#FAT25 · 4th track: Funky Shit · Mixes
Here we go with another article dedicated to the 25th anniversary of The Fat Of The Land, this time about the magnificent Funky Shit. We will break down all of the demos, pre-final mixes and edit versions of the track, and will cover some rare details behind Mulder’s remix, — All Souvenirs team had chatted with him back in the days. As always, we’ve also shared an exclusive re-chamber from our team…
Even though this article is called ‘4th track: Funky Shit’, in fact, this track was the first one for ‘The Fat Of The Land’ LP. It was produced in 1995, roughly two years before the release of the album. As a matter of fact, 1995 can be called the ‘post-Jilted era’, Liam has said this many times himself.:
Liam in interview for an Icelandic magazine: So I created such a “… retro, techno, instrumental” song that we play among others tonight, also I did one song with Maxim. Yes, this is the continuation of Jilted Generation.
EARLY VERSION
Of course, the very first version of ‘Funky Shit’ which was played live in 1995 was a bit different from the one released on the album. First, it’s worth pointing out that the main bass synth sounds not as pronounced and compressed as it does in the album version. Besides, there are some additional percussion elements, the ‘attention all personnel’ sample which was very popular among the 90s fans, and the ‘Shining’ ending.
By the way, even though the beta version was played for 2 years up to 1997, it was changed gradually. The very first version is available only on recording from the Glastonbury festival ’95.
It’s worth mentioning that in licensing catalogues the first title of ‘Funky Shit’ was
We made the reconstruction of ’95 version – it’s not finished yet, but already sounds great.
Liam himself said on multiple occasions that ‘Funky Shit’ is the result of his passion for the late 80s breakdance and hip hop. The track was meant more for Leeroy than for Keith and Maxim.
Liam to VOX magazine: It’s got that sort of retro breakdance feel to it. I would have like to break to this then i was younger. Something I do when I’m writing music is to picture Maxim or Keith performing to it, and with this track I pictured Leeroy doing his breakdancing-type stuff.
As mentioned above, the track was being changed gradually, so during late ’95 and ’96 a slightly different version was played.
Full Length
As a result, the track made it to the album and became one of the 10 bangers without which the album would’ve sounded completely different. It’s interesting that the full
After the album was released, the track wasn’t forgotten. The band played it live regularly for 4 years. In 1998, an official remix and a promo containing an edited version appeared. If you’ve read our previous articles, you might think that it’s time for some rumors about alleged ‘Funky Shit’ single. Still, as far as we know, the release of remix & edit spawned no such rumors.
FRENCH PROMO EDIT
The promo CD was released by a French recording company Delabel. The edited mix was a sloppy job and presumably made by Delabel, so Liam has nothing to do with it. We had racked our brains for a while trying to figure out why there was a need of a short version of ‘Funky Shit’.
OFFICIAL REMIX
As for the official remix produced by Mulder, the case is not as simple as it might seem. There were some rumors on the web that the remix was meant for the 4th single – either ‘Narayan’ or something else. But having contacted Mulder himself, we’ve found out that initially the remix
The next one on the list is ‘Diesel Power’. Stay tuned and keep following us on social media!
Headmasters: SIXSHOT, Canyon Hill
Additional thanks to: Split, Allen Doe aka Mulder
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