Last updated on January 31, 2026, updated every month.
Big Beat emerges in the 1990s, primarily within the rave and club scenes in the United Kingdom. It is characterized by heavy, fast-paced rhythms, powerful bass lines, and the incorporation of samples from various musical genres.
The list below ranks 20 vintage BIG BEAT songs in descending order of engagement over the last six months.
1 . Death In Vegas - Aisha
Released in 1999, *Aisha* by Death In Vegas is a gripping blend of electronic and rock. Iggy Pop’s stark, spoken-word delivery adds a sinister layer to its atmospheric, obsessive tone. Peaking at #9 on the UK Singles Chart, the track anchors the Mercury Prize-nominated *The Contino Sessions*. With a haunting video and a brooding soundscape, it became a defining moment for late-’90s experimental music.
The music video is directed by Terry Richardson.
Writer(s) : Richard Fearless, Steve Hellier, Iggy Popp, Tim Holmes Publisher(s) : Deconstruction Songs Ltd, Warner Chappell Music Ltd, Kassner Assoc Publ Ltd, Osterberg James Music
Genres : big_beat
Genres : Electronic, Hip Hop, Pop,big beat, electronica, techno, trip hop
The music video is directed by Angel
Featured on the album 1999,The Contino Sessions
69.02% / -4.00%
2 . Armand Van Helden - My My My
Armand Van Helden’s “My My My,” unleashed in September 2004 as the lead single from his album “Nympho,” melds house beats with funk via a Gary Wright “Comin’ Apart” sample.
Featuring Tara McDonald’s uncredited vocals, the track peaks at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart, claims the UK Dance Singles Chart throne, and garners a gold nod on Australia’s ARIA at No. 15.
A remix by StoneBridge and a 2006 reissue bolster its enduring club appeal.
Writer(s) : Cynthia Weil, Armand Van Helden, Gary Wright, Barry Mann Publisher(s) : Breakdancin Bob Publishing
Genres : big_beat
Genres : Electronic,big beat, classic house, deep house, disco house, filter house, house, speed garage, tribal house, uk dance, vocal house
The music video is directed by Chris Grismer
Featured on the album 2005,Nympho
32.77% / -1.48%
3 . Fatboy Slim - Star 69
Released in 2001, “Fatboy Slim – Star 69” leaves an indelible mark on early 2000s acid techno.
Distinctively repetitive, it borrows a notable sample from Roland Clark’s “I Get Deep.”
The phrase “they know what is what but they don’t know what is what” loops relentlessly, leaving a memorable impression.
The track’s expletive-laden refrain causes its removal from “clean” album versions, adding to its controversy.
Climbing to number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, this song holds cult status.
Sampling by mainstream artists like Katy Perry highlights its enduring influence.
With its energetic beat and minimalist lyricism, “Star 69” remains a notable blend of house and techno elements by Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim.
The music video is directed by Tim Fleming, Damian Harris.
Writer(s) : Chris Mccormack, Fatboy Slim, Roland Clark, Henry Aurelien Publisher(s) : Universal Music Publishing Limited (Gb), Pamplemousse Productions
Genres : big_beat
Genres : Electronic,big beat, electronica
Featured on the album 2000,Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars
24.86% / -1.85%
4 . Groove Armada - I See You Baby
Groove Armada’s “I See You Baby,” with vocals from Gramma Funk, lands on their 1999 album “Vertigo,” blending irreverence with funky house energy.
Its Fatboy Slim remix amplifies the track’s reach, pushing it to No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 30 in Australia.
From Renault Megane ads to Ministry of Sound compilations, its presence is inescapable.
A vivid music video and its spot in Groove Armada’s festival sets anchor it in the late-’90s club scene.
Writer(s) : Fatboy Slim, Dale Thomas Peters Publisher(s) : Polygram Music Publishing Ltd (Gb)
Genres : big_beat
Genres : Electronic, Pop,big beat, electronica, nu skool breaks, trip hop,
The music video is directed by W.I.Z.
Featured on the album 1999,Vertigo
17.12% / -0.55%
5 . Death In Vegas - Scorpio Rising
“Scorpio Rising” from Death In Vegas threads together Liam Gallagher’s raspy vocals with an eclectic mix of psychedelic undertones, shimmering electronics, and a touch of 1960s Indian-influenced instrumentation.
Borrowing its name from Kenneth Anger’s provocative 1963 film, the track doesn’t just wear its cinematic influences on its sleeve—it practically projects them onto a wall with a flickering reel-to-reel of sonic experimentation.
The song cleverly leans into nostalgia yet feels tethered to its own moment, pulling a sample from The Pretty Things’ 1965 track “Pictures and Designs” while carving out a sound both hypnotic and unclassifiable somewhere between Britpop swagger and electronica cool.
