Fatboy Slim

Artist Image: Fatboy Slim
Attribution
Image Credit: "daniel m" (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dmnyc/217950325/), CC BY-SA 2.0

Biography

Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook on 16 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English DJ, musician, rapper, and record producer. As a solo electronic act, he has won ten MTV Video Music Awards and two Brit Awards. His records as Fatboy Slim also helped to popularise the big beat genre which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s. Cook first rose to fame in the 1980s as the bassist of the indie rock band The Housemartins who scored a UK number-one single with their a capella cover of Isley-Jasper-Isley's "Caravan of Love". After the band split, Cook formed Beats International whose début album spawned their signature hit, "Dub Be Good to Me" which was another UK number-one as well as going on to become the seventh best-selling single of 1990 in the UK. Cook then went on to join numerous other acts including Freak Power, Pizzaman and The Mighty Dub Katz to moderate success. Cook adopted the Fatboy Slim moniker in 1996 and released Better Living Through Chemistry to critical acclaim. Follow ups You've Come a Long Way, Baby and Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, as well as their associated singles including "The Rockafeller Skank", "Praise You", "Right Here Right Now" and "Weapon of Choice" were also met with positive reviews and commercial success. In 2008, Cook founded a project called The Brighton Port Authority. Cook has been responsible for successful remixes for Cornershop, Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest and Wildchild.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1996
Number of Albums 35
Record Label Skint Records
Website fatboyslim.net
Wikipedia Fatboy Slim on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

What project did Cook form after Palookaville?

Brighton Port Authority

...ly downbeat Palookaville, Cook formed the collaborative project Brighton Port Authority and also teamed with David Byrne for the 2010 concept album He...
What concept album did Cook collaborate with David Byrne on?

Here Lies Love

...thority and also teamed with David Byrne for the 2010 concept album Here Lies Love . While more active as a DJ than a producer during the EDM boom of t...
Fatboy continued to release what during the EDM boom of the 2010s?

singles

...ring 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, Ra...
When did Quentine Cook join the Hullbased pop group the Housemartins?

1986

... on July 31, 1963, he joined the Hullbased pop group the Housemartins in 1986 , replacing founding member Ted Key. After the group split in 1988, Cook ...
How many Top 40 hits did Pizzaman release?

three

...J.C. Reid toward the end of the decade to form Pizzaman. The trio issued three Top 40 hits together (Trippin' on Sunshine, Sex on the Streets, and Hap...
What is the name of the popular studio tool?

Skip to My Loops

...ugh Chemistry. In addition to his FBS work, Cook also recorded the Skip to My Loops sample CD, a popular studio tool sporting a mélange of sampleready...
What was the name of the trio Cook and J.C. Reid formed?

Pizzaman

...oducers 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...
What was Fatboy Slim's second LP called?

You've Come a Long Way, Baby

...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....
How long did Slims remix of Cornershop's Brimful of Asha stay at number one?

several weeks

...ises. 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 anticipa...
How many Grammy nominations did the Jonze directed video earn?

two

...e Jonzedirected video that earned three MTV Video Music Awards as well as two Grammy nominations. The Rockafeller Skank, Praise You, and other songs f...
What was the name of the third album Cook recorded?

Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars

...0 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 Brigh...
How many mix albums appeared in 2002?

Two

...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 ...
Which number one single did Cook produce?

Dub Be Good to Me

...Beats International in Brighton, who produced the numberone single Dub Be Good to Me . He then played in Freak Power, Pizzaman, and the Mighty Dub Katz...
In what city was Beats International based?

Brighton

...emartins split, Cook formed the electronic band Beats International in Brighton , who produced the numberone single Dub Be Good to Me. He then played i...
When did Cook release Better Living Through Chemistry?

1996

...Freak Power, Pizzaman, and the Mighty Dub Katz with moderate success. In 1996 , Cook adopted the name Fatboy Slim and released Better Living Through Ch...
Cook has not released a new studio album since what year?

2004

...ts including David Byrne. Despite not releasing a new studio album since 2004 , Cook has been musically active with touring and made a concept album He...
How many MTV Video Music Awards has he won as a solo act?

nine

...ord for most top40 hits under different names. As a solo act, he has won nine MTV Video Music Awards and two Brit Awards. He was raised in Reigate, Su...
Where was he raised?

Reigate, Surrey

...n nine MTV Video Music Awards and two Brit Awards. He was raised in Reigate, Surrey , and educated at Reigate Grammar School, where he took violin less...
What school did he attend?

