Flat Beat

"Flat Beat" is an instrumental by French musician Mr. Oizo. It was released on 22 March 1999 through F Communications and was featured as a bonus track on his debut studio album, Analog Worms Attack. An accompanying music video was released on VHS. The music video features Flat Eric, a puppet, head banging to the track.

"Flat Beat"
Single by Mr. Oizo
from the album Analog Worms Attack
B-side
  • "Monday Massacre"
  • "Sick Dog Try to Speak"
Released22 March 1999 (1999-03-22)[1]
Recorded1998
Genre
Length
  • 5:25 (original version)
  • 4:00 (radio edit)
LabelF Communications
Songwriter(s)Mr. Oizo
Producer(s)Mr. Oizo
Mr. Oizo singles chronology
"Analog Worms Attack"
(1999)		 "Flat Beat"
(1999)		 "Last Night a DJ Killed a Dog"
(2000)
Music video
"Flat Beat" on YouTube

Widely publicized by Flat Eric's appearance in many commercials for Levi's and the popularity of the music video, the track became a surprise European hit.[5] It peaked at number five on the French Singles Chart and reached number one in Austria, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In 2003, Q Magazine ranked "Flat Beat" at number 175 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".[6]

Background

In an interview with XLR8R magazine, Quentin Dupieux stated that it took him only two hours with a Korg MS-20 to produce. The instrumental is mainly composed of a repeated bassline, and it samples "Put Your Love in My Tender Care" by The Fatback Band.

Reception

Critical reception

Stevie Chick from NME wrote, "Leading sociologists are calling it the 'Flat Eric Phenomenon'. Red-top tabloids print instructions for the Flat Eric window moves and White Van Man is overjoyed. Yes, helped along by his friends at the Levi's company, Mr Oizo could soon be celebrating the inevitable outcome of such a profitable partnership, a Number One record. And that would be a fine thing, not least because 'Flat Beat' is a sleek slice of supremely filtered, speaker-busting electro that would undoubtedly be a minor specialist hit in its own right if released without the might of this high-profile campaign, but also because Flat Eric, the ice-cool yellow muppet, is one of the most fascinating creatures to have entered the crazy world of rock'n'roll in recent memory."[7]

Commercial reception

The song was a surprise international success in Europe,[5] topping the charts in Austria, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.[8][9][10] It is one of only twenty-five instrumental singles to top the charts in the latter country.[11] On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Flat Beat" peaked at number two and was Europe's 11th-most-successful hit of 1999.[12][13] "Flat Beat" was not as successful in France, where it peaked at number five and did not receive airplay, selling only a quarter of the copies as it did in the UK.[4] In September 2005, Stylus Magazine included the track's bassline at number 13 in their list of the "Top 50 Basslines of All Time".[14]

Music video
A still from the music video

Prior to the "Flat Beat", Dupieux created Flat Eric, a fictional puppet character, for Levi's commercials for Sta-Prest One Crease Denim Clothing, built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.[15] The popularity of the commercials lead to a music video for the song being created, also featuring Flat Eric.

The music video for "Flat Beat" was directed by Quentin Dupieux and released alongside the single release. The video was released on VHS and later on digital download services and YouTube on the official F Communications channel. The video was listed in Maxim's list of Best Puppets in a Music Video.[16]

On the topic of music videos in 2016, Dupieux stated that "music videos are annoying and useless. When YouTube forces me to watch one, you usually get bored after 20 seconds, even if the music is cool".[17]

Track listings
CD single – UK[18]
No.TitleLength
1."Flat Beat" (Radio Edit)4:00
2."Flat Beat"5:25
3."Monday Massacre"3:36
12-inch single – UK, maxi-single – Europe[8]
No.TitleLength
1."Flat Beat"5:25
2."Monday Massacre"3:36
3."Sick Dog Try to Speak"3:36
4."Flat Beat" (Radio Edit)4:00
12-inch promotional single – France[19]
No.TitleLength
1."Flat Beat"5:25
2."Monday Massacre"3:36
3."Sick Dog Try to Speak"3:36
European CD single[8]
No.TitleLength
1."Flat Beat"4:00
2."Monday Massacre"3:36
French VHS[20]
No.TitleLength
1."Flat Beat"3:06

Charts and certifications

References
  1. Lorenz, Christian (27 March 1999). "Eric's Prospects Anything but Flat" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 13. p. 9. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  2. "Discover the Story Behind Mr. Ozio's Worldwide Hit 'Flat Beat'". 24 October 2016.
  3. "Sander van Doorn's label is releasing a track that sounds like 'Flat Beat' – and Mr. Oizo is not happy – FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music". 7 January 2015.
  4. Bouton, Rémi; Lorenz, Christian (15 May 1999). "French Electronica's Domestic Strife" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 20. p. 10. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  5. Visser, Menno (24 April 1999). "Airplay – On the Air" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 17. p. 20. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  6. "Q – 1001 best songs ever (2003)". Q.
  7. Chick, Stevie. "This Week's Singles March 27 1999". NME. Archived from the original on 4 October 2000. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  8. "Austriancharts.at – Mr. Oizo – Flat Beat" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 18. 1 May 1999. p. 12. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  11. Siegler, Dylan (April 2000). "Mr. Oizo". CMJ New Music. College Music Journal (80): 39. ISSN 1074-6978.
  12. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 16. 17 April 1999. p. 7. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17 no. 1. 1 January 2000. p. 11. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  14. "Stylus magazine's Top 50 Bassline of All Time". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  15. "Entertainment | Flat Eric's Cruise to the Top". BBC News. 20 March 1999. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  16. "Best Puppets in a Music Video". Maxim. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  17. "The 10 best music videos of 2016 – and the stories behind them". Fact. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  18. "Flat Beat" – UK CD single (CD sleeve). Mr. Oizo. F Communications. 1999. F104 CDUK.CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. "Flat Beat" – French promo single (Vinyl disc). Mr. Oizo. F Communications. 1999. F 104 Promo.CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. "Flat Beat" – French VHS (VHS). Mr. Oizo. F Communications. 1999. F 104 VHS.CS1 maint: others (link)
  21. "ariaNET The Chart! Top 100 Singles – Week Commencing 5th July 1999 (71–100) (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 488)". ARIA. Retrieved 2 May 2017 – via Imgur. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak achieved.
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  24. Danish peak. 19 June 1999. Retrieved 17 July 2012 – via Google Books.
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