37: Big Beat Cinema

This week we kick off the first ever No Tags film season! Based
on an original idea by DJ and NTS host Finn, Big Beat Cinema is
our attempt to identify and decode a much-loved and entirely
made-up micro-genre.


We begin by outlining the core canon and basic tropes of BBC,
paying particular attention to the ultra-stylish heist movies of
the late ‘90s and early ‘00s – think Ocean’s Eleven, Mark
Wahlberg’s The Italian Job, Snatch and even The Matrix.


We also try to explain why big beat – the sample-flipping,
chart-dominating, Hawaiian shirt-wearing sound of the millennium
– became so integral to these movies’ portrayal of cool guys
pulling off implausible heists.


From zany editing to Junkie XL, from Paul Oakenfold to the
politics of cool, and from Skint Records to the correct shade of
denim, this first episode lays out the core principles of BBC.


Let us know what you think in the comments – including on
our Letterboxd list, where you can check out the full selection
of BBC contenders, from Shallow Grave to Kneecap.


Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe