04 September 2024
Newsdesk
Acclaimed English DJ and producer Fatboy Slim joined Rebecca Judd on Apple Music 1 to discuss releasing new music, The Warehouse Project and why he feels Fred Again is in a different league as an artist to him. Fatboy Slim also talks Manchester’s dance heritage, phones at DJ sets and there being slight pressure when sets are recorded.
Fatboy Slim on why The Warehouse Project, the lineup for the event and why it is so special…
One, I love The Warehouse project. I've been playing it for what feels like 20 years. There's always a unique atmosphere of The Warehouse project. It's not just Mancunians, but it's Mancunians put in the filthiest, dirtiest warehouse. Something really beautiful happens when you combine those two. But we've also got a big lineup and I get to help choose, which is great for me because a lot of times you just turn up to one night stands and you dunno who's going to be on before you. But with these shows I can dictate how the evening goes and have my favourite people with me or new DJs that I want to check out. So being able to be involved in curating it is a big thrill.
Fatboy Slim on there being slight pressure in having the sets recorded…
This is where the pressure bit comes in for me, which obviously, when you're playing a show, it's in the moment and you are thinking "at this moment in time, where do people want to go?” And so sometimes you do things off the cuff, but when you know that thousands of people are listening to it [afterwards] - there’s a little bit more pressure. If I clonk that mix in front of the room full of raving people, they won't really notice, but if you hear it digitally it puts a little bit more pressure on me to make sure all my mixes are completely in [time].
Fatboy Slim on Manchester’s dance heritage…
Manchester has always been at the forefront of most music. There's something about the nature of the city and its population and the diversity. It's always been a breeding ground for great music. There's something about a northern version of the urban environment. There seems to be more creativity and passion than there is in a lot of traditional cities. Once there is a musical heritage there, then people move there because they want to be part of the music scene. People hear about our reputation so they move here.
Fatboy Slim on phones at DJ sets…
There are more iPhones than sets of teeth as you look out? When I do the visual show, I put up a big sign at the minute, “ put your phones away, let's enjoy the moment together”. So I try not to encourage that kind of behaviour too much.
Fatboy Slim on the brilliance of Fred Again and the similarities he sees in his level of success 20 years ago…
Fred again. He's just having the most fun at the moment. He's the one who's just absolutely slamming it and got that feeling that [is] the right side of entitlement. It’s like, he's really talented so he can try anything that he wants and he's so brave. He's just like, how far can I push this? I was in that position about 20 years ago, I think, the more I break free of the chains of what I'm supposed to do, the more people seem to like it. And that is great. He must be having the time of his life and quite rightly so.
Fatboy Slim on people trying to get him and Fred Again to work together…
A few years back everybody was trying to get us to work together. I was just going, I can't be in the same room as him. I wouldn't know where to start because of what he's doing with technology. I'm old school, I'm OG and I'm used to just playing records with the cross fader and maybe using a sample a bit, but he's taking it to the next level. I don't feel like I'm in the same conversation as him. I would sit there looking at him in awe, going - how the hell did you do that?
Fatboy Slim on new music…
I've got a new single called ‘Bus Stop Please’, which is forthcoming and I don't know when because I don't really put records out that much and the whole thing has changed before you'd have a release date and physical copies pressed, but now things just drop but it's fairly imminent. I'm not that driven to put records out these days and I think I've kind of lost my nerve a bit, but also I'm not churning 'em out like I used to. But every now and then I do something.
