I am sure everyone has heard of this guy. I mean you couldn’t have been alive in 1997 and escaped at least a hearthearted listen to Rockafella Skank (Funk Soul Brother), or for that matter You Have Come a Long Way Baby, still to this day his best original album. But this article is not about his original efforts, but about his wildly famous DJ sets. There are four albums of note, two of them spun live on Brighton beach. His albums have always cheered me up because, and this might not be earth shattering news, they’re FUN. He is the master of the quick cut, spinning all sorts of crazy tunes then poof, next song different flow, but feel free to continue shaking your ass. His style is so simple and effective, and unlike Digweed, he masters the flow by constantly changing it. Loud sirens, booming bass, and a constantly moving beat... this guy is king. Of all the DJs on this list he is the one I identify with the most. His mantra is not to take yourself or your work to seriously, and just have a good time. Advice I hold dear to this day.

Live on Brighton Beach
This album cuts into the action like someone accidentally, yet serendipitously flipped the live a feed switch. Using the opening licks of “Born Slippy” on loop then bringing in “Right Here Right Now” before dropping into a completely different song. The crowd goes wild, and sophomore year Dallas gets goosebumps. Cut to 6 years later and Dallas still does. This is the first live album I bought, and this was my first of Fatboy Slim’s DJ sets. The album doesn’t stop, well scratch that, it does when the police halt the show to get “people to the right of the stage by the sea” to move “back by the west pier” all on caught on tape. Its fucking track 7. The tide was coming in, and it was also the fact that there was 10 times the people they expected to show up at this free show on Brighton beach. Many people don’t think about this, but some music doesn’t work well in some venues. Some music fits better when blasted over loud speakers to thousands of people. Rule of thumb is the larger the venue, the simpler the sound needs to be and harder it needs to hit. And Norman (Fatboy Slim) doesn’t disappoint, using very simplistic and catchy tracks whilst sticking cheeky samples on top. Throw it on if you are down it will pick you right back up again, I does for me.
Big Beach Boutique 2

This album is the direct sequel to the Live on Brighton Beach album. And much like the last album it has a real simple and catchy feel to it. This time he is joined by Midfield General (or General Midy) on the first five tracks. It opens in a moment to moment feel, as Midy long plays two or three tracks and then gets into right into it. Fatboy picks up where Midy leaves off, dropping in with Tim Deluxe’s “It just wont do” then slides right through “77strings” before dropping my personal favorite “Sexiest Man in Jamaica”. This album is not just fun though, it is very moving as well. Maybe it’s the cheering crowds whenever the next song is dropped, maybe it’s the tongue in cheek samples, but this album gets me. It has heart, like an experience of total relief and fun all the way through. You feel like you are at this show, and you bobbing your head having a good time in the sun and never wanting it to end.
On the Floor at the Boutique

The Beat Beat Boutque is a club in Brighton, and right after the release of You Have Come a Long Way Baby in 97, he put on a show there and recorded it. The result is a whole lot of kickass! Remember the principal the larger the crowd, the simpler and heavier the sound, well it applies here too. It’s a smaller venue, indoors with packed audience, so the beats are more complicated with slicker basslines. His picks are extremely percussive, beat oriented tracks (almost obnoxiously so) and he glitches scratches and straight plows thought them in three minute intervals giving you horns sirens howls on top of squelches flounders and pounders. This album is a piece of work. It does exactly what the local Tampa breaks scene fails to do, be original fresh and fun.
Live on Bondi Beach

Of the beach series, this is my least favorite. But just like Pink Floyd, their worst album is still head and shoulders above the competition. I have recently dug it out and I am blasting in my room as I write. While there is a lot fluff tracks, their danceable fluff tracks. The thing that feel missing though, is the crowd. That’s what the made the other two so electrifying. You felt like you were at that show dancing your ass off. This feels like what it is, the same set spun in a studio. But it’s a good set ramming through in typical Fatboy fashion ABDC’s “this feeling”, Olav Basoski’s “Waterman”, “Crazy Sexy Hypnotic”, and who could forget “Would You Say Thank You If I Spank You?”. This is a solid album, just with 80% of the magic.