Basement Jaxx

Basement Jaxx stand among Britain’s most admired and lively dance outfits, having progressed from their early underground releases of the 1990s into the expansive undertakings that followed years afterward. The South London production pair Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton anchored virtually all their output in house yet reshaped an assortment of other forms—R&B, U.K. garage, ragga, Latin jazz, ambient techno—with ceaseless reinvention. They kept altering their approach while enlisting a vast roster of vocalists, both prominent figures such as Biz Markie, Siouxsie Sioux, and Yoko Ono and lesser-known talents. Their 1999 debut album Remedy delivered a sultry, energetic, groove-driven counterpoint to prevailing dance-music trends at the millennium’s turn; Rooty followed in 2001 with a bright pop finish, and Kish Kash arrived in 2003, marked by wide-ranging stylistic fusion and a Grammy win. Later in the decade they revisited core elements on Scars in 2009, and by the time Junto appeared in 2014 their sound remained buoyant, rhythmic, and current.

Before Basement Jaxx existed, Ratcliffe, drawn to the deep Latin funk of War and George Duke, issued white-label records that earned approval from fellow producers Goldie and LTJ Bukem and generated sufficient revenue to fund a home studio. A mutual acquaintance introduced him to Felix Buxton at a London pub in 1993; the two connected through their enthusiasm for New York house and began operating as Basement Jaxx the next year. They ran a recurring club night of the same name at various South London spots, hosting guests that included Daft Punk, DJ Sneak, and vocalist Corrina Joseph. Their inaugural release, EP1, came out in 1994 on Wall of Sound and their own Atlantic Jaxx imprint, moving more than 1,000 copies and receiving steady plays of “Da Underground” from DJ/producer Tony Humphries on his New York mix show throughout 1994–1995. Joseph joined them for EP2 in 1995, which broadened their sonic scope and climbed to number 179 on the U.K. Singles Chart. “Samba Magic,” taken from that year’s Summer Daze EP, secured distribution through Virgin and quickly drew acclaim from American and British house circles as one of the genre’s leading production teams.

Throughout much of 1996 Buxton and Ratcliffe concentrated on remixes for the Pet Shop Boys, Roger Sanchez, and Lil’ Mo’ Yin Yang, among others, before issuing EP3 that August. “Flylife,” one of its tracks, reached the Top 20 in England after Multiply re-released it in mid-1997; the single ranked among the year’s standout club anthems worldwide and prompted a recording contract with XL Recordings. The duo also gained broader visibility by supporting Daft Punk on the influential French act’s first U.K. dates during the Daftendirekt tour. Late in 1997 they compiled Atlantic Jaxx Recordings: A Compilation, collecting key sides from their own label.

In May 1999 Basement Jaxx presented their first full-length, Remedy, titled to reflect Ratcliffe and Buxton’s view of their music as a remedy for shortcomings in British dance music at the time. The album expanded their approach joyfully, landing at number four on the U.K. Albums Chart and generating the singles “Jump ’n Shout,” “Red Alert,” “Rendez-Vu,” and “Bingo Bango,” with the last three reaching the top of the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The Betta Daze EP also surfaced that year. Prolific output continued with the 2000 Camberwell EP and the B-sides and remixes collection Jaxx Unreleased.

For their sophomore album the pair introduced a pop gloss to their earthy, soulful base, resulting in Rooty, released in June 2001. Named after their second club night, which concluded shortly before the record appeared, it outperformed its predecessor, reaching number five on the U.K. Albums Chart and the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart in the United States. Four of its singles—“Romeo,” “Jus 1 Kiss,” “Get Me Off,” and “Where’s Your Head At”—charted in the U.K., and the album eventually earned gold certification in both the U.K. and Australia. Additional short-form releases followed, including the 2001 Xxtra Cutz, Span Thang, and Junction EPs. Their remix clients around this period ranged from longtime associates such as DJ Sneak to mainstream names like Justin Timberlake and Missy Elliott.

After an extended tour supporting Rooty, Ratcliffe and Buxton regrouped and adopted a more song-oriented method for their third album. Blending disco, new wave, electro, Bollywood, and further influences, and featuring guest vocalists including the Bellrays’ Lisa Kekaula, Siouxsie Sioux, and Dizzee Rascal, Kish Kash emerged in October 2003. It peaked at number 17 on the U.K. Albums Chart and number two on the U.S. Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, spawned the Top 20 U.K. single “Good Luck,” earned a nomination for the 2004 Mercury Prize, and captured the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2005. That same year the duo released the aptly titled collection The Singles, which topped the U.K. chart; its two new tracks, “Oh My Gosh” and “U Don’t Know Me” (another Kekaula collaboration), also charted there. They headlined the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury after Kylie Minogue’s cancer diagnosis forced her cancellation, then closed the year with the Unreleased Mixes EP.

Following a support slot on Robbie Williams’s 2006 European tour, Ratcliffe and Buxton returned that September with Crazy Itch Radio, a loosely thematic collection that incorporated Balkan horns and featured vocals from Robyn, Lily Allen, and emerging artist Lady Marga. The album reached number 16 on the U.K. Albums Chart and number four on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, yielding the charting singles “Hush Boy” and “Take Me Back to Your House.” In 2008 they wrote and produced “Rocking Chair” for Cyndi Lauper’s Bring Ya to the Brink and launched the Planet EP series, with Planet 1 appearing in July, Planet 2 in September, and Planet 3 in February 2009.

September 2009 brought Scars, an album that reverted to the leaner aesthetic of the Remedy era and included appearances by Yoko Ono, Yo! Majesty, Lightspeed Champion, and Santigold. Its Top 40 U.K. hit “Raindrops” helped the record reach number 37 on the U.K. Albums Chart and number ten on the U.S. Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. The more experimental companion Zephyr followed in December and contained music composed to accompany an artwork displayed at London’s Tate Modern museum. The non-album single “Dracula” arrived in 2011, as did Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest, featuring orchestral arrangements of earlier material for a 70-piece ensemble, and the score for Joe Cornish’s film Attack the Block, created in collaboration with Stephen Price.

Over the ensuing years the duo previewed fresh material during live performances. They debuted the single “Back 2 the Wild” on their YouTube channel in April 2013, followed soon after by “What a Difference Your Love Makes” and “Unicorn.” The uplifting Junto—Spanish for “together”—featured contributions from Mykki Blanco, DJ Sneak, and Shakka and surfaced in August 2014. It peaked at number 30 on the U.K. Albums Chart and number five on the U.S. Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, while the single “Never Say Never” topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Junto Remixed appeared in October 2015 with reworkings by Luciano, Catz ’N Dogz, and the Martinez Brothers. The following year the duo remixed Tiësto and Oliver Heldens’ “The Right Song.” In 2019 Basement Jaxx collaborated with Richy Ahmed on the mix album Elrow, Vol. 4 and composed the music for the animated series The Rubbish World of Dave Spud. Archival releases followed in 2020: Jaxx Classics Remixed, Lost Tracks, Lost Remixes, and Lost Dubs. The next year they supplied the theme song for the children’s educational series What’s on Your Head? and rejoined Yo! Majesty for the single “Bumpin’ Too Hard.” The single “Express Yourself,” featuring Phebe Edwards and Niara Scarlett, emerged in 2022.