The Liam Gallagher collaboration might initially seem like an odd coupling, but his defiant drawl punches through the track’s moody haze, giving it a sharp, human edge as the swirling production threatens to swallow everything whole.
Released as the second single from the album of the same name in early 2003, it performed respectably, climbing into the UK charts and securing a devoted cult following among fans of genre-blurring music.
The accompanying music video underscores the song’s cinematic tendencies, drenched in surreal, dreamlike imagery that feels like a refurbished archive of retro pop culture filtered through an art school lens.
The track itself feels more like an experience than a straightforward listen, with moments that simultaneously lure and unsettle, speaking to themes of allure, mystique, and rebellion woven into a sonic tapestry that defies easy categorization.
Genres : Electronic, Hip Hop, Pop,big beat, electronica, techno, trip hop
Featured on the album 2002,Scorpio Rising
16.87% / -1.15%
6 . Death In Vegas - Hands Around My Throat
Released in 2002, “Hands Around My Throat” by British group Death In Vegas, composed of Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes, is an electronic rock track with industrial influences. The song features the voice of Nicola Kuperus, an American visual artist and singer of the electro-punk band Adult, and stands out for its dark and hypnotic sounds.
The music video is directed by Richard Fearless.
Writer(s) : Daniel John Bitney, Douglas Andre W Mc Combs, Nicola Kuperus, John Christoph Er Herndon, Kenneth Shin Don Brown, Tim Holmes, Adam Miller, John Cameron Mc Entire, Richard Denis Maguire, Publisher(s) : Deconstruction Songs Ltd, Warner Chappell Music Ltd, The Ghostly International Company, Ersatz Publishing
Genres : Electronic, Hip Hop, Pop,big beat, electronica, techno, trip hop
Genres : Electronic, Hip Hop, Pop,big beat, electronica, techno, trip hop
The music video is directed by Richard Fearless
Featured on the album 2002,Scorpio Rising
16.11% / 1.24%
7 . Armand Van Helden - I Want Your Soul
Released under the Southern Fried Records label, “I Want Your Soul” is a 2007 track by American DJ and producer Armand Van Helden. It samples “Do You Want It Right Now” by Siedah Garrett.
Writer(s) : China Burton, Nick Straker Publisher(s) : Bmg Vm Music Limitedfalse
Genres : Electronic,big beat, classic house, deep house, disco house, filter house, house, speed garage, tribal house, uk dance, vocal house
Genres : Electronic,big beat, classic house, deep house, disco house, filter house, house, speed garage, tribal house, uk dance, vocal house
Featured on the album 2007,Ghettoblaster
14.68% / -0.09%
8 . Malcolm McLaren - Deep in Vogue
Released in 1989 on the album Waltz Darling, “Deep in Vogue” lands just as the ballroom scene starts adjusting its shoulder pads.
Malcolm McLaren, with Stephen Hague in tow, stitches house beats to spoken-word stitches, sampling Paris Is Burning before it becomes required viewing.
Vocal duties are split between Lourdes and Willie Ninja, holding court like they’re already halfway down the runway.
A UK club hit back when voguing still puzzled most broadcasters, it glides through genre borders with the kind of confidence only borrowed heels can offer.
Writer(s) : Malcolm Robert Andrew Mclaren, David M Lebolt Publisher(s) : Southern Music Publ Co Ltd
Genres : big_beat
Genres : Electronic, New age,big beat, classic progressive house, downtempo, intelligent dance music,
Featured on the album 1989,Waltz Darling
13.31% / -1.26%
9 . Fluke - Absurd
In “Absurd,” a 2008 single by British group Fluke, the lyrics are surreal, referencing popular characters like King Kong, Spider-Man, Dan Dare, and Minnie Mouse, with lines such as “King Kong in Cannes / On a date with Spider-Man / Dan Dare’s sitting there / Scared by the killer teddy bears / Downtown Minnie Mouse / Is slippin’ Mickeys in the famous grouse.” Fluke is known for blending electronic music with alternative rock, and “Absurd” exemplifies their unique musical approach.
Writer(s) : Michael James Tournier, Michael James Bryant, Jonathan Howard Fugler Publisher(s) : V2 Music Publishing (Gb)
Genres : Electronic, Pop,big beat, breakbeat, classic progressive house, trip hop
Genres : Electronic, Pop,big beat, breakbeat, classic progressive house, trip hop
Featured on the album 1997,Risotto
12.63% / -0.99%
10 . Apollo 440 - Lost In Space [Theme]
“Lost In Space (Theme)” is a 1998 song by British group Apollo 440. It was created as the main theme for the 1998 film “Lost in Space,” an adaptation of the 1960s TV series. The film, featuring Matt LeBlanc, used CGI special effects. The track includes sampled dialogues from the film, such as “Mission Control, this is Jupiter One, The Robinsons are all tucked in and we are ready to fly” and “OK Last one to kill a bad guy buys the beer.”
