Basement Jaxx

Basement Jaxx

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Basement Jaxx

Basement Jaxx are a British electronic dance music duo consisting of Felix Buxton (born 1971) and Simon Ratcliffe (born 1 December 1969). The pair got their name from the regular night club they held in their hometown of Brixton, London, UK.[1] They first rose to popularity in the late 1990s.[2] As the British Hit Singles & Albums book duly noted "they surfaced from the underground house scene, are regular transatlantic club chart-toppers and won the BRIT Award for Best Dance Act in 2002 and 2004".[3]

History

1994-1998: Origins

Basement Jaxx started in Brixton, South London, in 1994, where they held a regular club night called Basement Jaxx, which was also held in a variety of venues including The George IV, The Crypt and The Junction. They were joined by DJs including DJ Sneak, Daft Punk, and singer Corrina Joseph. They mutated the night into an equally popular club called Rooty, the namesake of their second album.[4]

1999-2000: Remedy

In 1999, the group released their first full length album, Remedy. Remedy included the single "Red Alert", which was featured in the film Bend It Like Beckham as well as Nickelodeon and Coca-Cola commercials. Other singles on this album were "Jump N' Shout", "Bingo Bango", and "Rendez-Vu", which is Basement Jaxx's highest UK Singles Chart entry to date at number 4.[5] Basement Jaxx also released Jaxx Unreleased, a compilation album of B-sides, remixes, and other assorted material, in 1999. 2000 saw them release Camberwell, another release of new material.

2001-2002: Rooty

Their next album, 2001's Rooty included singles "Romeo", "Jus 1 Kiss", "Where's Your Head At?", "Do Your Thing", and "Get Me Off". The music video for album opener "Romeo" is an homage to the Bollywood film style. "Where's Your Head At?" became an international hit in 2002, also known for its inclusion on the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider soundtrack. "Do Your Thing" was included in the video game SSX 3. Xxtra Cutz was released shortly after Rooty, containing B-sides from the album's singles. Span Thang and Junction, two EPs, were released in 2001-2002.

2003-2004: Kish Kash

In 2003, Basement Jaxx released their third full-length album, Kish Kash, which included contributions from Lisa Kekaula (of the Bellrays), Me'shell Ndegeocello, Dizzee Rascal, Totlyn Jackson, JC Chasez, Siouxsie Sioux, and Phoebe. From this album, the tracks "Lucky Star", "Good Luck", and "Plug It In" were released as singles. The track "Good Luck" was re-released in 2004, after exposure from being the theme to BBC's Euro 2004 coverage, and was also featured in the soundtrack of Just Married and Appleseed, an anime film released in 2004. Kish Kash was recognized the following year at the 47th Grammy Awards, winning Buxton and Ratcliffe the inaugural 'Best Electronic/Dance Album' award.

2005: The Singles

In 2005, the duo released the number 1 compilation The Singles along with a video collection on DVD, comprising all the singles from their previous three albums, some earlier releases (featured on Atlantic Jaxx Recordings: A Compilation), and two new tracks, "Oh My Gosh" and "U Don't Know Me", which were both released as singles. The Singles (Special Edition) was also released, which contained the original compilation along with a bonus disc entitled Bonus Traxx, containing many previously unreleased tracks, as well as remixes of existing Basement Jaxx songs. The duo appeared as a headline act on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2005 when Kylie Minogue was forced to pull out after being diagnosed with cancer. Basement Jaxx played with a live band made up of artists who recorded the album. Drumtech-trained Nathan 'Tugg' Curran was on drums for Glastonbury and has remained a constant performer.

2006-2007: Crazy Itch Radio

Their fourth studio album, Crazy Itch Radio, was released on 4 September 2006 in the UK, simultaneously with its first single, "Hush Boy". The album featured guest vocals by Martina Sorbara (credited as "Martina Bang"), Lily Allen, and Robyn. In 2006, Basement Jaxx were also one of the support acts for Robbie Williams on his 'Close Encounters' tour. For Cyndi Lauper's Bring Ya to the Brink in 2008, they produced and wrote the track "Rocking Chair". They also released a series of releases over this period of new material, entiled Planet.

2009-2010: Scars

In 2009, Buxton revealed in a BBC Radio 1 broadcast that Basement Jaxx's forthcoming album Scars was completed and being mastered. Buxton stated that the tracks include guest appearances by Yoko Ono, Santigold, Lightspeed Champion, and Yo! Majesty.[6] The band was also interested in getting Grace Jones to add vocals to the new album.[7] The album was released in September 2009.[8] The first single "Raindrops" preceded it in June 2009. The band recorded at the Bizspace centre in Coldharbour Lane, in Loughborough Junction.[9] Basement Jaxx also collaborated with Metropole Orkest in a new album entitled Basement Jaxx vs Metropole Orkest.[10]

2011-present: Seventh studio album

Along with Stephen Price, Basement Jaxx scored the 2011 film Attack the Block, and the soundtrack was released on 16 May 2011.[11]

