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Fatboy Slim Biography
WITH songs such as "The Rockafeller Skank" and "Praise You" garnering commercial success and critical acclaim, many Americans probably assume that Fatboy Slim, the creator of those hits, only recently achieved pop stardom. Fact is, this British-based master of dance music has been working his craft for nearly 15 years. Heralded as perhaps the most gifted practitioner of the "big beat" sound - a sample-laden, funked-up pastiche of techno, rock, and rhythm and blues - 35-year-old Norman Cook (AKA Fatboy Slim) has paid his dues, and indeed aspiring artists would do well to look to his hard work and dedication as an example worth following.
Born July 13, 1963, into an upper middle class environment, Cook spent his childhood in Redhill, a small town just outside London where his father was employed as a glass manufacturer. His first musical influences came via his parents, whose record collection consisted mostly of albums by pop musicians such as the Beatles and the Carpenters. At the age of 16, however, Cook stumbled upon the work of black artists, and this discovery helped fuel his love of dance rhythms.
In the early '80s Cook moved to Brighton, England, to attend college. There, he supported himself with on-again, off-again stints DJ'ing at parties, weddings, and other social functions - a foreshadow of greater things to come. In 1985 Cook got what seemed to be a big break, when the Hull-based pop group the Housemartins recruited him to play bass. Uncomfortable with the band's style, however, and inspired by the success of his DJ friends Coldcut and Tim Simenon, Cook left the Britpop outfit two years later in order to chart his own musical course.
During the late '80s and early '90s, Cook began laying the groundwork for what would soon evolve into a lucrative career. While dabbling in remixes for other artists, he forged several productive musical alliances. First came Beats International, an artist collective that released two dub-heavy albums (and boasted a No. 1 single, "Dub Be Good to Me") before its members went their separate ways. Next came Freakpower, which Cook formed with horn player and singer Ashley Slater. Released in 1994, the duo's debut album, Drive Thru Booty, spawned a single ("Turn on Tune in Cop Out") that was picked up by the Levi company for use in a multimillion-dollar ad campaign.
In 1995, prior to beginning work on the second Freakpower album, Cook enlisted help from producer friends Tim Jeffery and JC Reid to flesh out his latest incarnation, "Pizzaman." In what was fast becoming a pattern, the album Pizzaman released that same year featured one track ("Happiness") that was picked up by the Del Monte corporation for use in a U.K. fruit juice ad. Barely pausing for breath, Cook then re-teamed with Ashley for a tour, which was followed by a second Freakpower album, titled Everything for Everybody, in 1996. Though the album fared well on the dance club circuit, Freakpower's label, Island Records, failed to push it in the marketplace.
As it turned out, label support was the least of Cook's concerns, as 1996 proved to be a watershed year. Adopting the alter-ego Fatboy Slim (a moniker, Cook insists, he chose for no reason other than that it seemed pleasing to the ear), Cook established a weekly residency at a fashionable Brighton venue called the Big Beat Boutique. Modeled after the Chemical Brothers' legendary (but now defunct) dance club, the Heavenly Social, the Boutique provided Cook free rein to parlay and perfect music that blurred the lines between rock, hip-hop, and rhythm 'n' blues. In the course of his work at the club, Cook befriended the Brothers themselves (Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons), who encouraged him to apply his skills toward creating more original tunes.
Sporting a double-entendre title that was, in part, a nod toward Cook's new friends, Better Living Through Chemistry marked Fatboy Slim's entry into the big-time. Recorded over the course of one week in Cook's attic-studio - dubbed affectionately the "House of Love" - the album was released in England on Skint Records, a label Cook co-founded with Damien Harris after he was dumped by Island. Filled with retro samples and funk-laden grooves, Chemistry defined, more than any other album to that time, what the "big beat" sound was all about. The effort also spawned one Top 10 U.K. hit ("Everybody Needs a 303"). Nonetheless, Cook's brilliant remixes remained his strongest calling card, and indeed, after his revamp of Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha" topped the U.K. charts in 1997, roughly 150 artists - Madonna and U2 among them - came clamoring for his services.
