With the impending release of their second album Rooty (due June 26th on Astralwerks), British dance duo Basement Jaxx are planning to take their live show to the U.S. for the first time in the fall. Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe's European shows have included a cast of vocalists, scantily clad dancers and a carnival atmosphere.

"It went down really well in Europe and England and we took it to Japan and Australia," says Buxton. "We should probably do it [in America], because it is more interesting then watching DJing. It's more entertaining. People can understand the music more as well because it's not just about being in a club. We're trying to say something more."

While working on Rooty -- whose first single "Romeo," featuring vocalist Kele Le Roc is out in late May -- the duo found time to collaborate with Janet Jackson, though the efforts may remain shelved.

"I guess it's probably not going to happen," says Buxton. "They were just kind of ideas for songs and grooves. I spoke to her on the phone and we kind of developed one of the ideas, and then she decided she wanted to go in another direction. I think she's very conscious of making something that fits in and that's cool. Madonna and all those sorts of people have asked us to do remixes, but the thing is with most of those big artists is they just want to buy a bit of hip. They want to be seen to be a bit cooler, and why should we do that?"

JOLIE LASH
(April 4, 2001)