Writer(s) : Bruce Broughton Publisher(s) : New Line Tunes
Genres : Electronic,big beat, breakbeat, rave
Genres : Electronic,big beat, breakbeat, rave
Featured on the album 1999,Gettin’ High On Your Own Supply
11.82% / -0.37%
11 . Utah Saints - What Can You Do For Me
Sampling Eurythmics’ “There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)” and Gwen Guthrie’s “Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ on But the Rent,” Utah Saints’ “What Can You Do For Me” introduces innovative sampling methods for its time. Emerging from the UK’s early ’90s rave scene, this track by Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt embodies the duo’s acid house and electronic rock roots, creating a genre-bending mix that paved the way for widespread sampling in electronic music. In 2012, a remix by Drumsound & Bassline Smith revived the track, resonating with newer audiences and illustrating its enduring influence.
Writer(s) : Gwendolyn Guthrie, Jez Willis, David Allan Stewart, Ann Lennox Publisher(s) : Notting Hill Music Ltd (Uk), Pri Music Inc
Genres : britpop
Genres : Electronic, Pop,big beat, britpop, hardcore techno, hip house
Featured on the album 1991,Utah Saints
11.46% / -0.35%
12 . William Orbit - Barber's Adagio For Strings
William Orbit reimagines Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” with electronic precision, layering ambient textures over the original’s mournful elegance.
Originally released on his 1995 album “Pieces in a Modern Style,” the track resurfaces in 2000, repackaged for a new audience halfway between the conservatory and the club.
Ferry Corsten’s remix pushes it into trance territory, where grief meets strobe light catharsis on crowded floors.
Orbit—Grammy-winning producer for Madonna, Blur, and U2—crafts this piece without formal training, navigating between analog emotion and digital detachment.
The track appears across media like “Heat,” “The Beach,” and “The OC,” shifting from operatic lament to cinematic backdrop without missing a beat.
Writer(s) : Samuel Barber Publisher(s) : Schirmer G Inc
Genres : big_beat
Genres : Electronic, New age,big beat, classic progressive house, downtempo, intelligent dance music
The music video is directed by Giacomo De Simone
Featured on the album 1990,Pieces in a Modern Style
10.34% / 0.61%
13 . Leftfield - Afro Left
Released on July 24, 1995, “Afro-Left” brings together Leftfield with Neil Cole, a.k.a. Djum Djum, supplying vocals that are anything but straightforward.
The track lands on the duo’s debut album “Leftism,” penned by Neil Barnes, Paul Daley, and Cole himself.
The vocals? Not some long-lost African dialect—just spirited gibberish lovingly dubbed “Djum Djum talk” by the creators.
Filed somewhere between techno and progressive house, it’s recorded at Rollover Studios, London, and produced in-house by the pair.
Its B-side “Afro Ride” finds a second life in the 1995 video game “wipE’out”, while the A-side climbs to #22 in the UK charts.
The single appears in 12″, CD, and cassette formats via Hard Hands/Chrysalis, because format variety was still a thing.
Writer(s) : Songwriters Publisher(s) : Chrysalis Music Ltd, Warner Chappell Music Ltd
Genres : big_beat
Genres : Electronic, Pop,big beat, breakbeat, classic progressive house, downtempo, electronica, trip hop
Featured on the album 1995,Leftism
10.04% / -0.49%
14 . Underworld - Jumbo
Released under the Junior Boys Own label, “Jumbo” is a 1999 song by British group Underworld. The lyrics are quite abstract and repetitive, featuring phrases like “I need sugar, I need a little water sugar” and “Click, click, click, click.”
Writer(s) : Karl Hyde, Richard David Smith, Darren Paul Emerson Publisher(s) : Mute Song Ltd, Sherlock Holmes Music Ltd
Genres : Electronic,big beat, electronica
Genres : Electronic,big beat, electronica
Featured on the album 1999,Beaucoup Fish
8.84% / -0.39%
15 . Basement Jaxx - Where's Your Head At
Including samples from Gary Numan’s music, “Where’s Your Head At” is a 2001 song by British duo Basement Jaxx. The music video is known for its unique visual aesthetic and surreal elements, featuring characters in strange situations.
Writer(s) : Felix Major Buxton, Gary Anthony James Webb, Simon Antony Ratcliffe Publisher(s) : Universal Mca Music Limited
Genres : Rock, Electronic,alternative dance, big beat, electronica, filter house
Genres : Rock, Electronic,alternative dance, big beat, electronica, filter house
Featured on the album 2005,Rooty
8.58% / -0.05%
16 . Armand van Helden - The Funk Phenomena
Armand van Helden’s “The Funk Phenomena,” a 1996 house track from his debut album “Old School Junkies: The Album,” crafts its infectious groove around a sample of Rick James’s “Give It to Me Baby.”
