Fatboy Slim’s dancefloor evergreens

Norman Cook is a legend. Under the moniker Fatboy Slim the British producer and DJ has been making us dance for decades. His breakthrough album “You’ve Come a Long Way Baby” gave us ‘Right Here Right Now’, ‘Gangster Trippin’, ‘The Rockafella Skank’, and of course ‘Praise You’. Twenty years ago that song came in at #4 in the Hottest 100, but his popularity has never waned, and when he visited Australia to play massive outdoor shows, I asked him to Take 5. Norman’s background is textured; in the 80’s he was playing bass with The Housemartins, he had a hit with Beats International, and in 1996 was born again as Fatboy Slim. But at base level, he’s a fan. So I asked him to Take 5 with his “dancefloor evergreens”; the songs that never left his crate, that he always returned to. What I didn’t realise, is that Norman Cook was about to show us the musical blueprint of who he was today. From the turning point of how he became a DJ, to late nights with British Big Beat legends, and where his musical head is at today, this is an incredibly rich convo with a helluva soundtrack. Arthur Conley – ‘Sweet Soul Music’ The Clash – ‘Magnificent Seven’ Donna Summer – ‘I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley remix)’ J Walter Negro And The Loose Joints – ‘Shoot The Pump’ Underworld - ‘Rez’