TheFatRat | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christian Friedrich Johannes Büttner |
| Born | (1979-06-01)1 June 1979 (age 45) Göttingen,Lower Saxony, Germany |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments | |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | www |
Christian Friedrich Johannes Büttner (German:[ˈkʁɪsti̯anˈfʁɪdʁɪçjoˈhanəsˈbʏtnɐ]; born 1 June 1979), known professionally asTheFatRat, is a German DJ, record producer and musician. His genre is often described as "glitch-hop."[1] His 2016 extended playJackpot reached 23 on theBillboardDance/Electronic Albums chart.[2] He peaked at 15 on Billboard's Next Big Sound chart in February 2015.[3]
Büttner originally aspired to become a classical conductor.[4] He began producing music in 2001 under his real name. He began by making background music for television, radio and advertisements and produced music for DJs.[5]
In 2010, Büttner produced the songMignon Mignon forRené la Taupe, which became a number-one single in France.[6] Around that time, he also produced the song "Audubon Ballroom" onLupe Fiasco's albumFood & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1, which charted at #5 on theBillboard 200.[7]
In July 2011, he began making solo music under the pseudonym TheFatRat. The nickname given to him was Ratte, which is German for rat. It came from his short stature as he was 5 feet tall. His career began with the release of his firstEP,Do Be Do Be Do.[5]
By 2016, Büttner's music was used in over 1.5 million YouTube videos.[8] His single "Unity" was included on the albumSounds of Syndication Vol. 1[9] curated byTom Cassell, one of the most subscribed streamers onTwitch.
In November 2016, Büttner released his second EP,Jackpot on theUniversal Music label.[8] The EP reached #23 on theBillboardDance/Electronic Albums chart.[2] In December 2016, Büttner started a record label, The Arcadium, in collaboration withUniversal Music.[10]
In June 2017, Büttner released the single "Fly Away" featuring vocalistAnjulie. In July, he performed at theElectric Forest Festival.[11] In October 2017, he released the single "Oblivion" featuring vocalistLola Blanc.[12]
In March 2018, he released the single "MAYDAY".[13] In July 2018, he released "Warrior Songs", a music pack for the video gameDota 2, which has been made available in the game as of 13 September 2018, according to Matthew "Cyborgmatt" Bailey, director of operations ofTeam Secret.[14]
In December 2018, he posted a video about how YouTube's content ID system is "broken", as an anonymous user known as Ramjets claimed all the earnings for his song "The Calling" and YouTube refused to settle the dispute.[15][16][17] The claim was removed by YouTube later.[18] As an act of gratitude towards the YouTube community standing up for him, he announced that all of his music would be free to use for creative videos on the platform, without fear of him claiming or copyright striking any video.[19]
In February 2020,Redbull.com made a 10-minute documentary about Büttner and his career titled,TheFatRat: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Him. They released this within their article, "TheFatRat: Meet the EDM DJ who's elevated video game music to high art."[20]
On 7 February 2020, Büttner released asci-fi music video on YouTube starring himself and Maisy Kay for Büttner's song, "The Storm," which he performed with Kay.[21] The music video was filmed inIceland, withSurtshellir Cave on the first day,Hekla Mountain on the second day, andHjörleifshöfði on the third and final day. Accompanying the music video is a game for mobile titledThe Storm - Interactive, where one can play through the story of the video.[22]
On July 9, 2021, Büttner released "Hiding in the Blue", a track he co-produced with RIELL and the first of his second album, "Parallax". The album consists of 10 singles that were released over the course of 10 weeks—between July 9 and September 10—every Friday on his YouTube channel.
On September 12, 2024 Büttner announced on his social channels the release of an EP titled "Ray Tracer", released on September 27. The EP contains three singles.
As of March 2025, Büttner's YouTube channel has 6.58 million subscribers and over 2.08 billion views.
