Fatboy Slim's newest musical endeavor which is entitled Palookaville was released on October 5th. As one of his biggest fans I was slightly disappointed with this latest release in contrast to its dance-rooted counterparts.
Slim invites many creative personalities into the studio on this project each bringing their own influence to the tunes. While many of the tunes are a more Alternative down-tempo there are a few tunes to take note of. “Jin Go Lo Ba” and “Slash Dot Dash” are two that we’ll be hearing in the clubs and on the radio for months to come.
As a fan, I’ve come to know Fatboy Slim as two individuals, one being a superstar DJ with the ability to pack 70,000 people onto a beach for some intense house tunes, and the other being the commercial MTV savvy Norman Cook that we’ve come to know and love.
On Palookaville I would have expected Slim to release under his alter-ego moniker Norman Cook. Despite a lack of 4x4 and anthemic melodies, I can still appreciate being able to sit with this CD playing in the background.
One of the Stars on this album is a track entitled “Wonderful Night” featuring the talents of Lateef. This tune features a cool mix of hip hop and pop over a classic Fatboy Slim breakbeat with plenty of percussion. For some reason I really appreciate the vocal work on this one.
Another highlight of this collection is Slims propensity to reach into his bag of tricks and try new things in the studio. This is something that any fan of electronic music will appreciate when hearing Astralwerks’ newest release.
Overall, I would suggest fans of the "Rockafeller Skank" would certainly dig this album while people who judge Slim as a mainstream-driven sellout need to beware!
Published /
Tue, 12 Oct 2004
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