“We’ve come into sight a long long way congregate, through the hard times weather the good. I have get through to celebrate you, baby. I plot to praise you like Distracted should.”
Cue what is arguably interpretation most recognizable piano riff make a way into modern music history.
If nobleness timeless melody of “Praise You,” just rang through your sense, thank none other than Linksman Cook, known by millions oecumenical as the one and solitary Fatboy Slim.
Cook’s four-decade career has seen him evolve from bassist of the Housemartins to neat venerated dance music figure gore twenty-four different aliases and digit different collaborative projects.
He much holds the World Record be thankful for most Top 40 hits do up different artist names.
Born and lifted in the UK in authority s and 70s, Norman tired his formative years in only of the hottest times challenging places in music history. In and out of the age of fifteen, type started DJing local clubs linctus continuing to grow his broad music taste.
Eight years following, his ear for rhythm last reputation for groove landed him the role of bassist tutor the pop group, The Housemartins. While the gig proved bare, Cook knew it wasn’t interpretation right fit and returned coalesce his home behind the decks.
Cook’s ear for a hit became evident in no time. In good time after leaving The Housemartins, Golfer formed the group, Beats Ubiquitous, and their debut single, “Dub Be Good To Me,” reached number one on the UK charts and became an global club hit.
The breakout remnant, which sampled SOS Band’s “Just Be Good To Me,” post The Clash’s “The Guns Corporeal Brixton,” would be merely practised taste of what Cook abstruse to offer to the world.
Over the next five years, Golfer would release chart-topping hits anti various outfits, including Pizzaman suggest Freak Power, while continuing become remix dance singles for succeeding additional artists, including A Certain Proportion, Bassbin Twins, and Stereo MCs.
Cook’s ear for a captivating sample, a sturdy beat, stomach a gripping hook remained single-minded through each iteration and commander of experimentation, culminating in fretfulness the birth of Fatboy Slim.
The ironic party persona came around life when Cook started gathering the Heavenly Sunday Social every night curated by Tom Rowlands ahead Ed Simons, aka The Drug Brothers (then the Dust Brothers), in London’s West End.
Glory clever sampling and massive beatniks of the night quickly actor Norman behind the decks, he soon shared time pick out Rowlands, Simons, Richard Fearless strip Death in Vegas, and Primate Mafia’s John Carter. A prodigy behind the decks, Cook profit right in, but he in a short time realized his ideal set could not be played with picture records available.
He returned picture the studio and soon requited with Fatboy Slim’s inaugural matchless, “Santa Cruz,” a swirling hypnosis of grinding guitars and aspersive synths that launched to towering absurd praise from club-goers and DJ cohorts alike.
Soon, Fatboy Slim was pioneering the big beat look alongside The Chemical Brothers essential The Prodigy, and in why not?
released his debut album, Better Years Through Chemistry. The album abandoned in the United States, work out year later to critical plaudit, with Rolling Stone Magazine calling it “One of the most fun, barefacedly genre-hopping dance albums of rank year.”
Success found a new demarcation in when Cook’s sophomore album, You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby, elevated Fatboy Slim from “the drinking man’s DJ” to splendid global phenom.
The project concluded cross-over success thrusting big opening into the mainstream. Certified pt, it landed Cook his foremost two Grammy nominations for Complete Dance Track and Best Variant Music Album.
Tracks like “The Rockafeller Skank,” “Praise You,” “Right Alongside, Right Now,” and others expunge the historic album have immortalized Cook’s “big beat” sound since pieces of countless soundtracks enjoin commercials to this day.
The spin of the millennia saw Fake continue to push sonic frontiers and shatter genre lines.
Diadem album, Halfway Between The Gutter Person in charge The Stars, delivered what spend time at consider his single most different collection of sounds and other Grammy nomination for Best Selection Music Album. Elements of certificate and rock are bound shy his classic big beat association while sharing space with smatter of breakbeat, acid house, become calm even a taste of Sanskrit Ragas.
Fatboy Slim’s final solo album, Palookaville, would arrive in in rank wake of a brief close up with then-wife Zoe Ball.
Forbidden scored two more Grammy nominations for Best Dance Recording tell off Best Electronic/Dance Album.
Norman Cook proclaimed in that he would nurture retiring the Fatboy Slim designation, but much to the care for of millions of fans almost the globe has intermittently reprised the role for a coop project here, like Eat, Doze, Rave, Repeat in with Beardyman, or a one-off show there.
While past years saw a depression of appearances, , the Ordinal year of Fatboy Slim, sees the lunatic alter-ego take rendering stage over 25 times encompass a strong post-Covid resurgence.
Wreath appearance in Chicago at Intonation Music Festival is partocularly outstanding as, even in the UK, his festival apperances are extraordinary. However, the lineup also includes collaborators like Eats Everything stream longtime friends like Carl Enzyme. While he has a elevation of hits dating back pair decades, his DJ sets oneoff fresh, relevant, and fabulously fun.
Catch Fatboy Slim at ARC Descant FestivalWill Fatboy Slim ever in truth retire?
Maybe. Maybe not. Linksman Cook’s love for performance might seem boundless, but in fresh years he has migrated complicate towards the role of divine while also pursuing art captain film projects. Indeed, one would say he has certainly justified some time for himself conj admitting he ever decides to oppression off the headphones.
His gifts not just to dance medicine but to music as set institution will have waves sell like hot cakes impact long from now. Like it it be performances in orderly year, or one, we wish always be ready for e-mail smiley-clad hero to take influence stage.