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Fatboy Slim is known the world over for his unique brand of ‘Party Acid House’, something he advocates through the medium of DJing and of course the music he makes. His track “Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat” was not only a worldwide hit last year but also became a lifestyle mantra for the hugely abundant new generation of ‘Ravers’ who can be seen hash-tagging and shuffling their way across dance floors and festival fields everywhere.
Sub-plotting Fatboy’s relentless party mission are two very clear passions… Football (“Soccer” for those in the U.S.) and Brasil!
Historically Music and Football don’t always mix but Fatboy has repeatedly denied such logic. His special relationship with the World Cup started in 2002 when he had the bright idea to play gigs in Japan and South Korea in the same cities as the England games, giving the England fans and locals something to do and allowing himself and his crew to go to the matches. Based on the success of this formula he repeated it (this time with FA approval) at Euro 2004 in Portugal and again with great success at South Africa 2010.
Four years on and he finds Football converging with his biggest love affair… Brasil!
Rewind to 2002, Big Beach Boutique II on Brighton Beach, the party to end all parties. By some bizarre twist of fate the DVD of the show spread like nutmegs in Brasil becoming engrained in folklore. Before long Brasilians were demanding a Fatboy Slim party like the one they’d seen on DVD.
Cut to Fatboy Slim DJ’ing on Flamingo beach in Rio, 360,000 people F#cking In Heaven, broadcast live on national TV… It was the biggest thing in dance music that had ever happened in Brasil. This, along with the countless other parties at Carnival and across the country is the reason why Norman is more famous in Brasil than any other country in the world, including the UK!
Now, just as he sets off for a Pre-Cup Recce and 6 date Carnival tour of Brasil, he’s delivered a lovingly curated collection of music encapsulating the soundtrack to this year’s biggest event… The World Cup Finals. ‘Fatboy Slim Presents Bem Brasil’ (roughly translated as ‘Very Brasil’) will be one of the hottest albums of the summer, and may even feature some new material from the man himself.
In parallel to the tournament, world renowned players from across the globe, congregate to express their skill, inspired by the magnificent back drop of Brasil, its people and its celebrated culture. The players in this case are a host of Fatboy’s producer friends from the world of electronic music. They’re not celebrating football but they are paying tribute to the incredible flair for music and dancing Brasil has gifted the world.
Some of the tracks are set around samples of classic Brasilian tracks, notably Felguk’s inspired re work of Jorge Ben Jor’s “Taj Mahal” and DJ Fresh’s take on the Sergio Mendes anthem “Magdalena”. Others take inspiration from Brasilian music with brand new tracks from Carl Cox, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Gregor Salto and Joey Negro’s re-imagining of Airto Moreira classic “Celebration Suite”
With only months left before the first ball meets boot in Brasil, Fatboy and his compatriots are here to get the carnival started early.
“Bem Brasil” is the latest in Fatboy Slim’s career spanning relationship with Astralwerks Records. In the late 90s, Fatboy Slim led the charge of the explosion of electronica into the American mainstream with his debut album “Better Living Through Chemistry”, followed by 1998’s platinum-selling sophomore release “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby” which spawned two international hits “The Rockafeller Skank” and “Praise You” cementing Fatboy Slim’s unique position as a critically acclaimed and immensely popular mainstream act. Football aside, Fatboy is no stranger to musically-inspired fancy-footwork. For evidence, check out Christopher Walken’s smooth moves in this 2002 Grammy Award Winning video for 2001’s “Weapon Of Choice”. |
