In the mid-80s when the Housemartins were around, few would have predicted the bass player would go on to become one of the biggest acts in the country at the start of the 21st century, but that's exactly what did happen.
Norman Cook never really went away following the break up of the Housemartins having hits with Beats International, Freak Power, Pizzaman and Mighty Dub Katz. He became Fatboy Slim in 1996 and I first came across him in 1997 when he released "Everybody Needs A 303". It was in 1999 when he really hit the big time with "Praise You".
By the turn of the century, few, if any DJs in the dance music were bigger than Fatboy Slim. I always liked "Right Here Right Now" and "Gangster Trippin", but still to this day I don't like "Praise You", and "The Rockafeller Skank" used to annoy me but it's grown on me since. I also don't like "Sunset (Bird Of Prey)", the first single off his next album.
A mixed bag hit's wise then so initially I didn't really get the hype. But then there is Fatboy Slim the DJ. Although you're likely to hear some of his music in his sets, Fatboy Slim as a DJ is a different concept. I saw him doing a DJ set on the TV and realised just how good he was as a DJ.
His music is big beat, but his DJing was more of the house music variety. My first understanding of what makes a good DJ was ability to mix, but I knew that was a load of nonsense really, nobody really cares if the beats match up perfectly when mixing. Instead myself and a lot of other people agreed that track selection is key to being a good DJ. But actually, it isn't that. What really makes a good DJ is the ability to play any old rubbish and still make it sound good, and Fatboy Slim is just that.
This album was recorded in 2001 at the first Big Beach Boutique in Brighton. It wasn't the one where 250,000 people turned up, that was the following year.
Around the time both events took place, I was listening to more Rap and R&B music than I was dance, so I wasn't at either gig. I was living the other end of the country too at the time.
I bought the album 2 or 3 years later when Fatboy Slims popularity had dwindled and think I only paid £2 for it which was pretty much unheard of at the time. On listening to it I wished I was there.
The 3rd and 4th Big Beach Boutiques were for residents of Brighton only, but I managed to go to the 5th one (and last to date) which was in the Amex stadium as opposed to the beach. It was a great gig.
Fatboy Slim is still very much around today, but his last studio album came out in 2004. Maybe the fact he plays gigs instead of making records is a good thing, that "Eat Sleep Rave Repeat" tune he did a few years ago was dreadful.
He does come under criticism for playing the same set for the last 20 years. Whilst you're pretty much guaranteed to hear "Right Here Right Now", "Praise You" and "Star 69" in his sets, I wouldn't necessarily say they're all the same. Besides, more often than not when you go to a gig, the act you're seeing will play their big hits, this is no different.
No comments:
Post a Comment