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

The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

The Retro Hour

Technology, Leisure, Video Games

4.9 • 558 Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2026

⏱️ 105 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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

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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

Transcript

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0:00.0	Coming up on this week's show, Road Rush is getting a spiritual successor. A lost pit fighter
0:05.9	sequel gets shared online. And an amazing RPG gets an upgrade for the Amiga.
0:27.1	And the Retro Hour podcast is brought to you every Friday with our sponsor, our great friends, a bitmap books.
0:29.2	Now, have you seen their latest volume?
0:29.8	I love this.
0:34.5	Trigger Happy, a visual celebration of video game controllers.
0:40.3	Now, this massive book, almost 400 pages, offers a vibrant visual guide to the world of video game controllers, going inside the design, the history and their ability
0:45.8	to transform who we are and what we're capable of, presented through more than 560 stunning
0:52.0	photos. Have a look at it and check out the rest of their retro gaming collection at bitmapbooks.com.
0:57.2	And with our friends at PCB way.
0:59.6	Now, PCB way, I'm sure you know all about them.
1:01.7	They offer fully featured custom PCB prototyping, low-cost, fast turnaround quality boards.
1:07.3	And if you're looking at someone to do 3D printing and injection molding, they've
1:11.2	got your cupboard. While you're on their website as well, check out their amazing shed project
1:14.6	section on there. Huge supporters of the retro community and get an instant quote on their
1:18.8	website at PCBway.com.
1:23.1	Hello and welcome to the Retro Hour podcast, episode number 514, your weekly dose of retro gaming and technology news with me, Dan Wood.
1:31.4	Me Ravi Abbott and me Joe Fox.
1:33.9	And a very warm welcome to this week's show.
1:35.8	Is this only our second podcast of January?
1:38.6	Yeah.
1:39.2	And our second one after 10 years as well, which is pretty insane.
	...

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