| Year | Title | Information |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Warrior Songs (FromDota 2) |
|
| 2021 | Parallax |
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| Year | Title | Information | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance[2] | |||
| 2011 | Do Be Do Be Do |
| – |
| 2016 | Jackpot |
| 23 |
| 2020 | Classics Remixed |
| – |
| 2024 | Ray Tracer |
| – |
| Title | Date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Some Body" | 2011 | Do Be Do Be Do EP | Self-released |
| "Less Than Three" | |||
| "Do Be Do Be Do" | |||
| "Splinter" | 2013 | Non-album singles | Spinnin Records |
| "Dancing Naked" | The Arcadium | ||
| "Infinite Power!" | 2014 | Rocket League OST | |
| "Unity" | Sounds of Syndication Vol. 1 | ||
| "Windfall" | Tasty Album 001 - Entree | Tasty | |
| "Xenogenesis" | |||
| "Never Be Alone" | 2015 | ||
| "Time Lapse" | Non-album singles | The Arcadium | |
| "Telescope" | Taking You Higher | Seeking Blue | |
| "Monody" (featuring Laura Brehm)[29] | Non-album singles | The Arcadium | |
| "The Calling" (featuring Laura Brehm) | 2016 | ||
| "No No No" | |||
| "Youtubers Life Rap" (with Kronno Zomber) | |||
| "Jackpot" | Jackpot EP | Universal Music | |
| "Epic" | |||
| "Prelude" | |||
| "Elegy" | |||
| "Prelude (VIP Edit)" (with JJD) | 2017 | ||
| "Fly Away" (featuringAnjulie)[30] | Non-album singles | ||
| "Oblivion" (featuringLola Blanc)[31] | |||
| "MAYDAY" (featuring Laura Brehm)[32] | 2018 | ||
| "Warrior Song" (featuring Stasia Estep) | Warrior Songs (From Dota 2) | The Arcadium | |
| "Origin" | |||
| "Ascendancy" | |||
| "Nemesis" | |||
| "Origin Reprise" | |||
| "Elevate" | |||
| "Kingdom Come" | |||
| "Mad Moon Falling" | |||
| "Threnody" | |||
| "Envelope" | |||
| "Reminiscence" | |||
| "Afterlife" | |||
| "Chosen"[33] (with Anna Yvette and Laura Brehm) | 2019 | Non-album singles | Universal Music |
| "Solitude"[34] (with Slaydit) | |||
| "Sunlight"[35] (with Phaera) | The Arcadium | ||
| "Stronger"[36] (with Slaydit and Anjulie) | Monstercat | ||
| "Close To The Sun"[37] (with Anjulie) | The Arcadium | ||
| "Rise Up"[38] | Enter Records | ||
| "Rise Up (Orchestra Version)" | |||
| "The Storm"[39] (with Maisy Kay) | 2020 | The Arcadium | |
| "Electrified"[40] | |||
| "We'll Meet Again"[41] (with Laura Brehm) | |||
| "Rule the World"[42] (withAleXa) | |||
| "Hiding in the Blue"[43] (with RIELL) | 2021 | Parallax | |
| "Arcadia"[44] | |||
| "Pride & Fear"[45] (with RIELL) | |||
| "Upwind"[46] | |||
| "Our Song"[47] (with Cecilia Gault) | |||
| "Violet Sky"[48] (with Cecilia Gault) | |||
| "Warbringer"[49] (featuringLindsey Stirling and with Everen Maxwell) | |||
| "Fire"[50] | |||
| "Love It When You Hurt Me"[51] (with Anjulie) | |||
| "Let Love Win"[52] (with Anjulie) | |||
| "Ghost Light"[53] (withEverglow) | 2022 | Non-album singles | Pharisade |
| "Back One Day"[54] (withNEFFEX) | |||
| "Monkeys"[55] | 2023 | ||
| "Monkeys Remix" | |||
| "Out of the Rain"[56] (with Shiah Maisel) | |||
| "Hunger"[57] | |||
| "Escaping Gravity"[58] (with Cecilia Gault) | |||
| "Sail Away"[59] (featuring Laura Brehm) | 2024 | ||
| "Still Here With You"[60] | |||
| "Myself & I"[61] (with RIELL) | |||
| "Ray Tracer"[62] (with Sprites) | Ray Tracer EP | ||
| "P. S."[63] | |||
| "Whispers"[64] (featuring Reptythm) | |||
| "Out Of Love"[65] | 2025 | Non-album singles |
| Remixed Song | Remixer | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| "The Calling" (featuring Laura Brehm) | Da Tweekaz | 2017 | The Arcadium |
| "Monody" (featuring Laura Brehm) | Bimonte | 2020 | |
| "Never Be Alone" | Michael Jan | ||
| "Monody" (featuring Laura Brehm) | Ephixa | ||
| "The Calling" (featuring Laura Brehm) | Timmy Caden | ||
| "Fly Away" (featuring Anjulie) | Rush Garcia |
