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Revision as of 18:52, 10 June 2002 by Zoe (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Fatboy Slim (real name Norman Cook) is an English musician in the dance music genre. His style is known as "big beat", a combination of techno, rock, and rhythm and blues.
Born on July 13, 1963, Cook grew up in Redhill, a small town near London. In the early 80s Cook moved to Brighton, where he supported himself by DJing while attending college. In 1985 the pop group the Housemartins recruited him to play bass. Cook left the band two years later in order to move on in a musical style he preferred.
Cook joined Beats International, a musical collective that released two albums, Let Them Eat Bingo (including the Number 1 single, "Dub Be Good to Me") and Excursion on the Version. Next he formed Freakpower, with horn player and singer Ashley Slater. The duo released their debut album, Drive Thru Booty, in 1994, which contained the single "Turn on Tune in Cop Out"]]. The cut was picked up by the Levi company for use in a multimillion-dollar ad campaign.
In 1995, Cook enlisted help from producer friends Tim Jeffery and JC Reid to create a solo album, "Pizzaman." The album featured one track ("Happiness") that was picked up by the Del Monte corporation for use in a U.K. fruit juice ad. Cook then re-joined Ashley Slater for the second Freakpower album, titled Everything for Everybody, in 1996.
Later that same year, Cook adopted the alter-ego pseudonym Fatboy Slim and began frequenting the Brighton club The Big Beat Boutique. While DJing at the club, Cook befriended the Chemical Brothers, who suggested that he work on his own material instead of sticking to DJing.
The Fatboy Slim album Better Living Through Chemistry marked Cook's emergence into the big time. Filled with retro samples and funk-laden grooves, the album established the "big beat" sound. It also spawned one Top 10 U.K. hit, "Everybody Needs a 303"). After Cook's remix of Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha" topped the charts, such musical heavy hitters as Madonna and U2 asked him to produce for them.
Fatboy Slim's next work was the single "The Rockafeller Skank," which was released prior to its album You've Come A Long Way Baby, both of which came out in 1998 to rave reviews. Further Fatboy Slim works have appeared in movies, television series, and more ads.
Cook was recently awarded a star on the city of Brighton's Walk of Fame, next to that of Winston Churchill.