"Fly Life" (often stylized as "Flylife") is a song by English electronic dance music duo

Basement Jaxx Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. The pair got their name from the regular club night they held in Brixton, London, UK. They first rose to popularity in the underground house scene ...

from their fourth

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''EP3'', released in 1996. The track was largely based on the 1996 single "Live Your Life with Me", which they produced for vocalist Corrina Joseph, their collaborator since 1995 in order to make "proper songs". It was re-released as a single by

Multiply Records Multiply Records was a subsidiary of Telstar Records, that launched in 1993 and went into liquidation in 2004. Its major signings included Sash!, Phats & Small and the Cheeky Girls. It was the brainchild of Mike Hall, who already worked for t ...

on 19 May 1997 with a new mix, featuring added vocals from British

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

artist

Glamma Kid Iyael Lyases Tafari Constable (born 14 March 1978, London Borough of Hackney, Hackney, London, England), better known as Glamma Kid, is a Deejay (Jamaican), toaster and former Royal Air Force trainee of part-Jamaican descent. He had two top 10 hi ...

. It later went on to become Basement Jaxx's first charting single in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

by reaching the top 20 of 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 ...

. Granted moderate success commercially, critically, the song also received very positive reviews from

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

s, the ones who highlighted the fusion of the many genres of the track and its handful production. The song was later included on two compilations from the duo: '' Atlantic Jaxx Recordings: A Compilation'' in 1997 and '' The Singles'' in 2005 and on various DJ sets, including those by

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

and

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 ...

Production

In 1995,

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

picked up and distributed Basement Jaxx's first single "Samba Magic". After spending time remixing for

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

Roger Sanchez Roger Sanchez (born June 1, 1967) is a Dominican-American house music DJ, remixer and producer. He won a Grammy Award for his remix of "Hella Good" by No Doubt in 2003, and is best known for his song " Another Chance", which was an internationa ...

and Lil' Mo' Yin Yang, they released their fourth

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

called ''EP3''. A track from it, "Fly Life", is a

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

song with

ragga Raggamuffin music, usually abbreviated as ragga, is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music. Similar to hip hop, sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music. Wayne Sm ...

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

proto-punk Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music played mostly by garage bands from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock movement. The phrase is a retrospective label; the musicians involved were generally not originally associated wit ...

and

UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop, R&B, and jungle. It ...

influences. Its basis was "Live Your Life with Me", a single originally performed by vocalist Corrina Joseph in 1998, the singer whom they had been working with since the release of ''EP2'' (1995) for their first attempts at making "proper songs". The duo's re-work of "Live Your Life with Me" added "

euphoric Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

" and "filtered brass stabs" with long-winded air horn throughout. Generally, Charles Aaron from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' described the track as a "

blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

dubby" while ''

Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. It was established in 2001. ''RA''s editorial team provides news, musi ...

'' described it as "a more idiosyncratic, homegrown sound emerged in the edge-of-panic squeal."

Critical reception

"Fly Life" received much acclaim from

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

described the track in ''

Encyclopedia of Popular Music ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is an encyclopedia created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the "modern man's" equivalent of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music'', which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.''The Times'', ''The Kno ...

'' as a "club classic" and an "unusual blend of

and house." Andy Kellman from

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 databas ...

stated the song along with their first single "Samba Music" are the only two examples of why their debut album was so heavily anticipated. Writing for ''

The New Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'', Michaelangelo Matos called the song one of their "definitive mid-'90s club anthems". From the same publication, John Bush also agreed those two were their best tracks from 1994 through 1997, and marked them as his "Track Picks" on their compilation. However, looking at the whole Basement Jaxx's catalogue, Anna Chapman from ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' stated the "glittered" ragga and disco influences of "Fly Life" seemed to "come out of nowhere." French music magazine ''

Les Inrockuptibles ''Les Inrockuptibles'' () is a French cultural magazine. Started as a monthly magazine in 1986, it became weekly in 1995. Now it is a monthly again, since 2021. In the beginning, rock music was the magazine's primary focus, though every issue in ...

'' still highly praised it, commenting it was "finely crafted", with "the bass increased tension while the dance rhythm completely nailed on the dance floor." Joseph's vocals were also said to give a "disco aftertaste" to the song. British publication ''

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 ...

'' listed "Fly Life" at number 16 on their year-end list "Tunes of 1997" while house music label

Defected Records In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...

voted the track as the

Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

anthem of 1997. The "Brix" Mix was later included in ''

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 ...

'' 2010 list of "twenty-five great remixes" of 1990s.

