Fatboy Slim is set to reissue his seminal debut album ‘Better Living Through Chemistry’, and it comes with B-sides, rarities and more.
The re-release marks the 30th anniversary of the breakthrough album, which helped pave the way for the big beat movement of the late ’90s.
Released in 1996, ‘Better Living Through Chemistry’ was the first from Norman Cook under his Fatboy Slim moniker, and came following him being a part of groups including Freak Power, Pizzaman, Mighty Dub Katz, Beats International and The Housemartins.
Drawing inspiration from artists prominent in London’s electronic scene at the time, the seminal album saw Cook blend elements of hip-hop, funk, house, reggae and indie. It was borne out of his Big Beat Boutique club nights at Brighton’s Concorde, and included singles ‘Everybody Needs A 303’, ‘Punk To Funk’ and ‘Going Out Of My Head’.
To celebrate three decades since the initial release, a new anniversary edition is being released, which sees all the songs remastered at half speed.
Available digitally on September 25 and on CD and vinyl from October 2, the new reissue comes with a variety of B-sides, rare material and a brand-new remix from Dutch DJ and producer Sem Jacobs. The digital edition also comes with an additional remix from Peruvian electronic artist Chinonegro and Defected favourite Ammo Avenue.
In the physical editions, new liner notes are provided by journalist Alexis Petridis, and offer a fresh insight into the album’s lasting impact, influence and legacy.
“‘Better Living Through Chemistry’ was basically me figuring out what I was doing,” Fatboy Slim said. “I was making music for the dancefloor, the bedroom, the afterparty and anyone who’d listen.
“Looking back, it’s got all the mistakes, experiments and madness of that time in it, but that’s probably what I love about it most. It was the beginning of the Fatboy Slim adventure, and I’m amazed that, all these years later, people are still discovering it, dancing to it and asking me about it. It feels pretty bloody good to give it another lease of life.”
Visit here to pre-order the reissue.
Last year, Fatboy Slim spoke to NME about finally getting The Rolling Stones’ approval for his ‘Satisfaction Skank’ mash-up after 25 years, and about his comments in 2024 saying that he had lost his passion for making new music.
“All the time when I was growing up and when I started out, I wanted to make music and play it to other people. Somewhere as I got older, that passion died,” he told us.
“Luckily I still have the passion for other people’s music and for DJing, but it’s so difficult to make good music. Unless you are absolutely committed to it and dedicate every waking moment to figuring it out, then it’s just like going through the motions. I don’t have that passion, and if I did make a new record then it would be a very average record.”
He continued: “I prefer not to waste mine or other people’s time with that. I feel like I’ve made enough records and there’s a body of work there that’s good enough. Mashing-up tracks, DJing, I still have 100 per cent passion for that and now there’s only room for one passion in my life.
“There aren’t enough hours in the day. I’ve done 115 shows this year, so I don’t have time to work on that difficult seventh album.”
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