In November 2011, Simon revealed the pair were working on a new album - hinting that some tracks were already appearing in their DJ sets.[12] At their first live show for several years at Chiswick House Festival in July 2012, the band performed some new material from their forthcoming album including the song "Diamonds". The album is being recorded in their new studio in Kings Cross, London. Possible tracks that may appear on the album according to Pitchfork include "Make.Believe", "Let's Rock this Road Together", "Back 2 the Wild", "We R Not Alone", "Galactical", "Power 2 The People", "Mermaid of Salinas", "People of Planet Earth", "Right Here, Right Now" and "What a Difference Your Love Makes".[13][14][15] The band is also running a contest through graphic design firm JDO, where the band will use the graphic identity (including the album and single artwork designs) that the winner created for their upcoming album and consequent promotional items.[16] "Back 2 the Wild" was released as a single on April 12, 2013, with an accompanying video co-directed by Matt Maitland and Natalia Stuyk being uploaded to their YouTube account on April 16.[17] "What a Difference Your Love Makes" was released as a single on September 30, 2013.[14] The single's accompanying video was released on Vevo on August 7, 2013. It was directed by Damian Weilers and shot in South Africa.[18]

Other projects

In addition to their own work, Basement Jaxx have become in-demand remixers. Their more prominent work includes remixes of "4 My People" by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, "Everyman Everywoman" by Yoko Ono, "Like I Love You" by Justin Timberlake, and "She Wants to Move" by N*E*R*D. They also collaborated with Janet Jackson on unreleased songs for her Damita Jo album.[19] Sophie Ellis-Bextor, as well as The Botz and Garold Marks, have stated they are fans and would like to collaborate with Basement Jaxx in the future.[20]

The duo were invited to write an exclusive piece of music to accompany a work of art they admired in London's Tate Modern museum, Karel Appel's "Hip, Hip, Hoorah!". The work is not available for sale, but can be listened to in the gallery or its official site.[21] In 2007, their track "Close Your Eyes", sung by Linda Lewis, was featured in the Japanese CGI anime movie Vexille.

Felix Buxton appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks on 23 September, 2013 - the opening episode of Series 27, on Noel Fielding's team.[22]

Discography

Main article: Basement Jaxx discography
Studio albums
  • Remedy (1999)
  • Rooty (2001)
  • Kish Kash (2003)
  • Crazy Itch Radio (2006)
  • Scars (2009)
  • Zephyr (2009)

See also

  • List of number-one dance hits (United States)
  • List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart

References

  1. Basement Jaxx Bio, Music, News & Shows. DJZ.com. Retrieved on March 7, 2013.
  2. Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography, 5th, Edinburgh: Mojo Books.
  3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums, 19th, London: Guinness World Records Limited.
  4. John Bush. Rooty. Allmusic. Retrieved on 19 April 2012.
  5. UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts. everyHit.com (2000-03-16). Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  6. Basement Jaxx unveil guests on the new album. Inthemix.com.au (2009-04-07). Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  7. Basement Jaxx Interview, The End. Endclub.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  8. Basement Jaxx back for overdue homecoming. Metro.co.uk (2009-04-28). Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  9. Gilani, Nadia (2011-04-19). Bridge art backed by Basement Jaxx Tuesday, 19 April 2011. Southlondonpress.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  10. Gill, Andy, Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest, The Independent, 2011-07-15.
  11. Jon O'Brien. Attack the Block - Basement Jaxx. Allmusic. Retrieved on 7 October 2011.
  12. Contactmusic. Basement Jaxx Are Ready For New Album. contactmusic. Retrieved on 5 November 2011.
  13. Pitchfork. New Basement Jaxx Single "Back 2 the Wild". pitchfork. Retrieved on 12 April 2013.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Video: Basement Jaxx: "What a Difference Your Love Makes" | News. Pitchfork (2013-08-08). Retrieved on 2014-04-24.
  15. Basement Jaxx What A Difference Your Love Makes (Miguel Campbell Remix) (Stereogum Premiere). Stereogum (2013-08-28). Retrieved on 2014-04-24.
  16. JDO. CREATE COVER ARTWORK FOR A NEW BASEMENT JAXX SINGLE. JDO. Retrieved on 4 April 2013.
  17. Basement Jaxx - Back 2 The Wild - ( Official Video ). YouTube (2013-04-16). Retrieved on 2014-04-24.
  18. Basement Jaxx - What A Difference Your Love Makes. YouTube (2013-08-07). Retrieved on 2014-04-24.
  19. Rock & Pop: Burning down the house that Basement Jaxx built. The Independent (24-10-03). Retrieved on 15-10-13.
  20. Tv Maniacs Interview met Jose Gonzalez
  21. Tracks. Tate. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  22. BBC Two - Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Series 27, Episode 1. Bbc.co.uk (2013-09-30). Retrieved on 2014-04-24.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Basement Jaxx

This page was last modified 24.04.2014 19:08:01

This article uses material from the article Basement Jaxx from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.