FATBOY SLIM
Illuminati EP (Astralwerks Records)
Camber Sands EP (Astralwerks Records)
The Pimp EP (Astralwerks Records)
Reviewed by Rusty Pipes

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I was in the minority on Fat Boy Slim's last major release two years ago. Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars didn't have near the same punch that You've Come A Long Way Baby did. These three EPs are partly remixes of Gutter/Stars tracks, but essentially our Fat Boy, Norman Cook, is much more successful than in the originals. That is to say these are much more edgy dance tracks instead of the more radio friendly forms that he was working at before.

Unlike a lot of his work, the title track on Illuminati is built around a fuzzy rocky guitar lick, but it's got a huge bottom end that will shake the room. I like the Timo Maas remix of "Star 69" much more than the Gutter mix. The voice sample in it is altered quite a bit so that it's no longer cursing all the time (thank god, the first version was pretty annoying). My favorite on this EP, "Song For Shelter," actually uses more of "Star 69"'s lyrics, but it's a different recording that builds on it in a much more positive way; gone is the guitar in favor of a deeper, more keyboard driven sound. A different mix of "Song For Shelter" is on The Pimp, but I like the one on Illuminati best. The Pimp's title track features some low vocals by Bootsy Collins that are slowed down a bit like a cartoon villian's voice. "Demons" has vocal samples by Macy Gray and there's two great remixes here, one on Illuminati and one on Camber Sands. Another favorite is the instrumental remix of "Weapon Of Choice." There's one brand new track on each EP: "My Game," "Camber Sands," and "The Pimp."

These grooves are built for flashing lights and smoke: that is to say they belong in a DJ's toolbox. There's no effort to segue the various tracks, there's very little singing, and most are 8 or 9 minute 130 bps monsters with huge bass lines, flashy echo effects, beat breaks for scratching or vocal drop-ins and long intros and fades that make life easy for a dance DJ. They aren't quite for casual listening but they'll really keep the crowd jumping when the wattage is pumping on strategically placed subwoofers.

© 2003 - Rusty Pipes