Norman Cook himself admits the album was basically the product of him "still figuring out what the hell he was doing." Released in 1996, *Better Living Through Chemistry* was his first solo album under the Fatboy Slim name. Before that, he'd been through The Housemartins, Beats International, Mighty Dub Katz, Pizzaman, and Freak Power — he'd changed band names more often than most DJs change their gear.
The material for the album came from his Big Beat Boutique nights at the Concorde club in Brighton, blending hip-hop, funk, house, reggae, and indie. Singles from the record included "Everybody Needs A 303," "Punk To Funk," and "Going Out Of My Head," and it's now regarded as one of the starting points of the big beat movement.
To mark the album's 30th anniversary, it's being reissued with a fresh remaster, with all tracks remastered at half speed. The digital version drops September 25, with CD and vinyl following on October 2. The reissue includes B-sides, rare tracks, and a brand new remix from Dutch DJ/producer Sem Jacobs; the digital edition also adds remixes from Peruvian electronic artist Chinonegro and Ammo Avenue on Defected. The physical editions come with new liner notes penned by music journalist Alexis Petridis, revisiting the album's impact and legacy.
In a statement about the album, Fatboy Slim said: "*Better Living Through Chemistry* was basically me figuring out what I was doing. I was making music for the dancefloor, for the bedroom, for the afterparty, for anyone who wanted to listen." He continued: "Looking back, it's full of the mistakes, experiments, and madness of that era, but that's probably what I love most about it. This was the start of the Fatboy Slim adventure, and after all these years, people are still discovering it, dancing to it, and asking me about it — it feels really good to give it another life."
The reissue also echoes what he told NME about his creative state last year. He admitted his passion for making new music has long since faded: "Unless you're a hundred percent committed and spend every waking moment obsessing over it, what you end up making is just going through the motions." He said he played 115 shows this past year, "so there's no time to work on that difficult seventh album" — but he remains "a hundred percent passionate" about mixing and DJing. Seen this way, revisiting a thirty-year-old record still "finding its footing" might suit his current attitude toward creativity better than forcing out a new album.
Pre-orders for the reissue are now open on the official site — the digital version arrives September 25, with CD and vinyl following on October 2.
