514: Fatboy Slim and the Atari ST: How a 1980s Computer Made Chart History – The Retro Hour Podcast EP514

This week we welcome Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook, for a chat about the retro tech behind his biggest hits. From discovering MIDI to refusing upgrades for decades, Norman explains how the Atari ST became the backbone of his workflow, powering Beats International, Freak Power and every Fatboy Slim track right up to Eat Sleep Rave Repeat. We talk step-time sequencing, floppy disks, crashing STs, pirate radio, bedroom studios and how a track made 25 years ago on an Atari is still charting today. Fatboy Slim: https://www.fatboyslim.net/ Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 47:59 - Fatboy Slim Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com Make this the year you finally learn a new language and save up to 60% while you’re at it by heading to https://babbel.com/RETRO and getting started today Leeds Gaming Market: https://leedsgamingmarket.com/ Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://theretrohour.com/support/ https://www.patreon.com/retrohour Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8 Website: http://theretrohour.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/ X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour Show notes My Arcade Mini Sega Arcades: https://tinyurl.com/bderxanv Road Rash Gets a Spiritual Successor: https://tinyurl.com/yc266zz7 Final Build of Cancelled Resident Evil Game Boy Color Port Discovered: https://tinyurl.com/2rfetz22 Roguecraft DX Comes to Retro Platforms: https://tinyurl.com/4pa8nc8j Long-Lost Mega Drive Sequel to Pit Fighter Found: https://tinyurl.com/3knexpjd The Sega Saturn Gets a New Miami Vice-Style Game in 2026: https://tinyurl.com/53nc55jj