Fatboy Slim’s “Star 69” poses a critical question: What the f–k? It’s a simple question habitually asked in distress.
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Though only three words, the question acquires different meanings depending on the situation. Said after a fender bender, and the question becomes rhetorical. But in the context of instability, the first three words lead to “…is going on here?”
Or an English DJ samples and repeats the phrase for nearly six minutes, simulating an acid trip.
The Question
Fatboy Slim sampled “I Get Deep” by Roland Clark—a New Jersey-born house music DJ—and drilled the line for the entire song. Clark’s vocal sample reached outside of DJ culture, too. He repeats the question at the beginning of Kay Perry’s 2017 song “Swish Swish” featuring Nicki Minaj. In the Perry track, Clark’s voice becomes a garbling basement timbre.
“They know what is what, but they don’t know what is what, they just strut. What the f–k?”
If Perry’s EDM pop hit is a neon party, then Fatboy Slim’s “Star 69” is the celebration ending when all the lights come on, and the come down from the high begins. It’s the sound of a Guy Ritchie film after you’ve already watched a load of Ritchie films.
Funk Soul Brother
Fatboy Slim, born Norman Cook, became an A-list DJ with his second studio album, You’ve Come a Long Way Baby. During the late ’90s, you couldn’t escape “Right Here, Right Now,” “The Rockefeller Skank,” or “Praise You.” Spike Jonze and Roman Coppola directed the music video for “Praise You,” where Jonze starred as Richard Koufey alongside a fictional dance group, the Torrance Community Dance Group—a touchstone moment for MTV culture.
On Cook’s third album, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars (2000), he sounded tired. Fatboy Slim’s talent wasn’t waning; electronic music moved on quickly, leaving behind the big beat era.
Expiration Date
Electronic music expires faster than even the most sugary pop music. Partly due to technology, electronic music feels brand new before it immediately sounds stale. But when it’s new, it’s pure ecstasy (pun absolutely intended).
During the ’90s electronic run, Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers made daring records, bringing rave culture from the dingy warehouses to the manicured suburbs. But Fatboy Slim isn’t only a DJ; he’s a great producer with a nose for hooks. He quickly stood above the era’s other DJs by turning dance-floor anthems into something like classic songwriting.
“Star 69’s” acid-house jam builds with nostalgia, made for those who don’t want the party to end just yet. The redundancy of Clark’s “I Get Deep” has intention. There’s the transformative, hypnotic state of repetition like this on the dance floor. But the redundancy also achieves a mindless state, removing the stress of life. “Star 69” offers escape without the drug. Maybe the music hasn’t changed much—the result of the aging youngster who’s decided the drugs don’t work anymore.
Where’s the Party?
Returning to the entire lyric leading to the question: “They know what is what, but they don’t know what is what, they just strut. What the f–k?” Maybe everyone fakes it. It’s like looking around on Instagram, scrolling through incredible vacations, vivid plates of food, and dreamy sunsets over someone’s backyard, knowing your friends’ bills are late, too.
Imposter syndrome displaces confidence, and though misused from its original meaning, it colloquially means that one feels like a fraud, regardless of their success. They just strut. Pushing a façade of confidence, the way Fatboy Slim’s big beats made you feel at the club. The music empowers the people.
Maybe you put it on when you’re getting ready to go out for the night. Or you need to get jacked up before a big presentation at work, like President Obama cranking “Lose Yourself” before a big speech. Fatboy Slim brought the party.
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
The clubs liked “Star 69.” It reached No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, though a new kind of electronic sound developed in Brooklyn. LCD Soundsystem stirred in a New York City scene on the verge of changing popular culture in America.
French house music touched the globe, too, with Daft Punk. They began wearing robot costumes before releasing their second album Discovery in 2001. Electronic music changed quickly, and Fatboy Slim’s few years at the top vanished.
LCD Soundsystem released the dance-punk “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House” in 2005, echoing Fatboy Slim’s repetition while name-checking Daft Punk, marking the real-time evolution of dance music. But Fatboy Slim cleared the way for acid house and electronic music to the mainstream.
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Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images for EE
