Big Beat

[Wolkenkrabber]

Ok, maybe I'm being pedantic here. Maybe I'm missing the point, but nonetheless...

My thoughts on Big Beat as a genre is that it was a mid to late 90's ('95-'98) phenomenon (partly inspired by The Chems). It was the kind of artists that were on Skint records for example. The artists that Fatboy would play at The Boutique in Brighton (as per On The Floor At The Boutique).
But then Breaks or "Nu Skool Breaks" came along at the turn of the century. Personally I think that's a separate genre.
So people like: A Skillz, Krafty Kuts, Plump DJ's, Elite Force, Freeland, Ils, Dylan Rhymes and Meat Katie are all Breaks rather than Big Beat, I think.  I kinda feel like there should be a separate thread for these Breaks artists.  Am I splitting hairs? Maybe...

[Csar]

Ok, maybe I'm being pedantic here. Maybe I'm missing the point, but nonetheless...

My thoughts on Big Beat as a genre is that it was a mid to late 90's ('95-'98) phenomenon (partly inspired by The Chems). It was the kind of artists that were on Skint records for example. The artists that Fatboy would play at The Boutique in Brighton (as per On The Floor At The Boutique).
But then Breaks or "Nu Skool Breaks" came along at the turn of the century. Personally I think that's a separate genre.
So people like: A Skillz, Krafty Kuts, Plump DJ's, Elite Force, Freeland, Ils, Dylan Rhymes and Meat Katie are all Breaks rather than Big Beat, I think.  I kinda feel like there should be a separate thread for these Breaks artists.  Am I splitting hairs? Maybe...

Fair enough. I tried to stick as close as to what I think is Big Beat. Some are a bit beyond true Big Beat some can be considered straight Big Beat. To me, Big Beat has a fair amount of "live" sounding drums an ideally drum rolls and breaks in it (like the Depth Charge's or DJ Mink's track). And I think those examples I posted aren't that far away from that. Oh, and I don't believe a specific time reference is relevant here. You could produce Big Beat today too if you wanted So I don't pigeonhole it by the folks who produced a track but rather by the track itself whether I consider it Big Beat or not.

[Ben_j]

I don't consider Plump DJs and co as Big Beat either. They're breakbeat, and Big Beat is a kind of missing link between hip hop and breakbeat.

[Wolkenkrabber]

Fatboy Q&A

Ok they clearly have the date wrong where they say 16th August. I suspect they mean the 6th of September. Anyway don't say that no one warned you that the coolest newspaper in the world is doing this.
There used to be a Fatboy thread - maybe on the old forum. If anyone wants to start a new one and move this post, that's fine by me.

https://twitter.com/guardianmusic/status/771634799349903360

[NiCk.Dj]

Basement Jaxx - Remedy
Junkie XL - Saturday Teenage Kick

[Wolkenkrabber]

https://twitter.com/guardianmusic/status/771634799349903360

So this happened today. I feared the questions weren't gonna be up to much a couple of days ago, but in the end I think this is more enjoyable than the Karl Hyde Guardian chat a while ago.

Fatboy discusses the way Rockefeller Skank came about, snorting gak off a railway line, and bin diving for samples. Stuff that made me chuckle included; "the longest word I ever said in a burp. It was 'Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife' ", and "I have the immense honour of having a dildo named after me".

There's a Chemical connection too: "Chemical Brothers asked me to remix Star Guitar. I sat there for three days and thought: it can't get any better".

Oh, and he even answered MY question: "Did Palookaville's reception put you off making any more Fatboy albums...?" I didn't think he would to be honest. I'm impressed with his general attitude of not shying away from any of the questions.

Also you'll see in his "goodbye" photo that he's doing his debut Beats 1 show on Friday.
Oh, and Better Living Through Chemistry is  being re-released

Now I'm looking up old Housemartins footage. Anyone besides me old enough to remember Caravan of Love?

[Ben_j]

He's talking about a new single... Is he talking about that brazilian remix stuff he released a few weeks ago ?

[Born In Planet Dust]

I think this is the last thing I heard from him.

[Wolkenkrabber]

Fatboy Beats1 show 09/09/16
Is this embedable?
Download HERE

I've only had a quick skip through this. May not be breaking lots of new ground but sounds entertaining nonetheless.

[Bosco]

Came across this article:

https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/big-beat-history-influence-prodigy-fatboy-slim


Appreciate how the author relentlessly praises The Chemical Brothers, but I really don't get this guy's angle.

The fact that it coincided with the Brit-Pop invasion of the second half of the 90s is no coincidence either, as they are both examples of the English taking American roots music, whitewashing it, and selling it back to American teens for twenty bucks a pop. There's no way around around the fact that this was music by upper-middle class Brits targeted at upper-middle class American youth—and that many of the top big beat acts were glaringly white, straight, and male.

um...

[Csar]

Came across this article:

https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/big-beat-history-influence-prodigy-fatboy-slim


Appreciate how the author relentlessly praises The Chemical Brothers, but I really don't get this guy's angle.

um...

Thanks for the article. I had to take a break from reading when he (after much of the elitist crap he already wrote) started calling Rockafeller Skunk "most garish offenders". Will continue reading later.
And I don't get that paragraph either you quoted. Especially that gender/race/ orientation annotation. But it must be really really meaningful, I guess.

[WhiteNoise]

Of course big beat was designed to reinforce conservative patriarchal heteronormativity. Nothing to do with the PLUR driven rave background it was born from. Obviously. I thought we all knew this.

[Ben_j]

Bentley Rhythm Ace are touring in the UK right now. I wish I could go... Such an underrated band, and one of the best Big Beat act.

[Csar]

Bentley Rhythm Ace are touring in the UK right now. I wish I could go... Such an underrated band, and one of the best Big Beat act.

Funny, I found this clip too a couple of weeks ago when I was browsing some tunes on YT. It's nice to see them back in their game. I really loved BRA's debut album and therefore bought For Your Ears Only. But to be honest, that was a really boring and chaotic record without any direction whatsoever. I've got two mixes from 1997/99 that are quite nice though. Maybe they're going to release another alum?

[Enjoyed]

They're playing in Brighton in December. A kind of Skint reunion with Space Raiders DJing.
I wish wish wish I could go but I'm going to be in America.

Missing out on Röyksopp and the Chems too 

But, y'know... Love and all that.

[Agustin123]

I love the idea that the Chemical Brothers & Fatboy Slim are friends. I am your number one fan. I love your music (the big beat). Very few in my family like the big beat (do not take it badly but when I show my father and my sister some Fatboy Slim songs and the chemical brothers said they did not like them).

[Joslyn]

Bentley Rhythm Ace are touring in the UK right now. I wish I could go... Such an underrated band, and one of the best Big Beat act.

They still bring the car and the airhorn? Aiaiai

[Bosco]

No online news articles related to the matter, but since it's one of my favorite albums.... Proppellerheads 'Decksandrumsandrockandroll',  is quietly getting a 20th Anniversary Re-Release ,both on Vinyl and Cd, later this month.

Looks like the CD version will come as a double disc including some of the rarer EP and Single b-sided material that they have released previously.

here is the US Amazon listing:

https://www.amazon.com/Decksandrumsandrockandroll-20Th-Anniversary-PROPELLERHEADS/dp/B07BZC89ZS