The single charts its way to number 38 in the UK, number 37 in Belgium, and a modest 51 in Germany.
Its uncredited music video juxtaposes a DJing Van Helden with lively dancers, embodying the era’s party ethos.
Writer(s) : Erick Sermon, Clifford Smith, Cooly, Reggie Noble, Armand Van Helden Publisher(s) : Big Teabag Productionsfalse
Genres : big_beat
Genres : Electronic,big beat, classic house, deep house, disco house, filter house, house, speed garage, tribal house, uk dance, vocal house,
The music video is directed by Nigel Dick
Featured on the album 1996,Old School Junkies: The Album
8.38% / -0.15%
17 . The KLF - Last Train To Trancentral [Live From The Lost Continent]
Mixed by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent and taking listeners through an engaging and dynamic soundscape, “Last Train To Trancentral [Live From The Lost Continent]” by The KLF was released as a single on April 22, 1991. This version reworks their original March 1990 track with new vigor. Produced by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, it features vocal contributions from Black Steel, Ricardo da Force, and samples by Wanda Dee.
Writer(s) : Ricky Lyte, Lawanda Ann Mc Farland, William Ernest Drummond, James Francis Cauty Publisher(s) : Warner Chappell Music Ltd, E G Music Ltd (Gb 1), Universal Music Publishing Mgb Limited, Wandee Music
Genres : Electronic,acid house, ambient house, big beat, hip house
Genres : Electronic,acid house, ambient house, big beat, hip house
Featured on the album 1991,The White Room
8.36% / -0.10%
18 . The KLF - Justified & Ancient
The KLF’s “Justified & Ancient” debuts in November 1991 as a quirky single from their album *The White Room*.
Anchored by Tammy Wynette’s unmistakable vocals, it playfully weaves The JAMs’ fictional mythology into lyrics.
Its popularity peaks at #2 on the UK Singles Chart, #11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and secures #1 across Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.
In the sci-fi-inspired video, Wynette appears amidst surreal visuals, her country roots fused into a dance anthem, including its “Stand by the JAMs” iteration.
The music video is directed by Bill Butt..
Writer(s) : Jervis Ricardo Alfonso Lyte, William Ernest Drummond, James Francis Cauty Publisher(s) : E G Music Ltd (Gb 1), Warner Chappell Music Ltd, Spotty Dog Music Limited
Genres : big_beat
Genres : Electronic,acid house, ambient house, big beat, hip house
The music video is directed by Matthew Amos
Featured on the album 1991,The White Room
8.27% / -0.11%
19 . Stereo Mc's - Elevate My Mind
“Elevate My Mind” is a song by the British hip hop and electronic dance group Stereo MC’s. It reached the 39th spot on the Billboard Hot 100, making Stereo MC’s the first British rap group to enter the Billboard Hot 100. The track features female vocals by Cath Coffey and samples “White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)” by Grandmaster Melle Mel. The song was used in the soundtrack of the film “Bad Company” (1995) and is also featured in the video game “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare,” on the Zombies map “Rave in the Redwoods.”
Writer(s) : Robert Charles Birch, Nicholas Edward Hallam Publisher(s) : Bmg Vm Music Limited
Genres : Electronic,big beat, hip house
Genres : Electronic,big beat, hip house
Featured on the album 1990,Supernatural
8.19% / -0.21%
20 . Cornershop - Brimful Of Asha
“Brimful of Asha” is a 1997 song by British group Cornershop. Originally released on August 18, 1997, it reached the 60th spot on the UK Singles Chart. After a remix by Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), it was re-released and topped the UK charts. The lyrics pay homage to Asha Bhosle, a famous Indian playback singer, and reflect on Indian cinema’s musical numbers. The music video, filmed in a house in Lewisham, London, contributed to the song’s popularity.
Writer(s) : Tejinder Singh Nurpuri Publisher(s) : Universal Momentum Music 2 Limited
Genres : Electronic, Pop,britpop, big beat
Genres : Electronic, Pop,britpop, big beat
Featured on the album 1997,When I Was Born For The 7th Time
8.18% / -0.25%
Death In Vegas stays at number one with “Aisha,” followed by Armand Van Helden’s “My My My” and Fatboy Slim’s “Star 69.” Underworld holds fourth with “Jumbo,” and Death In Vegas’ “Scorpio Rising” plus Groove Armada’s “I See You Baby” remain steady mid-chart. William Orbit’s “Barber’s Adagio For Strings” rises to fourteenth, while The KLF’s titles trade positions near the end of the list.
The Big Beat chart remains largely unchanged, showing minor movement among legacy acts but strong consistency through its leading entries.
Modest disclaimer: We don’t claim to be exhaustive. It’s possible you won’t find a title you expected to see on this list. Sorry about that — these things happen.