Ivan de Prume
Ivan de Prume is a multi-faceted musician, producer, and performer, best known for his heavy hitting style as drummer in the groove metal band White Zombie.
Born in Brooklyn, New York City, de Prume comes from a rich history of artists. Ivan’s sister, Cathryn de Prume is a successful actress and they have collaborated on two short films together. (“Stinky”, “Garbage”)
But it is his lineage from his great-great-grandfather that is perhaps the most influential. Canadian violinist and composer Frantz Jehin-Prume was one of Canada’s most famous musicians and the fact
that there is music in the blood, resonates in Ivan. He started playing drums when he was twelve and was playing in a band with Sean Yseult (bassist, White Zombie) called Life when he was sixteen.
That band broke up but a few months later Sean came calling for her new project she had going with Rob Cummings and Ena Kostabi. It was White Zombie.
Ivan recorded and toured with White Zombie for seven years. After signing a deal with Geffen records, the band recorded the multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated album, “La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1.” Ivan released three full length albums with White Zombie (“Soul-Crusher,” “Make Them Die Slowly,” and “La Sexorcisto”), and three EP’s (“Pig Heaven,” “Psycho-Head Blowout,” and “God of Thunder.”)
During Ivan’s career with White Zombie, he toured much of North America and Europe, while recording for Geffen and Caroline Records. In the subsequent years since White Zombie disbanded, a Greatest Hits CD (“Past, Present and Future,”) and two different box sets (“Let Sleeping Corpses Lie,”) and (“It Came From N.Y.C.”) has since been released, featuring Ivan’s heavy hitting style.
Ivan has expanded his musical horizons since his time with White Zombie, to include experimenting with different styles of music and exploring production and engineering techniques. After leaving White Zombie, he attended the Musician’s Institute, completing their drums and percussion program. This exploration led to the inception of Ivan’s production company, Burningsound Studios, in 1998. As a producer and collaborator, he has worked with many artists and composers. He has produced, recorded, and collaborated with KMFDM, Megadeath, Jack Off Jill, Brendon McNichol of QOTSA, members of Madonna, and Prong, just to name a few.
He formed the band, Healer, in 2003. This group was inspired by Ivan’s love of both heavy metal, and world percussion. Heavy in Middle-eastern melodies and edgy riffs, Healer’s music creates a quixotic fusion of styles, creating a listening experience that is both rich in quality, and beautiful in sound. Healer’s debut album, “Awakening” was recorded, engineered, and mixed by Ivan at Burningsound Studios. Healer has toured on the Vans Warped Tour and played the Coachella Valley Music Festival in Southern California. The avant garde performance troupe, Lucent Dossier, features music from “Awakening” in performances around the world.
In 2007, Ivan worked with composer Christopher Young, to complete Sony’s “Ghost Rider” film score. Ivan’s percussion performances can be heard throughout the movie and soundtrack.
From 2009-2011, Ivan also hosted a weekly metal show, “Metalopolis,” on Rock101 KUFO FM, in Portland, Oregon. Metalopolis became the #1 radio show in its region, during its time slot. The show came to a close in February 2011, due to budget cuts. These budget cuts lead to KUFO’s closing, going off the air altogether in March 2011. Ivan had carte blanche over his playlist and regularly interviewed metal artists, so listeners could stay informed about the scene.
In 2019, Ivan formed Big News with guitarist Al Silveira, vocalist Mike Bell and bass player Robert Chum Keith releasing their debut record "The Lowdown" on February 14th 2020.
In 2022 Ivan and bass player Robert Chum Keith brought in guitarist/vocalist Sean McLeod to form Boundless Joy releasing their self titled debut album on April 1st 2023. The band has since been performing festivals and venues around the Pacific Northwest and currently back in the studio to record a few new songs. The group combines classic metal, hard rock and funk to create a sound that is driving, heavy and rhythmic.
Ivan has been previously signed, recorded, performed and/or produced for Geffen Records, Caroline Records, Sony Records, 13th Planet, Noise Records, Silent Explosion Records, Risk Records, Roadrunner Records, and Polygram Records.
Ivan de Prume is endorsed by Hot Sticks, Latin Percussion, No Nutz, and Soultone Cymbals.