![\"You've](\"https:\/\/fastly-s3.allmusic.com\/release\/mr0000009230\/front\/220\/jr2Cs_EQDuBS7stc9Y767JhUoDg0hsvx4F4sL4oO-nA=.jpg\")
<\/a>Norman Cook<\/a>, better known as Fatboy Slim, is one of the most successful dance artists of all time. He’s scored numerous international hits with his hook-heavy, party-friendly tracks (often accompanied by innovative, subversive music videos) and he remains one of the world’s most in-demand DJs. Building on the sample-based sound of his previous projects (Beats International<\/a>, Mighty Dub Katz<\/a>), Cook<\/a> helped usher in the mid-’90s big beat movement — filled with boisterous breakbeats and pilfered guitar riffs, among other ear-catching sounds. His second album, 1998’s You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby<\/a>, contained four British Top Ten hits (led by “Praise You” and “Right Here, Right Now”), became a multi-platinum success, and earned notice as one of the year’s most critically acclaimed albums. His popularity continued with 2000’s collaboration-heavy Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars<\/a>, in addition to mix albums like 2002’s Live on Brighton Beach<\/a>. Following 2004’s relatively downbeat Palookaville<\/a>, Cook<\/a> formed the collaborative project Brighton Port Authority and also teamed with David Byrne<\/a> for the 2010 concept album Here Lies Love<\/a>. While more active as a DJ than a producer during the EDM boom of the 2010s, Fatboy continued sporadically releasing singles during the decade, scoring a major U.K. hit with 2013’s “Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat.” He also continued his lengthy run of mix CDs with 2020’s Back to Mine<\/a>. During the decade, he was featured on Rita Ora<\/a>‘s rework of “Praise You,” and released other collaborative singles like “Bus Stop Please” with Daniel Steinberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBorn Quentin Leo Cook<\/a> in Bromley, England, on July 31, 1963, he joined the Hull-based pop group the Housemartins<\/a> in 1986, replacing founding member Ted Key<\/a>. After the group split in 1988, Cook<\/a> became involved with the burgeoning acid house scene, pairing with producers Tim Jeffrey<\/a> and J.C. Reid<\/a> toward the end of the decade to form Pizzaman<\/a>. The trio issued three Top 40 hits together (“Trippin’ on Sunshine,” “Sex on the Streets,” and “Happiness”) before Cook<\/a> splintered off to record with similarly styled outfits Freak Power<\/a> and Beats International<\/a> in the early ’90s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fatboy Slim’s eagerly anticipated second LP, You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby<\/a>, followed later that year. The album went platinum in the U.S. and spawned four international hits, most notably “The Rockafeller Skank” and “Praise You,” which also boasted a Spike Jonze<\/a>-directed video that earned three MTV Video Music Awards as well as two Grammy nominations. Songs from You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby<\/a> ended up on countless soundtracks and commercials, cementing Fatboy Slim’s unique position as a critically acclaimed and immensely popular act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fatboy Slim Biography Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, is one of the most successful dance artists of all time. He’s scored numerous international hits with his hook-heavy, party-friendly tracks (often accompanied by innovative, subversive music videos) and he remains one of the world’s most in-demand DJs. Building on the sample-based sound of his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":138,"template":"","class_list":["post-137","artist","type-artist","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Better](\"https:\/\/fastly-s3.allmusic.com\/release\/mr0000079568\/front\/220\/nucRX7VRuizYQMYlhWe2pypQg_7iAU1wjqLgK_xGXts=.jpg\")
<\/a>He shut most of his other production activities down in the following years to focus on his solo project as Fatboy Slim, which began with a trio of singles and the full-length Better Living Through Chemistry<\/a>. Cook<\/a> was also called in to add his remixing skills to Jean-Jacques Perrey<\/a>‘s proto-electronica classic “E.V.A.,” released as a 12″ and CD single in 1997. In addition to his FBS work, Cook<\/a> also recorded the Skip to My Loops sample CD, a popular studio tool sporting a m\u00e9lange of sample-ready drum loops, analog squelches, and assorted noises. In early 1998, his remix of Cornershop<\/a>‘s “Brimful of Asha” spent several weeks at number one in the British charts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Essential](\"https:\/\/fastly-s3.allmusic.com\/release\/mr0000053501\/front\/220\/G3SKMqrsdPa1nceWoirWCT6KsMttLlyBmmVTZ6_CLs0=.jpg\")
<\/a>Cook<\/a> also recorded several mix albums, including the first disc of the Radio 1 compilation Essential Selection, Vol. 1<\/a> and his own On the Floor at the Boutique<\/a>. 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<\/a>, which arrived that fall. The album included hit collaborations with Macy Gray<\/a> (“Demons”) and Bootsy Collins<\/a> (“Weapon of Choice,” which had an award-winning video featuring Christopher Walken<\/a>). Two mix albums — Live on Brighton Beach<\/a> and Big Beach Boutique II<\/a> — appeared in 2002. During 2003, Cook<\/a> and his wife at the time– popular British TV presenter Z\u00f6e Ball — separated for a brief period. They soon patched things up but the split was a heavy influence on 2004’s Palookaville<\/a>, 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<\/a> appeared in 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Dance](\"https:\/\/fastly-s3.allmusic.com\/release\/mr0001042556\/front\/220\/GP59kOJ5uyu7jw5WMtbyAxyhM-OFI8zG4l-qVpXXB1I=.jpg\")
<\/a>In 2008, Cook<\/a> announced he would be retiring the Fatboy Slim name and launching a new project, Brighton Port Authority (or BPA for short), a musical concept group featuring special guest artists such as David Byrne<\/a>, Iggy Pop<\/a>, Dizzee Rascal<\/a>, Martha Wainwright<\/a>, and many more. BPA released the single “Toe Jam” in 2008. The following year, the Fatboy Slim brand continued to pop up, such as on the mix CD Dance Bitch<\/a>. Meanwhile, under the BPA moniker, Cook<\/a> released I Think We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat<\/a>. His next project, released in 2010 as Fatboy Slim, involved production work, collaboration, and co-billing with Byrne<\/a> on the Imelda Marcos<\/a> concept release Here Lies Love<\/a>. In 2011, he continued to tour across the globe, and in 2012 he was asked to perform at the London Olympics closing ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/fastly-s3.allmusic.com\/release\/mr0005009518\/front\/220\/CdxwvTFefmMUbz68wE9DjA4Q1ghY8VaPylnm7PwcKNY=.jpg\")
<\/a>The next year, Cook<\/a> scored a U.K. Top Ten hit with “Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat,” which featured Riva Starr<\/a>, vocals by Beardyman<\/a>, and a remix by Calvin Harris<\/a>. Over the following years, he continued headlining festival stages and releasing remix sets. Two singles, “Where U Iz” and “Boom F**king Boom” (featuring Beardyman<\/a>) appeared in 2017. The updated compilation The Best of Fatboy Slim<\/a> was issued in 2019. The following year saw the release of the minimalist club banger “All the Ladies,” a collaboration with Eats Everything<\/a>. Fatboy Slim’s volume of the Back to Mine<\/a> mix series arrived in 2020. “Speed Trials on Acid,” a collaboration with Carl Cox<\/a> and Dan Diamond<\/a>, appeared in 2022. Cook<\/a> was then featured on Eats Everything<\/a>‘s single “Bristol to Brighton.” In 2023, Rita Ora<\/a> reworked “Praise You” as “Praising You,” and Fatboy Slim was credited as a featured artist. The track was used for BMW advertisements, and received radio airplay around the world. Fatboy Slim released the singles “Role Model” (with Dan Diamond<\/a> and Luca Guerrieri<\/a>) and “Bus Stop Please” (with Daniel Steinberg<\/a>) in 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"