A popular English artist credited with the founding of the big beat genre of electronica music. Responsible for such party anthems as The Rockafeller Skank, Gangster Trippin', Praise You and Weapon Of Choice, he's one of the most prolific dance music artists of all time (although to be honest, he pales in comparison to Moby if only because he hasn't had most of his back catalogue used for TV commercials).
Biography:
Quentin "Norman" Cook became Fatboy Slim in 1996 after the release of the second Freakpower album, Everything For Everybody. After adopting his new moniker, Fatboy Slim began frequenting the Brighton club The Big Beat Boutique where he met the Chemical Brothers, who suggested that he work on his own material instead of sticking to DJing.
In 1998, Fatboy Slim released his debut album Better Living Through Chemistry to great success and the album became his foot in the door to the big time. It also established the "big beat" sound, with its retro samples and funky grooves, and created the UK top ten hit Everybody Needs A 303. After Fatboy's remix of Cornershop's Brimful Of Asha topped the charts, he was asked to produce for the likes of Madonna and U2.
The popular and ubiquitous single The Rockafeller Skank was released shortly before the release of his next album You've Come A Long Way, Baby in 1998 to rave reviews. More singles from the album were released to similar success including Gangster Trippin', Right Here, Right Now and Praise You. More success followed and tracks from the album, regarded as a classic amongst "big beat" fans and regular punters alike, were licensed for various movies (anyone who's seen She's All That will not have missed the big prom night dance sequence set to The Rockafeller Skank), TV series and commmercials.
In 2000, Fatboy Slim released his next and (currently) latest album Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars featuring the The Doors-sampling track Sunset (Bird Of Prey), Weapon Of Choice (the video featuring Christopher Walken tap-dancing through a hotel lobby) and several collaborations with Macy Gray.
Discography:
Singles/EPs:
Full-Length Albums:
Compilations:
Sources:
Wikipedia - http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatboy_Slim
Amazon.com