Under the moniker Fatboy Slim the British producer and DJ has been making us dance for decades. His breakthrough album âYouâve Come a Long Way Babyâ gave us âRight Here Right Nowâ, âGangster Trippinâ, âThe Rockafella Skankâ, and of course âPraise Youâ. Twenty years ago that song came in at #4 in the Hottest 100, but his popularity has never waned, and when he visited Australia to play massive outdoor shows, I asked him to Take 5.
Normanâs background is textured; in the 80âs he was playing bass with The Housemartins, he had a hit with Beats International, and in 1996 was born again as Fatboy Slim. But at base level, heâs a fan. So I asked him to Take 5 with his âdancefloor evergreensâ; the songs that never left his crate, that he always returned to. What I didnât realise, is that Norman Cook was about to show us the musical blueprint of who he was today.
From the turning point of how he became a DJ, to late nights with British Big Beat legends, and where his musical head is at today, this is an incredibly rich convo with a helluva soundtrack.
Arthur Conley â âSweet Soul Musicâ
The Clash â âMagnificent Sevenâ
Donna Summer â âI Feel Love (Patrick Cowley remix)â
J Walter Negro And The Loose Joints â âShoot The Pumpâ
Underworld – âRezâ
Whether it be soul, disco, punk or competitive collaboration, it is interesting the different ingredients that led to the creation of
You’ve Come a Long Way Baby and Norman Cook’s signature sound.
It started with punk rock, where you don’t have to be a musician to make a record.
I’d grown up listening to soul music for the dance groove.
Then we had hip hop and rap music.
You put all that together, and I ended up making records as Fatboy Slim, where all I do is basically take all my record collection, chop it up into small pieces, and take the bits that I need for certain grooves.(source)
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