I know that, nowadays, this just sounds like average electronic music but think about the context: about late 1998 we were just coming off the Spice Girls—which made sense in their own way—and going into all sorts of horrible pop what would dominate the airwaves until mid 2000s. Something like this was groundbreaking. Actually there wasn’t “something like” this, it was unique.

Back then there was no internet keeping artists communicated with the audience, and music just seemed to disappear from the mainstream. (I’m not sure how many people can fully understand the seriousness of that statement in today’s world where EVERYTHING seems to be in the mainstream and we’re informed of what the most obscure artist/band is up to, ad nauseam … )

Around late 1998, early 1999, the French electronic scene had gone quiet: Dimitri, Daft Punk, Cassius, Air, all seemed like figments of my imagination. And Rap was full into the fake-thug R&B scenario, monotonous material … I don’t quite remember the timeline but I remember that there was nothing representing real Rap except for the Beastie Boys, until Eminem came. (I remember Wu-Tang/Method and Cypress Hill somewhere around there and the Jason Nevins/Run DMC remix but it wasn’t enough to have a scene and, again, it seemed like music just disappeared.)

But one day I heard this. Wait …

• Fatboy Slim – Love Island