Veteran British big beat DJ/producer Norman “Fatboy Slim” Cook (who is booked to play two sets at Ultra Music Festival this weekend) helped break dance music in America in the ’90s with breakthrough singles like “Right Here, Right Now,” “Praise You,” “The Rockefeller Skank,” and “Weapon of Choice” (remember the video starring Christopher Walken?). After touring the US extensively, Cook took a long break from playing the States, returning in 2011 with a much hyped residency at Marquee Dayclub (pictured above; video trailer below).
“I thought that sounded like a hoot,” Cook told us at the time. “I also played at Ultra Festival in São Paulo and all of the Americans were like, Why don’t you come to America and do this show?! I dunno. I guess no one suggested it. So it was a mixture of meeting the Ultra people in Brazil and friends of mine saying that Vegas is the new Ibiza.”
Talking to Rolling Stone, Cook says he has changed in mind about Las Vegas’ booming club scene. “I feel more at home at Detroit Movement than I do at EDC. I did a residency in Vegas two years ago, and to be honest, the Vegas side of it really isn’t for me – that whole VIP, table, bottles of Cristal, girls with pneumatic tits. That’s not my vibe.”
Will we see Cook returning to play small, dark clubs? That’s doubtful. Will he record another full-length album? According to the RS story, that’s not in the cards either as he feels like medium is outmoded.
Still, Cook remains exited about music: “Every now and then, you bump into someone like Major Lazer and it just reaffirms my faith. Every time I’ve watched some dreadful Dutch DJ be really bland and dull, then I see Major Lazer and it all makes sense again.”
Fatboy Slim ‘In From The Cold’ from Marquee Las Vegas on Vimeo.