Impressive as were the accolades that accompanied Better Living Through Chemistry, the praise paled in comparison to that generated by the album's follow-up. With the smash single, "The Rockafeller Skank," serving as a pre-album teaser, You've Come A Long Way Baby was released in the fall of 1998 to ecstatic reviews. Moreover, Hollywood embraced Fatboy Slim with a vengeance, as his songs found their way into films (Cruel Intentions; She's All That), sitcoms (Friends), and, of course, TV ads (Adidas). (Incidentally, Cook has no qualms regarding such appropriations of his songs; indeed, he insists his primary concern is to get his music heard via any means. Considering the fact that he received a whopping $42,500 for the use of "Rockafeller" in She's All That, however, it's a safe bet other considerations are at play).
In regard to current goings-on and future projects, Cook is currently wrapping up a mini-tour (he was a participant in Woodstock '99), about to wed British radio and TV personality Zoe Ball, and in recent months he's hinted he might record another Freakpower album, a duo recently resurrected for the Mystery Men soundtrack. Moreover, having previously named "The Rockafeller Skank" the best single of 1998, Spin magazine's critics recently ranked You've Come Along Way, Baby one of the Top 100 albums of the '90s. And in perhaps the most prestigious honor he's received to date (if one excludes Brad Pitt's attempts to get him to DJ a private party), Cook recently was awarded a star on the city of Brighton's Walk of Fame, right next to that of Winston Churchill.
Born July 13, 1963, into an upper middle class environment, Cook spent his childhood in Redhill, a small town just outside London where his father was employed as a glass manufacturer. His first musical influences came via his parents, whose record collection consisted mostly of albums by pop musicians such as the Beatles and the Carpenters. At the age of 16, however, Cook stumbled upon the work of black artists, and this discovery helped fuel his love of dance rhythms.
In the early '80s Cook moved to Brighton, England, to attend college. There, he supported himself with on-again, off-again stints DJ'ing at parties, weddings, and other social functions - a foreshadow of greater things to come. In 1985 Cook got what seemed to be a big break, when the Hull-based pop group the Housemartins recruited him to play bass. Uncomfortable with the band's style, however, and inspired by the success of his DJ friends Coldcut and Tim Simenon, Cook left the Britpop outfit two years later in order to chart his own musical course.
During the late '80s and early '90s, Cook began laying the groundwork for what would soon evolve into a lucrative career. While dabbling in remixes for other artists, he forged several productive musical alliances. First came Beats International, an artist collective that released two dub-heavy albums (and boasted a No. 1 single, "Dub Be Good to Me") before its members went their separate ways. Next came Freakpower, which Cook formed with horn player and singer Ashley Slater. Released in 1994, the duo's debut album, Drive Thru Booty, spawned a single ("Turn on Tune in Cop Out") that was picked up by the Levi company for use in a multimillion-dollar ad campaign.
In 1995, prior to beginning work on the second Freakpower album, Cook enlisted help from producer friends Tim Jeffery and JC Reid to flesh out his latest incarnation, "Pizzaman." In what was fast becoming a pattern, the album Pizzaman released that same year featured one track ("Happiness") that was picked up by the Del Monte corporation for use in a U.K. fruit juice ad. Barely pausing for breath, Cook then re-teamed with Ashley for a tour, which was followed by a second Freakpower album, titled Everything for Everybody, in 1996. Though the album fared well on the dance club circuit, Freakpower's label, Island Records, failed to push it in the marketplace.
As it turned out, label support was the least of Cook's concerns, as 1996 proved to be a watershed year. Adopting the alter-ego Fatboy Slim (a moniker, Cook insists, he chose for no reason other than that it seemed pleasing to the ear), Cook established a weekly residency at a fashionable Brighton venue called the Big Beat Boutique. Modeled after the Chemical Brothers' legendary (but now defunct) dance club, the Heavenly Social, the Boutique provided Cook free rein to parlay and perfect music that blurred the lines between rock, hip-hop, and rhythm 'n' blues. In the course of his work at the club, Cook befriended the Brothers themselves (Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons), who encouraged him to apply his skills toward creating more original tunes.
