"Born Slippy .NUXX" is a song by the British

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

group

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

. It was first released as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

to another track, "Born Slippy", in May 1995. The fragmented lyrics describe the perspective of an

alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...

. After it was used in the 1996 film ''

Trainspotting Trainspotting may refer to: * Trainspotting (hobby), an amateur interest in railways/railroads * ''Trainspotting'' (novel), a 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh ** ''Trainspotting'' (film), a 1996 film based on the novel *** ''Trainspotting'' (soundt ...

'', "Born Slippy .NUXX" reached number two on the UK singles chart. It was named one of the best dance tracks and one of the best tracks of the 1990s by numerous publications. For the 2017 film ''

T2 Trainspotting ''T2 Trainspotting'' is a 2017 British black comedy-drama film directed by Danny Boyle and written by John Hodge. Set in and around Edinburgh, Scotland, it is based on characters created by Irvine Welsh in his 1993 novel '' Trainspotting'' and ...

'', Underworld created a new version with timestretched chords. It was later added as a bonus track to reissues of their 1996 album ''

Second Toughest in the Infants ''Second Toughest in the Infants'' is the fourth studio album by British electronic music group Underworld, and the second in their " MK2" line-up with Darren Emerson. With this album, Underworld expanded on their progressive palette, while de ...

''.

Composition

"Born Slippy .NUXX" features a "hammering" four-on-the-floor

kick drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The hea ...

, distorted vocals, and "heavenly" synthesiser chords. The song is in the key of B♭ major, and the tempo is 140 beats per minute. The vocalist,

Karl Hyde Karl Hyde (born 10 May 1957) is an English musician, composer and artist. He is a founding member of British electronic group Underworld. Hyde has also released a solo album, made albums with Brian Eno and Matthew Herbert, and contributed towar ...

, wrote the lyrics after a night of drinking in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

while trying to get home to

Romford Romford is a large List of places in London, town in east London, east London, England, located northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major Metropolitan centres of London, metropolitan centr ...

, and was inspired by the landscape of London. He wrote about his

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

and hoped to capture the way a drunk "sees the world in fragments", in that only small portions of memory are retained afterwards, like a bin or "a little piece of street". In the lyrics, he reduced himself to "a piece of meat". Hyde recorded his vocals in one take. When he lost his place, he would sing the same line repeatedly, creating the line "lager, lager, lager, lager". The producer, Rick Smith, said the lyrics reflected "this energy of movement, and of time and place," likening them to an abstract painting. The lyrics have been misinterpreted as a hedonistic celebration of drinking. Hyde did not intend the song to be a "drinking anthem" but rather a "cry for help", and was disturbed when audience members raised their lager cans during performances. As the song was written about being drunk while Hyde was drunk, he felt its status as a "drinking anthem" was ironic.

Release

Underworld released "Born Slippy .NUXX" in the UK on 1 May 1995 as the

to a different track, "Born Slippy." On the 1995 CD versions of the track, .NUXX was segued with another B-side, "Born Slippy .TELEMATIC". "Born Slippy .NUXX" was used in the film ''

'', released in February 1996 in the UK. The director,

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...

, described it as the "heartbeat" of the film, capturing its "euphoric highs following intense lows." Underworld initially refused permission to use it in the film, as they disliked how their music was often used in negative portrayals of clubbing, but Boyle persuaded them after showing them a clip. "Born Slippy .NUXX" was reissued as a single in the UK on 1 July 1996. Boosted by the ''Trainspotting'' soundtrack, it reached number two on the UK singles chart. Smith was shocked when

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

played the track on

breakfast radio In broadcast programming, dayparting is the practice of dividing the broadcast day into several parts, in which a different type of radio programming or television show appropriate for that time period is aired. Television programs are most ofte ...

, and said: "I thought, music is moving, culture is moving, it's spreading. It's meaning things outside of just the context of on an amazing sound system in a club or on a PA system in a student hall. It was very nice!" The reissue was released in the United States in October 1996. For the 2017 film ''

'', Smith created a new version with timestretched chords, "Slow Slippy".

Reception

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' named "Born Slippy .NUXX" the single of the year in December 1996, writing: "As a stomping club anthem, it whipped up a Shamanic, hedonistic frenzy — yet the lyrics, culminating in the "''Lager, lager, lager, mega-mega-white thing''" chant nailed everything about the Loaded, lads, birds 'n'booze culture of the mid-Nineties." ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' gave it five out of five in 1996, calling it "an anthem for a generation". The singer

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...

reviewed the "Nuxx Mix" for '' Select'', calling it "brilliant" and writing: "Nice lyrics in a ranting, punky style. I like techno records that ''swoop''."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote that it was "simply one of the best slices of electronica one will find. Musically austere in its emotional textures, the song becomes a nearly unstoppable force ... Dance music is rarely so artistic and enjoyable in the same instance." In 2017, ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'' described "Born Slippy .NUXX" as one of the most iconic 1990s songs, writing that it "mixed sublime synths with a four-to-the-floor freakout, and represented everything that was going on; it was ''new''". In 2004, ''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was printe ...

'' readers voted "Born Slippy .NUXX" the fourth-best dance track, and in 2011 ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' named it the 95th-best single of the decade. In 2014, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' named it the 261st-greatest song. In 2010, ''

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'' named it the 31st-best track of the 1990s, and in 2022 they named it the 20th-best. In 2015, ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

'' ranked it the sixth-best dance track in history. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' named it the "most experimental and sonically extreme hit of the 90s", alongside the

Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands in Manchester in 1992. They were pioneers in bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. Originally known as The Dust Brothers, th ...

' 1996 single " Setting Sun", and among "the weirdest chart hits of all time". In 2024, the ''Guardian's'' chief music critic,

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis (born 13 September 1971) is an English journalist. He is the head Rock music, rock and pop music critic for ''The Guardian'', and a regular contributor for ''GQ''. In addition to his music journalism for the paper, he has written ...

, named "Born Slippy .NUXX" the third-best Underworld song. In 2022, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' ranked it the 89th-greatest dance song, and in 2025 ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' named it the eighth-best. Smith said in 2017 "We’ve been playing 'Born Slippy' live for 20 years, and the reaction from the audience is so strong it's almost overwhelming. It's never got tiring to perform or play. It's what it triggers in people."

Track listing

Durations vary across releases.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

"Born Slippy .NUXX 2003"

"Born Slippy .NUXX 2003" is a version of "Born Slippy .NUXX" re-released by Underworld to promote the album '' 1992–2002'', originally released in 2003. New

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

es were commissioned for this release, along with a new video, compiled by

of clips from his film ''

''. This release reached No. 1 on the

UK Dance Singles Chart The Dance Singles Chart and the Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synth-pop) in record stores ...

during the first week of November 2003.

Track listings

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Born Slippy Nuxx 1996 songs 1996 singles 1999 singles 2003 singles Dance Pool singles Logic Records singles Number-one singles in Italy Songs written by Darren Emerson Songs written by Karl Hyde Songs written by Rick Smith (musician) TVT Records singles Underworld (band) songs V2 Records singles Wax Trax! Records singles Songs about alcohol UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles