JOHN’S GUIDE: BIG BEAT

BIG BEATS ARE THE BEST

Quick Note: Last week, I put out a call for a potential “reader mailbag” series. The response has been... Muted. Shout to the handful of heads who wrote in. I’ll put out one more call: Send your question, if you have one, to jchiaverina@gmail.com and put READER MAILBAG in the subject.

It was the fall of 1998 and I was in my room. It was the middle of the night; maybe a lava lamp was on. The radio was definitely on. I had gone to sleep early but woke up a few hours later, as I was doing all the time back then, because The Loop with DJ Slicer was banging on 91.7 WMSE. It was one of the electronic music shows on the local college station. Another, Late Night Beat Generation with Stephen K—these names have aged well—focused on continuous DJ mixes, but The Loop was more of a survey of mainstream-leaning electronic cuts from around the world. That’s where I first heard “Gangsta Trippin’” by Fatboy Slim.

As the song kicked, my body started to convulse in a vaguely rhythmic style. I remember the feeling clearer than many more momentous occasions in my life. I was shaking so hard that I was almost levitating. The soundtrack to this outburst was a poppy, hip-hoppy electronica cut that samples a vocal that was first sampled by DJ Shadow, and, if played now, would remind most millennials of the music in a trailer for a Y2K-era teen movie. I was 12 and fresh out of a mental institution.

Fatboy Slim is a genius. I love him, and I love big beat, the style he helped pioneer along with The Chemical Brothers and a few others. Big beat bottled up rave, rap, and rock, shook that bottle, and then sprayed it out over radio and MTV. It was all banging breakbeats, wild samples, acid house signifiers, and a little bit of that intangable thing that we like to call “rock and roll attitude.” In some ways, big beat was an antecedent of blog house, which had a similar connection to indie rock and a similar willingness to wade in the more populist end of the dance music pool. One of the first times I heard Baltimore club, I thought it sounded like big beat.

The style has been on my mind because of a recent record from Olympia’s Trans FX, which dabbles in Fatboy territory. To my dumb ass, big beat has been ready for a revival for the past 15 years. Right now, as I write, I’m picturing a project that hits like the ultimate indie rave act—somewhere between Screamadelica-era Primal Scream, big beat and blog house. It’s a good idea, but I’m trying hard to not write songs right now.

The Wiseguys “Start the Commotion”

Let’s kick things off with something from the more commercial end of big beat. “Start the Commotion” is one of those tracks that has been used in a million TV ads and highlight reels; it works well as sonic shorthand for pre-9/11 cultural frivolity—a yin to nü-metal’s yang. The song has all the hallmarks of the genre: a rap acapella (this one from Greg Nice); funky, mod-ish samples (a drum break from ZZ Top and music from The Ventures); and simple vocal chops (always works). It’s a little James Brown, a little Austin Powers.

Fatboy Slim “Santa Cruz”

There’s a lot of Fatboy cuts I could’ve picked, but “Santa Cruz” is maybe my all-time favorite. The track’s nagging guitar and breakbeat combo (sampled from Lulu “Love Loves to Love Love”) makes big beat’s connection to indie clear, while its washy breakdown keeps it tethered to rave. When the two combine, you get one of the most majestic musical moments of the ‘90s. Around a decade ago, I listened to the song while stoned and riding in the passenger seat of a car driving along the Pacific Coast Highway. It was a rare moment of peace and mental clarity. Additional context: I was on the way home from a Primus concert.

Ceasefire “Trickshot”

Wall of Sound was one of the best labels of the era—they released “Trickshot,” which starts with a sample from Carlito’s Way before dropping into some chugging mafioso breakbeat action that is one click away from Shadow. Nothing says ‘90s electronica like movie samples and wah-wah guitar.

Dust Brothers “Dust Up Beats”

Before they were called The Chemical Brothers, the duo of Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands were called The Dust Brothers, which was always confusing to me because there was already a production duo from America called The Dust Brothers who famously worked with breakbeats. But I guess that speaks to how hyperlocal the Chems were when they started. “Dust Up Beats” is an early track that shows that the group’s signature sound was there from the jump. There’s the rap cut-ups, the breaks, the acid line, the big breakdown and buildup... Put together, it sounds fucking sick as shit. I mean, it just sounds sick.

Dub Pistols “Cyclone”

In 1998, I was deep into ska, so “Cyclone” checked multiple boxes for me. It has a Skatalites sample. Is this song good? I’m not sure if I can say that. It was included on the soundtrack for Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, so that must mean that it has some sort of objective quality. If Mike Skinner would’ve jumped on the beat a few years later, that would’ve been a big go.

The Crystal Method “Busy Child (12” Vegas Version)”

The Crystal Method were a Vegas-based duo. It wouldn’t be wrong to call them the American Chemical Brothers. “Busy Child” follows the basic Chems formula to good effect, the end result being rave music for professional skydivers with frosted tips. Deep John’s Music Blog fans might remember talk of the middling A24 rave movie that I have been writing in my head. “Busy Child” will be played during a slow-motion surfing scene that exists in the film for no good reason.

DeeJay Punk-Roc “I Hate Everybody (Jam Master Jay Remix)”

The DeeJay Punk-Roc story is crazy. On paper, it was a singular artist, but in reality, there were two punks. There was the British producer who was behind the music, and then there was the American ex-army paratrooper who would do all of the front-facing DJ work. A lot to unpack… Anyway, this track starts with a vocal from the legendary punk episode of Quincy, M.E. before going into scratch-and-sample chaos. RIP JMJ. 

Rasmus “Good Christian Beats”

The cuttier end of big beat? I believe Simon Reynolds once referred to Rasmus and their Bolshi labelmates as “intelligent big beat,” which is hilarious. We are really going deep here. With the benefit of 25 years of distance, it’s hard to see that much of a difference between “Good Christian Beats” and that Punk-Roc cut. I don’t know. Maybe the synth work is a little more nuanced. Something for earlier in the night at your big beat revival party.

Pigeonhed “Battle Flag (Lo Fidelity Allstars Remix)”

Until recently, I had no idea that “Battle Flag'' was a Pigeonhed tune that was remixed by Lo Fidelity Allstars. I thought it was just a Lo Fidelity Allstars tune. It’s one of the more timeless tracks of the era; the song’s relatively straightforward structure and snotty gospel punk vocals help to take it out of the moment and into a less definable space. Actually, it just sounds like the Sopranos theme. I do love that wiggling is-it-a-clavient-or-a-303 synth line.

Cornershop “Brimful Of Asha (Norman Cook Mix)”

Here it is, people: my favorite big beat tune of all time. As far as pure pop pleasure goes, nothing beats Fatboy’s reworking of Cornershop’s “Roadrunner”-inspired classic. I used to love mixing it out of a minimal Baltimore club track. A one-sided 12” exists, and it’s surprisingly expensive on Discogs. Some weird part of me—for the record, I haven’t bought a record in years—feels like dropping $50 on it. Maybe a big beat revival is really happening...

Dubtribe “Mother Earth (Dubtribe Remix)”

Dubtribe were not strictly speaking a big beat act, but they represented for a psychedelic West Coast breakbeat sound that had major reverberations in England. From 1993, “Mother Earth (Dubtribe Remix)” is seven minutes of starry sonics and eco-beat excellence—true planet rock. It’s the kind of tune that was made to be played in an expert, genre-spanning DJ set by the late, great Scott Hardkiss. Thank you to my longtime friend, collaborator, and big beat legend Errol Kolosine for the tip.