Release and other appearances

"Fly Life" was released as a single on 19 May 1997 by their own record label

Atlantic Jaxx Atlantic Jaxx Recordings is a record company founded by dance music duo Basement Jaxx. Originally based in Camberwell and then Brixton, it was an outlet for releasing Basement Jaxx music. Its first release was "EP1" which was played by DJ Tony ...

and

with distribution by The Total Record Company. The single cover features a

giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...

, the picture which also appeared at their 1999 show at the

Forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

via a "vast dot-matrix screen". A few different formats of the single have been released in the United Kingdom and some other countries in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, including a CD version which was released in the United Kingdom via

and in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

via Smart Records that includes the original mix of the track, a radio edit and an unedited version for the "Brix" mix with remixes from

Roni Size Ryan Owen Granville Williams (born 29 October 1969), better known by his stage name Roni Size, is an English DJ and record producer. He came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and frontman of Roni Size & Reprazent, a drum and bass collective. ...

Erick Morillo Erick Morillo (March 26, 1971 – September 1, 2020) was a Colombian-American disc jockey, music producer, and record label owner. Having produced under a number of pseudonyms, including Ministers de la Funk, The Dronez, RAW, Smooth Touch, RBM, D ...

and Curtis Jones; the UK

vinyl single Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

and

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in th ...

versions both have the "Brix" and Size's mix, while the vinyl one also added Morillo's and the original mix. A promotional

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song was also released while it became their first charted single by debuting at number 19 on the

on 31 May 1997. After that, the song fell down to number 41, dropped to number 67 on the week of 14 June and disappeared from the chart. "Fly Life" later made its appearances on various DJ mixes, including the free mix cassette ''

Beat Up the NME The discography of Fatboy Slim, an alias of Norman Cook, an English disk jockey, DJ, big beat musician, and record producer, consists of four studio albums, three live albums, one soundtrack album, two compilation albums, three remix albums, six ...

'' (1997) from music magazine ''

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 ...

'' which was compiled by British DJ

;

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern, August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

's live album ''Live, Vol. 2'' (1998); later on

Victor Calderone Victor Calderone (born March 20, 1967 in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, United States) is an American electronic music producer, Disc jockey, DJ and remixer. Biography Raised in the Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, C ...

mix album A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically mixed together to appear as one continuous track. DJ mixes are usually performed using a DJ mixer and multiple sounds sources, such as turntables, CD players, digital audio players ...

called ''E=VC²'' (1999); and on the mix album '' Soul of Man Presents: Y4K: Breakin' in tha House'' (2004). In 2009, "Fly Life Xtra" appeared on Paul Ritch's DJ set for

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, ...

radio show ''

Essential Mix The ''Essential Mix'' is a weekly radio show on BBC Radio 1 currently broadcast between 0:00 and 2:00 a.m. UK time on Saturday morning. Originally broadcast on 30 October 1993, the ''Essential Mix'' features contemporary DJs and music producer ...

''. The "Brix" mix also made its appearances on the 1999

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

film ''

Virtual Sexuality ''Virtual Sexuality'' is a 1999 film directed by Nick Hurran and starring Laura Fraser, Rupert Penry-Jones, Luke de Lacey, and Kieran O'Brien. The screenplay concerns a young woman who designs the perfect man at a virtual reality convention, but ...

'' and its soundtrack.

Formats and track listings

*UK and Europe maxi CD single # "Fly Life" – 4:03 # "Fly Life" – 6:41 # "Fly Life" – 6:09 # "Fly Life" – 7:31 # "Fly Life" – 7:39 # "Fly Life" – 6:33 *UK 12" single # "Fly Life" – 4:03 # "Fly Life" – 7:31 # "Fly Life" – 6:09 # "Fly Life" – 6:33 *UK cassette single # "Fly Life" – 4:03 # "Fly Life" – 6:09 *France 12" single # "Fly Life" – 6:41 # "Fly Life" – 6:33 # "Fly Life" – 5:14 *France 12" remixes single # "Fly Life" – 7:39 # "Fly Life" – 6:09 # "Fly Life" – 7:31 *International digital and UK vinyl ''Fly Life Xtra'' EP # "Fly Life Xtra" – 7:39 # "Fly Life" – 6:09 # "Fly Life" – 7:31

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the CD single liner notes. *Simon Ratcliffe (credited as "Ratcliffe") – producer,

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

*Felix Buxton (credited as "Felix B") – producer, songwriter *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Corrina Joseph – vocals *Alexia Cox –

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

Charts

References

{{authority control 1997 singles Basement Jaxx songs 1996 songs Songs written by Simon Ratcliffe (musician) Songs written by Felix Buxton Multiply Records singles