Fatboy Slim’s ‘Satisfaction Skank’ mash-up officially released after 25 years following Rolling Stones sample clearance
Fatboy Slim’s infamous ‘Satisfaction Skank’ mash-up has been officially released, 25 years after he first began using it in his sets.
The song combines a sample of ‘Satisfaction’ by The Rolling Stones with Norman Cook’s own hit, ‘The Rockafeller Skank‘. It was created after the DJ and producer grew tired of playing the original version of his track. After decades of attempts to license the copyrighted material, approval has finally been given and the sample has been cleared.
You can grab a copy via the Southern Fried Records Bandcamp.
“It was my secret weapon,” Fatboy Slim told the BBC. “I had this tune that nobody else had, and it was a really good encore.”
“I got a call from Mick Jagger and he said he’d heard it and he liked the mix,” Fatboy Slim continued. “But his management was just like, ‘No, not even negotiable’… We’ve had a pretty flat ‘no’ for 20 years… I think we asked four times, and I wouldn’t have dared to ask them again.”
According to a BBC report, the green light came unexpectedly and unprompted from the band, who went so far as to provide the original master tapes of the song. This meant a higher quality version of the ‘Rockefeller’ mix could be recorded compared to the bootlegs that were previously available.
During the early-2000s, the tune became a pre-viral sensation, and is now considered one of the most bootlegged tracks of all time. Digital versions were widely shared on file sharing platforms like Napster and Kazaa, while unofficial physical releases were made possible through Fatboy Slim’s own BBC Radio 1 sets being taped, then pressed onto vinyl. The artist even bought copies himself.
This year, Fatboy Slim has celebrated four decades in music with a huge illustrated book. Last week, he also announced a headline set at Margate Dreamland next summer. In November, he confirmed that his iconic Big Beach Boutique event would return to Brighton in 2026, with three dates confirmed.