Reigate Grammar School

... Brit Awards. He was raised in Reigate, Surrey, and educated at Reigate Grammar School , where he took violin lessons alongside future Labour Party lea...
What party is Keir Starmer a member of?

Labour

...d educated at Reigate Grammar School, where he took violin lessons alongside future Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. He grew up with a love of music....
Where did the chameleon grow up?

Surrey

...This musical chameleon grew up in Surrey and began to DJ when he moved to Brighton to study for a degree. After playing bass guitar with the Housemart...
Who formed Skint Records?

Damian Harris

...ment took its name). Following the success of the club, he signed to Damian Harris newly formed Skint Records as Fatboy Slim and released Santa Cruz a...
What was Fatboy Slim's first single?

Santa Cruz

... Damian Harris newly formed Skint Records as Fatboy Slim and released Santa Cruz as his first single. He has also recorded for Southern Fried Records ...
For what label did he record as the Mighty Dub Katz?

Southern Fried Records

...leased Santa Cruz as his first single. He has also recorded for Southern Fried Records as the Mighty Dub Katz, notably It's Just Another Groove and Ma...
Along with Magic Carpet Ride, what was a notable Southern Fried record?

It's Just Another Groove

...ded for Southern Fried Records as the Mighty Dub Katz, notably It's Just Another Groove and Magic Carpet Ride. In 1998, his success continued with a F...
What Fatboy Slim single topped the UK chart in January 1999?

Praise You

...rded with just Ashley Slater. In January 1999, the Fatboy Slim single Praise You topped the UK chart, while You've Come A Long Way, Baby consolidated ...
In what year did The Rockafeller Skank and No Way debut?

1998

...hty Dub Katz, notably It's Just Another Groove and Magic Carpet Ride. In 1998 , his success continued with a Fatboy Slim single The Rockafeller Skank a...
Praise You topped the UK chart, while You've Come A Long Way, Baby consolidated its crossover appeal and enjoyed what?

transatlantic success

...e A Long Way, Baby consolidated its crossover appeal and enjoyed transatlantic success . In February, he won a BRIT Award for best producer, and in Aug...
In February, he won a BRIT Award for best producer, and married who?

Zoe Ball

...st producer, and in August married Radio 1 DJ and television presenter Zoe Ball (their son, Woody, was born the following December). Cook's success li...
Cook has reached a wider audience than many DJs by combining elements of what?

rock and dance music

...y breakbeats with the most catchy melodies and riffs, and he has reached a wider audience than many DJs by combining elements of rock and dance music ....
Who is the Fatboy Slim project of?

Norman Cook

...Fatboy Slim is the project of Norman Cook , who used to play bass in Housemartins. Discovered by the Chemical Brothers at the end of the 1980s, Cook su...
Who was a member of Dub Be Good To Me?

Beats International

...denly became a protagonist of the dance scene under the monickers Beats International (of Dub Be Good To Me fame), Mighty Dub Kats, Pizzaman and Freak...
What does Everybody Needs a 303 use to accelerate dramatically into a Brazilian dance?

electronic percussion

...act with the tribal percussions. Everybody Needs a 303 uses only electronic percussion to accelerate dramatically into a frantic Brazilian dance. 10th...
What seems to simulate a dialogue between petulant electronic voices?

10th & Crenshaw

...rcussion to accelerate dramatically into a frantic Brazilian dance. 10th & Crenshaw seems to simulate a dialogue between petulant electronic voices. F...
What kind of overtones does First Down have?

funk and jazz

...ialogue between petulant electronic voices. First Down, rich in both funk and jazz overtones, is a fibrillating missile of electronic counterpoint fue...
Who is the most eccentric piece?

Michael Jackson

... of electronic counterpoint fueled by loops of saxophone and drums. Michael Jackson is the most eccentric piece, a layered tribal orgy built out of vo...
When was Quentin Cook born?

Bromley, Kent

...out sounding like Simply Red. Born Quentin Cook on July 16, 1963, in Bromley, Kent , the artist currently known as Fatboy Slim was raised in the town o...
What was the name of the artist who is currently known as Fatboy Slim?

Quentin Cook

... I wanted to make black music without sounding like Simply Red. Born Quentin Cook on July 16, 1963, in Bromley, Kent, the artist currently known as Fa...
Where was Slim raised?

Redhill, Surrey

...the artist currently known as Fatboy Slim was raised in the town of Redhill, Surrey , the son of an MBEholding environmental consultant dad and a schoo...
What did Slim study at Brighton Polytechnic?

English, politics and sociology

...al consultant dad and a schoolteacher mum. He later studied English, politics and sociology at Brighton Polytechnic, and would make his home in the co...
In what town did Slim grow up?

Redhill

...nt, the artist currently known as Fatboy Slim was raised in the town of Redhill , Surrey, the son of an MBEholding environmental consultant dad and a s...
In what year did Norman change his name to Norman?

1985

...at Brighton Polytechnic, and would make his home in the coastal town. In 1985 , he changed his name to Norman and started a career with Caravan Of Love...
Fatboys Better Living Through Chemistry a nod to who?

the Chemical Brothers

...charts. His Better Living Through Chemistry a nod to his friends the Chemical Brothers and a welldocumented predilection for party substances helped h...
What was the name of his 1998 single?

The Rockefeller Skank

... for party substances helped him break the international scene in 1997. His 1998 single The Rockefeller Skank marked his mainstream arrival Stateside....
In what year did Norman Cook release Better Living Through Chemistry?

1997

...achieved mainstream alternative success in America in the latter half of 1997 with his release Better Living Through Chemistry. Better Living gained g...
What did Simon Reynolds liken Fatboy's music to?

pub rock

...tsrave feel of Fatboy Slim's music and likened it to the equivalent of pub rock the laddish, unsophisticated but necessary prequel to an imminent (here...
At what age was he a DJ?

15

...of age during the late 1970s in the midst of the disco era. At the age of 15 , he was DJing in local clubs. A career on the turntables and a love of mu...
When did the Housemartins hit big?

1987

...c led him to the Housemartins, a pleasant pop act that hit it big around 1987 with their hit Caravan of Love. He spent time as the bass player for the...
What did he try to do after returning to DJing?

making music himself

...zine. He eventually returned to DJing and began some attempts at making music himself . I was a white bloke who liked dance musicor 'black music,' as i...
What was Disque Attack?

a British newwaveinfluenced rock band

...publishing activities, he played drums in Disque Attack ( a British newwaveinfluenced rock band ) for which he later performed lead vocals. Although he ...
Where did he begin to develop his skills?

Brighton club scene

... at this time that he began to develop his skills on the thriving Brighton club scene . In 1985 Cook's friend Paul Heaton who lived in Hull had formed ...
What was the name of the British newwave influenced rock band?

Disque Attack

...Contemporary with his publishing activities, he played drums in Disque Attack (a British newwaveinfluenced rock band) for which he later performed lea...
What was the name of Cook's friend's guitar band?

The Housemartins

...iend Paul Heaton who lived in Hull had formed a guitar band called The Housemartins . Cook had lost interest in the rock scene and could barely play a ...
Who was the original artist for Caravan of Love?

Isley Jasper Isley

...a version of Caravan of Love originally a hit the year before for Isley Jasper Isley . Heaton and the band's drummer Dave Hemingway went on to form The...
What band did Heaton and Dave Hemingway form?

The Beautiful South

...ley. Heaton and the band's drummer Dave Hemingway went on to form The Beautiful South , while Cook moved back to Brighton to pursue his interest in the...
Who is credited with being the Executive Producer of Cook's 2004 record?

Simon Thornton

... this time that he first started working with young studio engineer Simon Thornton , with whom he continues to make records. All Cook's records release...
What did Cook begin to score under a string of?

aliases

..., Cook began to score dancechart hits and gain notice under a string of aliases . Among the names Cook employed were Beats International, Freakpower, F...
Who produced Pizzaman?

JC Reid and Tim Jeffery

...eakpower, Fried Funk Food, Mighty Dub Katz, and, with producers JC Reid and Tim Jeffery , Pizzaman. Inspired by the acidhouse dance scene in Englanda b...
What was Fatboy's debut?

Better Living Through Chemistry

...ook let his music do the talking for him on Fatboy's debut, Better Living Through Chemistry (1996), recorded in one week in Cook's attic. The album's ...
How long was Better Living Through Chemistry recorded?

one week

...on Fatboy's debut, Better Living Through Chemistry (1996), recorded in one week in Cook's attic. The album's signature track, Going Out of My Head, sa...
Yvonne Elliman was a disco diva in what decade?

1970s

... the Who's Can't Explain, while relying on a vocal cover of the track by 1970s disco diva Yvonne Elliman. By combining these three elementshis own com...
Fatboy Slim was able to create a fresh, modern track built on what elements?

classical

...vocal line from a disco song, and a segment of the original Who trackFatboy Slim was able to create a fresh, modern track built on classical elements....