Basement Jaxx: Remedy : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe love the boom-boom-boom-boom of house music for the emotion it can convey and hate it for the formulas to which it often resorts. To achieve the former and wage war on the latter, these London DJs created Basement Jaxx, an ongoing tribute to the roots of house that points the way to its future. Thumbing their noses at house's staid underground and the slickness of its pop fatade, Buxton and Ratcliffe have thrashed out a radical alternative deserving of instant mainstream attention simply because its wackiness is too damn funky. Think Daft Punk with soul, or Fatboy Slim with sophistication, or early-Eighties Prince let loose on late-Nineties technology.

And then forget all that. Basement Jaxx refine their broad influences into a creative energy you can feel: The art of their noise supples as much dance motivation as their beats. On a typically atypical track like "Red Alert," a sharp, steady groove is subverted by a succession of P-Funk chanting, G-funk synth screeching, string-section interludes, furious bass doodles and sassy diva wails. "Bingo Bango" layers ska on top of salsa, while "U Can't Stop Me" suggests Missy Elliott knocking boots with Aphex Twin. Despite the diversity, Remedy radiates a personal vibe that no program could produce, and not only does it come with a lyric sheet, it also deserves one. This is house music that works at home. (RS 819)

BARRY WALTERS