In what was probably the biggest personality swap involving a Norman since Bates Motel started losing guests our favourite skinny Housemartin gently metamorphosised into Fatboy Slim. Gone were the cheery sing-a-along choruses to be replaced by savoury beats of the wondrous kind. ‘Santa Cruz’ was Norman Cook’s statement of intent and remains his crowning achievement. From the shrieking birds of prey to the scarring guitar shards and back to more familiar bubbling rhythms this is a challenging piece of music. The opening salvos are abrasive and nocturnal but help underscore the fallow digital adventures that come in their wake. For once that much abused IDM tag seems apt as Cook pushes the envelop in genre defining directions, casually throwing aside his enjoyably disposable past and replacing it with attention grabbing electronic manoeuvres. KD
Fatboy Slim – Santa Cruz
Album: Better Living Through Chemistry
Year: 1996
Buy: Better Living Through Chemistry
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