Flat Beat

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.

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] In the latter country, it was the seventh song featured in a Levi's advert to top the UK Singles Chart and the 25th instrumental single to top the chart.^[11][12] On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Flat Beat" peaked at number two and was Europe's 11th-most-successful hit of 1999.^[13][14] "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]

Legacy

In 2003, Q Magazine ranked "Flat Beat" number 175 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".^[6] In September 2005, Stylus Magazine included the track's bassline at number 13 in their list of the "Top 50 Basslines of All Time",^[15] while Mixmag included it in their "The Best Basslines in Dance Music" in 2020. The magazine added, "Disclaimer: it's likely you'll be thinking there's a bees' nest in the corner of your room after listening to it. Don't let that put you off, though. 'Flat Beat' boasts one of the best basslines of all time."^[16] In 2014, English DJ and producer Duke Dumont ranked it number nine in his list of "The 10 Best UK Number One Singles", saying, "Probably the strangest number one to date. The Levi's advert helped, obviously. Directing that Levi's advert and putting your own song in it also helps. But I remember this having a cult following among garage DJs within the UK. I doubt Mr. Oizo was even aware of UK garage, but he accidentally created possibly the first dubstep record."^[17]

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.^[18] The popularity of the commercials lead to a music video for the song being created, also featuring Flat Eric.

The accompanying 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.^[19]