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"Born Slippy .NUXX" is a song by British electronic 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 underwor ...
. It was first released as the B-side to "Born Slippy", in May 1995. The fragmented lyrics, by vocalist
Karl Hyde Karl Hyde (born 10 May 1957) is an English musician 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 towards the sco ...
, describe the perspective of an
alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...
. After it was used in the 1996 film '' Trainspotting'', "Born Slippy .NUXX" was issued as a single on 1 July 1996 and reached number two 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 ...
. It has been named one of the best tracks of the 1990s by numerous publications.


Writing

Vocalist
Karl Hyde Karl Hyde (born 10 May 1957) is an English musician 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 towards the sco ...
wrote the lyrics for "Born Slippy .NUXX" after a night drinking in
Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...
, London, hoping to capture the way a drunk "sees the world in fragments". The vocals were recorded in one take; when Hyde lost his place, he would sing the same line repeatedly, creating the line "lager, lager, lager, lager". Hyde, who was struggling with
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
, said he did not intend the song to be a "drinking anthem" but rather a "cry for help". He was disturbed when audience members raised their lager cans during performances. Underworld producer Rick Smith said the lyrics reflected "this energy of movement, and of time and place", like an abstract painting.


Release

On 1 May 1995, Underworld first released "Born Slippy .NUXX" in the UK, where it was the B-side to a very different but similarly named instrumental track, "Born Slippy" The 12-inch vinyl release contained the full-length version of both songs, and the
CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...
contained edited (but still very long) versions, with the beatless ending of "Born Slippy .NUXX" segueing into the instrumental song "Born Slippy .TELEMATIC". The CD single's tracks were released on CD single and 12-inch in the United States later that year. "Born Slippy. NUXX" was then used in the film '' Trainspotting'', released February 1996 in the UK. Director
Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including '' Shallow Grave'', '' Trainspotting'' and its sequel '' T2 Trainspotting'', '' The Beach'', ''28 Days Later'', '' S ...
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. The CD edit was used on the ''Trainspotting'' soundtrack album, released February 1996 in the UK and July 1996 in the USA. The song does not feature on an Underworld album, but the full-length version was included as a bonus track on 2-CD editions of ''
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 deve ...
'' (March 1996), and on the 2015 4-CD box set for that same album, where is featured along with several demos and early live versions on a disc titled ''The Evolution Of Born Slippy (Nuxx)''. "Born Slippy .NUXX" was then reissued as a single in the UK on 1 July 1996. Boosted by ''Trainspotting'', it reached number two 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 ...
. 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 current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
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 o ...
, 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 equivalent reissue single was released in the United States in October 1996.


Critical reception

British magazine ''
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 W ...
'' rated the song five out of five in 1996, describing it as "an anthem for a generation". On the 1995 release, Brad Beatnik from the magazine's ''RM'' Dance Update wrote, "Messrs Emerson, Hyde and Smith bung a few
breakbeats Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and UK ...
on board for a dazzling ride through rich, colourful
techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...
terrains. For the first minute, you might think the boys have gone all
jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaá ...
on us but no – those lush synths cruise in to perfectly balance the thwacking beats."


Impact and legacy

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
wrote that "Born Slippy .NUXX" 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." ''
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...
'' described "Born Slippy .NUXX" as one of the 90s' most iconic songs, writing that it "mixed sublime synths with a
four-to-the-floor Four-on-the-floor (or four-to-the-floor) is a rhythm pattern used primarily in dance genres such as disco and electronic dance music. It is a steady, uniformly accented beat in time in which the bass drum is hit on every beat (1, 2, 3, 4)." ...
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 prin ...
'' readers voted it the fourth-best dance track, and in 2011 '' Slant Magazine'' 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 and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' named it the 261st greatest song of all time. ''
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 ...
'' in 2010 named it the 31st best track of the 1990s; in a redux of this list in 2022, it was bumped up to the 20th best track of the 1990s. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' 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 Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons in Manchester in 1989. They were pioneers (along with the Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method, and other acts) in bringing the big beat genre ...
' 1996 single " Setting Sun", and among "the weirdest chart hits of all time". For the 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 ...
'' (2017), Smith created a new version with timestretched chords, "Slow Slippy". He 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 listings

The full-length "Born Slippy .NUXX" runs about 11:44. Durations vary on individual releases, as the ending is sometimes faded out a few seconds early, or additional silence is
mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...
onto the end. :These are the original full-length versions. Durations are approximate. :Tracks 2 and 3 are segued. Track 1 is edited, removing a false ending that was present on the original. Track 2 is also edited, removing several repetitive sections; this version, faded out just before the segue, is what appears on the ''Trainspotting'' soundtrack album. : Track 1 is an early fade of the 9:44 edit. : Track 5 is an early fade of the 9:44 edit. : Disc 1 has the first 3 tracks, disc 2 has the rest. Track 1 is an early fade of the 4:20 version. Track 2 is just the full-length version, uniquely subtitled for this release. "Darren Price Remix" is the same as "Darren Price Mix" on other releases. "Darren Price Remix 2" is the same as "Darren Price Remix" on other releases.


Charts and certifications


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 remixes were commissioned for this release, along with a new video, compiled by
Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including '' Shallow Grave'', '' Trainspotting'' and its sequel '' T2 Trainspotting'', '' The Beach'', ''28 Days Later'', '' S ...
of clips from his film '' Trainspotting''. This release reached No. 1 on the
UK Dance Singles Chart The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK 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, synthpop) in record ...
during the first week of November 2003.


Track listings


Charts


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Born Slippy Nuxx 1996 singles 1996 songs 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