Sporting a double-entendre title that was, in part, a nod toward Cook's new friends, Better Living Through Chemistry marked Fatboy Slim's entry into the big-time. Recorded over the course of one week in Cook's attic-studio - dubbed affectionately the "House of Love" - the album was released in England on Skint Records, a label Cook co-founded with Damien Harris after he was dumped by Island. Filled with retro samples and funk-laden grooves, Chemistry defined, more than any other album to that time, what the "big beat" sound was all about. The effort also spawned one Top 10 U.K. hit ("Everybody Needs a 303"). Nonetheless, Cook's brilliant remixes remained his strongest calling card, and indeed, after his revamp of Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha" topped the U.K. charts in 1997, roughly 150 artists - Madonna and U2 among them - came clamoring for his services.
Impressive as were the accolades that accompanied Better Living Through Chemistry, the praise paled in comparison to that generated by the album's follow-up. With the smash single, "The Rockafeller Skank," serving as a pre-album teaser, You've Come A Long Way Baby was released in the fall of 1998 to ecstatic reviews. Moreover, Hollywood embraced Fatboy Slim with a vengeance, as his songs found their way into films (Cruel Intentions; She's All That), sitcoms (Friends), and, of course, TV ads (Adidas). (Incidentally, Cook has no qualms regarding such appropriations of his songs; indeed, he insists his primary concern is to get his music heard via any means. Considering the fact that he received a whopping $42,500 for the use of "Rockafeller" in She's All That, however, it's a safe bet other considerations are at play).
In regard to current goings-on and future projects, Cook is currently wrapping up a mini-tour (he was a participant in Woodstock '99), about to wed British radio and TV personality Zoe Ball, and in recent months he's hinted he might record another Freakpower album, a duo recently resurrected for the Mystery Men soundtrack. Moreover, having previously named "The Rockafeller Skank" the best single of 1998, Spin magazine's critics recently ranked You've Come Along Way, Baby one of the Top 100 albums of the '90s. And in perhaps the most prestigious honor he's received to date (if one excludes Brad Pitt's attempts to get him to DJ a private party), Cook recently was awarded a star on the city of Brighton's Walk of Fame, right next to that of Winston Churchill.
Fatboy Slim All Music Guide Biography
Norman "Jack-of-All-Genres" Cook, in addition to his former occupations as bassist for the Housemartins and one-third of acid house hitmakers Pizzaman, is also the man behind one of the most popular of the new flock of English "Brit-hop" producers, Fatboy Slim. Releasing his Fatboy material through club staple Skint, Cook's raucous blend of house, acid, funk, hip-hop, electro, and techno has added to his already formidable reputation as one of the foremost all-around producers on the U.K. club scene.
Born Quentin Cook in Bromley on July 31, 1963, Cook joined the Hull-based pop group the Housemartins in 1986, replacing founding member Ted Key. After the group split the following year, Cook became involved with the burgeoning acid house scene, pairing with producers Tim Jeffrey and J.C. Reid toward the end of the decade to form Pizzaman. The trio nailed three Top 40 hits together ("Trippin' on Sunshine," "Sex on the Streets," and "Happiness") before Cook splintered off to record with similarly styled outfits Freak Power and Beats International in the early '90s.
He shut most of his other production activities down in the following years to focus on his latest incarnation, Fatboy Slim, which began with a trio of singles and the full-length Better Living Through Chemistry. Cook was also called in to add his remixing skills to Jean-Jacques Perrey's proto-electronica classic "Eva," released as a 12" and CD single in 1997. In addition to his FBS work, Cook also recorded the Skip to My Loops sample CD, a popular studio tool sporting a mélange of sample-ready drum loops, analog squelches, and assorted noises. In early 1998, his remix of Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha" spent several weeks at number one in the British charts.
Fatboy Slim's eagerly anticipated second LP, You've Come a Long Way, Baby, followed later that year. The album went platinum in the U.S. and spawned two international hits, "The Rockafeller Skank" and "Praise You," which also boasted a Spike Jonze-directed video that earned three MTV Video Music Awards as well as two Grammy nominations. "The Rockafeller Skank," "Praise You," and other songs from You've Come a Long Way, Baby ended up on countless soundtracks and commercials, cementing Fatboy Slim's unique position as a critically acclaimed and immensely popular act.
Cook also recorded several mix albums, including the first disc of the Radio 1 compilation Essential Selection, Vol. 1 and his own On the Floor at the Boutique. The latter was released domestically in the U.S. in early 2000 to help fans withstand the wait for his third album, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, which arrived that fall. Two mix albums -- Live on Brighton Beach and Big Beach Boutique II -- appeared in 2002. During 2003, Cook and his wife -- popular British TV presenter Zöe Ball -- separated for a brief period. They soon patched things up but the split was a heavy influence on 2004's Palookaville, the most laid-back and moody Fatboy Slim album yet. Collecting his singles along with a couple of important remixes, The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder appeared in 2006. In 2008 Cook announced he would be retiring the Fatboy Slim name and launching a new project, Brighton Port Authority, or the BPA for short. As of 2009 the Fatboy Slim name was still appearing, such as on the 2009 mix CD Dance Bitch, and as BPA, Cook released I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat in 2009. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide
Born Quentin Cook in Bromley on July 31, 1963, Cook joined the Hull-based pop group the Housemartins in 1986, replacing founding member Ted Key. After the group split the following year, Cook became involved with the burgeoning acid house scene, pairing with producers Tim Jeffrey and J.C. Reid toward the end of the decade to form Pizzaman. The trio nailed three Top 40 hits together ("Trippin' on Sunshine," "Sex on the Streets," and "Happiness") before Cook splintered off to record with similarly styled outfits Freak Power and Beats International in the early '90s.
He shut most of his other production activities down in the following years to focus on his latest incarnation, Fatboy Slim, which began with a trio of singles and the full-length Better Living Through Chemistry. Cook was also called in to add his remixing skills to Jean-Jacques Perrey's proto-electronica classic "Eva," released as a 12" and CD single in 1997. In addition to his FBS work, Cook also recorded the Skip to My Loops sample CD, a popular studio tool sporting a mélange of sample-ready drum loops, analog squelches, and assorted noises. In early 1998, his remix of Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha" spent several weeks at number one in the British charts.
Fatboy Slim's eagerly anticipated second LP, You've Come a Long Way, Baby, followed later that year. The album went platinum in the U.S. and spawned two international hits, "The Rockafeller Skank" and "Praise You," which also boasted a Spike Jonze-directed video that earned three MTV Video Music Awards as well as two Grammy nominations. "The Rockafeller Skank," "Praise You," and other songs from You've Come a Long Way, Baby ended up on countless soundtracks and commercials, cementing Fatboy Slim's unique position as a critically acclaimed and immensely popular act.
Cook also recorded several mix albums, including the first disc of the Radio 1 compilation Essential Selection, Vol. 1 and his own On the Floor at the Boutique. The latter was released domestically in the U.S. in early 2000 to help fans withstand the wait for his third album, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, which arrived that fall. Two mix albums -- Live on Brighton Beach and Big Beach Boutique II -- appeared in 2002. During 2003, Cook and his wife -- popular British TV presenter Zöe Ball -- separated for a brief period. They soon patched things up but the split was a heavy influence on 2004's Palookaville, the most laid-back and moody Fatboy Slim album yet. Collecting his singles along with a couple of important remixes, The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder appeared in 2006. In 2008 Cook announced he would be retiring the Fatboy Slim name and launching a new project, Brighton Port Authority, or the BPA for short. As of 2009 the Fatboy Slim name was still appearing, such as on the 2009 mix CD Dance Bitch, and as BPA, Cook released I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat in 2009. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide
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