"Slash Dot Dash" is a song by English big beat musician

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...

, released as a single from his album ''

Palookaville Palookaville may refer to: * ''Palookaville'' (film), a 1995 comedy film * ''Palookaville'' (album), a 2004 electronic album by Fatboy Slim * ''Palookaville'' (comics), an alternative comic book See also * Palooka (disambiguation) {{disa ...

''. Cook himself plays bass guitar on the track. It also appeared on Fatboy Slim's

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

The Greatest Hits – Why Try Harder ''The Greatest Hits – Why Try Harder'' is a compilation album by English electronic musician Fatboy Slim, released on 19 June 2006. In addition to previously released material, the album includes two new tracks: "Champion Sound" and "That Old ...

''. The single peaked at number 12 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, number six in Spain, and number 27 in Italy. The original version of the track, contained on an advance US copy of the album, uses a different vocal sample which was possibly changed due to sample clearance issues.

Critical reception

"Slash Dot Dash" garnered negative reviews upon its release, with some critics feeling that the song was too similar to Fatboy Slim's previous work.

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

's review of "Palookaville" noted that "'Slash Dot Dash' and its high-BPM (beats-per-minute) ilk — feel(s) half-cocked, like Cook can’t quite commit to the moment."

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

's Johnny Loftus was equally critical of the track, stating that the song is "as empty as the vacuum after the dot-com bust, a tinfoil crumple of store-bought spy guitar and a vocal sample that needles three times sharper than the funk soul brother."

Music video

A music video, directed by Tim Pope, was released, featuring people vandalizing and dancing in a bathroom.

Commercial performance

Despite the song's poor critical reception, it performed well commercially in the United Kingdom, debuting at number 12 on the

and spending a total of three weeks in the Top 50. The song also entered the top 30 in Italy, where it reached number 27, and in Spain, where it reached number six.

Track listings

CD 12" vinyl

Charts

References

{{Fatboy Slim 2004 singles Fatboy Slim songs Songs written by Norman Cook 2004 songs Music videos directed by Tim Pope Skint Records singles UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles