reached number two on the UK S ...

- "Triple Tone Eyes" * The Darkness - "Girlfriend" *

- "Hands Open" * Iain Archer - "When It Kicks In" *

Siouxsie Sioux Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She was the lead singer of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976–1996). They released 11 ...

- "

Here Comes That Day "Here Comes That Day" is a song co-written and recorded by Siouxsie, for her 2007 solo album '' Mantaray''. It was released as the album's second single in the UK on 29 October 2007. It was critically acclaimed upon release. Music, release and ...

" * My Robot Friend - "Rapture" * Cuban Friends - "My Love Is Alive" *

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...

- "Objection" *

The Verve The Verve were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones (musician), Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Simo ...

- "

Love Is Noise "Love Is Noise" is a song by English alternative rock band the Verve, the second track on their fourth album, ''Forth'' (2008). It was released as the first single from the album on 3 August 2008 as a digital download, with the physical release ...

" *

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded Ellis-Bextor went solo and ach ...

- ''

Wanderlust Wanderlust is a strong desire to wander or travel and explore the world. Etymology The first documented use of the term in English occurred in 1902 as a reflection of what was then seen as a characteristically German predilection for wandering ...

'' (remixed the whole album)

DJ mixes

* ''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was prin ...

'' 50 Big Tunes 2003 Cover CD * 45 Special 2001 Bootleg Mix

Singles (as Kid Gloves)

* "Music Power" (2011) * "Bare Knuckle" (2010)

Production (as Kid Gloves)

Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstars: ...

and

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent ...

- " Ghetto Baby" * Ladyhawke - "

Paris Is Burning Paris Is Burning may refer to: * ''Paris Is Burning'' (film), a 1990 documentary film * "Paris Is Burning" (''Gilmore Girls''), the eleventh episode of ''Gilmore Girls first season * "Paris Is Burning", a song from the 1983 album '' Breaking the Ch ...

" * Ladyhawke - "Paris Is Burning (Remix)" * Ladyhawke - "Manipulating Woman" *

- "Symmetry (featuring Phil Oakley)" *

- "Not Now" *

VV Brown Vanessa Brown (born 24 October 1983), known professionally as VV Brown, is a British indie pop singer-songwriter, model and record producer. Career Early life and career Vanessa Brown was born in Northampton, England. She is the eldest of six s ...

- "Game Over" * Arsenal - "Lokemo"

Remixes (as Kid Gloves)

Black Kids Black Kids are an American indie rock band. Formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 2006, the group consists of singer/guitarist Reggie Youngblood, keyboardists/backup singers Ali Youngblood and Dawn Watley, bassist Owen Holmes, and drummer Kevin Sno ...

- "Look At Me" *

Santigold Santi White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. '' Billboard'' presented her in 2022, saying: "Spanning punk rock, hip-hop, and dance music, S ...

- "Lights Out" * Arsenal - "Estupendo"

Albums (as Twin Freaks)

* ''

'' (2005)

Singles (as Twin Freaks)

* " Really Love You" * "What's That You're Doing"

References

External links

Freelance Hellraiser's MySpace pageReview of "A Stroke of Genius" in the Village Voice
;Interviews

The Some Assembly Required Interview with The Freelance Hellraiser (2006).
Q&A with Freelance Hellraiser on Music Towers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freelance Hellraiser British mashup artists Remixers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)