Norman "Jack-of-All-Genres" Cook, in addition to his former occupations as bassist for
the Housemartins and one-third of
acid house hitmakers Pizzaman, is also the man behind one of the most popular of the new flock of English "Brit-hop" producers,
Fatboy Slim. Releasing his
Fatboy material through club staple Skint,
Cook's raucous blend of
house, acid,
funk,
hip-hop,
electro, and
techno has added to his already formidable reputation as one of the foremost all-around producers on the U.K. club scene.
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Norman "Jack-of-All-Genres" Cook, in addition to his former occupations as bassist for
the Housemartins and one-third of
acid house hitmakers Pizzaman, is also the man behind one of the most popular of the new flock of English "Brit-hop" producers,
Fatboy Slim. Releasing his
Fatboy material through club staple Skint,
Cook's raucous blend of
house, acid,
funk,
hip-hop,
electro, and
techno has added to his already formidable reputation as one of the foremost all-around producers on the U.K. club scene.
Born
Quentin Cook in Bromley on July 31, 1963,
Cook joined the Hull-based pop group
the Housemartins in 1986, replacing founding member Ted Key.
After the group split the following year,
Cook became involved with the burgeoning
acid house scene, pairing with producers Tim Jeffrey and J.C. Reid toward the end of the decade to form Pizzaman. The trio nailed three Top 40 hits together ("Trippin' on Sunshine," "Sex on the Streets," and "Happiness") before
Cook splintered off to record with similarly styled outfits Freak Power and
Beats International in the early '90s.
He shut most of his other production activities down in the following years to focus on his latest incarnation,
Fatboy Slim, which began with a trio of singles and the full-length
Better Living Through Chemistry.
Cook was also called in to add his remixing skills to
Jean-Jacques Perrey's proto-
electronica classic "Eva," released as a 12" and CD single in 1997. In addition to his
FBS work,
Cook also recorded the Skip to My Loops sample CD, a popular studio tool sporting a mélange of sample-ready drum loops, analog squelches, and assorted noises. In early 1998, his remix of
Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha" spent several weeks at number one in the British charts.
Fatboy Slim's eagerly anticipated second LP,
You've Come a Long Way, Baby, followed later that year. The album went platinum in the U.S. and spawned two international hits, "The Rockafeller Skank" and "Praise You," which also boasted a Spike Jonze-directed video that earned three MTV Video Music Awards as well as two Grammy nominations. "The Rockafeller Skank," "Praise You," and other songs from
You've Come a Long Way, Baby ended up on countless
soundtracks and commercials, cementing
Fatboy Slim's unique position as a critically acclaimed and immensely popular act.
Cook also recorded several mix albums, including the first disc of the Radio 1 compilation Essential Selection, Vol. 1 and his own On the Floor at the Boutique. The latter was released domestically in the U.S. in early 2000 to help fans withstand the wait for his third album,
Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, which arrived that fall. Two mix albums -- Live on Brighton Beach and Big Beach Boutique II -- appeared in 2002. During 2003,
Cook and his wife -- popular British TV presenter Zöe Ball -- separated for a brief period. They soon patched things up but the split was a heavy influence on 2004's
Palookaville, the most laid-back and moody
Fatboy Slim album yet. Collecting his singles along with a couple important remixes, The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder appeared in 2006. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide
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