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Artist
Info:
Fatboy
Slim, Pizzaman, Mighty Dub Katz, Beats International, Norman
Cook.... call him what you want, nobody has been a bigger
influence on big-beat music than he.
Originating
from Brighton, Norman Cook first entered the recording scene
in 1985 when he became basist for the Housemartins, a mid-80's
pop group from the U.K. After a successfull three year stint,
the Housemartins disbanded at the height of their popularity.
Norman moved on, into a style of music that better fit his
bill, forming Beats International. A dub-infused collection
of artists, Beats International released two albums, Let
Them Eat Bingo, which included the number one hit "Dub
Be Good To Me," and Excursion on the Version.
Next
up for Norman was a new group, Freakpower. Under Freakpower,
Norman released Drive Thru Booty, which consisted
mostly of material written for what would have been the
third Beats International album. A limited edition verson
of the album included a dub cd produced by Norman, containing
a song that is very similar to the "Praise You - Original
Version" remix. Songs like this sprouted the start
of a number of aliases eventually becoming Fatboy Slim.
First
was Pizzaman in 1995. The self-titled album contained housey
hits "Trippin' On Sunshine" and "Happiness,"
and predicted Norman's future niche in big beat on "Gotttaman."
This was all in between the first and second albums from
Freakpower. The second album contained a couple of dancefloor
hits, but the Island records wasn't feeling the vibe. So
Norman turned around and founded Skint records.
Unable
to use the Pizzaman psuedonym, Fatboy Slim was born. Norman
Cook and the big beat genre had its "big boom."
In one week in 1997, Better
Living Thru Chemistry was recorded. Upon its release
to the masses in the UK via Skint and the US via Astralwerks,
Fatboy Slim became a favorite among dance fans.
Mighty
Dub Katz was also a current psuedonym for Norman, from which
"Magic Carpet" was produced. As popularity for
the Fatboy Slim moniker grew, Mighty Dub Katz died off.
With
the release of You've
Come A Long Way Baby, Fatboy's second album, Fatboy
Slim became a household and dancefloor name, much to the
chegrin of Norman Cook, however. Hits like "Praise
You" and "Rockafeller Skank" helped secure
Norman's status as king of big beat.
Norman
then proceeded to do remixes of countless songs, some dance,
some not. These songs helped enourage the MP3 phenomena,
being very popular download, along with live recorded DJ
sets unavailble to the US. Even with all this going on,
Norman managed to meet and marry Zoe Ball, with whom he
now has a child.
Disturbed
by the unwelcomed pop status, Norman returned to his roots
as a DJ. He concentrated on DJ'ing in clubs, including some
appearances in the States. He eventually returned to the
studio to record his current album, Halfway
Between the Gutter and the Stars. It already has
top 10 releases, "Star 69," a deep house track,
and "Weapon of Choice," which is one of the only
big beat style tracks. The album also contains "Bird
of Prey," a track recorded and released originally
as Pizziaman.
Norman
continues to DJ as Fatboy Slim while his current album continues
to produce dancefloor bliss.
On
The Web:
Official
Fatboy Slim Site
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