There’s a reason Fatboy Slim has become so popular. He makes feel good music that bounces and smiles, and he does it well.
“Right Here, Right Now” was voted the 10th best dance song of all time by Mixmag readers, probably because it’s a great song!
The main melody of the song is the grand string section, sampled from 1970’s “Ashes, the Rain & I” by The Way Gang. It’s pretty majestic, and in this song provides a solemn urgency. Probably why the video features the relentless onward march of evolution.
Much of Fatboy Slim’s sound stems from the lo-fi production techniques. The whole of his hit 1998 album You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby was produced on an Atari computer using a bunch of floppy disks. It encourages creative use of samples, and makes the stunning album all the more amazing.
The “Right Here, Right Now” vocal is from the 1995 film “Strange Days”. It’s used very effectively to build the song up, and keep it driving forward.
The drums are classic 90s Big Beat, in the same vein as the Prodigy of that era and the Chemical Brothers. However, Fatboy Slim’s songs always feel much more summer ready to me, more light and dancey.
Just goes to show, a good worker never blames his tools!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7ZlSHGFfdc