Flash Back: Basement Jaxx

When I was relatively young and primarily into punk music, I stumbled into the record shop and threw $18 down on the counter for the most recent Basement Jaxx album. “Rooty“.

I had heard “Where’s Your Head At“, and dug a lot. I thought perhaps this would be a good opportunity to spread out from my 90s alternative and punk fixation.

But I hated Rooty. I hated it, and rued the day I handed over those $18 for that piece of shit album.

So I grumbled, stomped, snorted, and threw it into a box never to be seen again.

Except, after almost a decade of resting unnoticed, it floated back to the surface and I found myself listening to it. Braced for impact, I was expecting a laugh at how bad the CD was. I was expecting to mock and laugh and then rebury it.

Which isn’t exactly how events actually played out.

What really happened, to my dismay, was quite the opposite. I started the CD, “Romeo” came on, and I found myself tapping my foot along.

Then I loaded the album onto my MP3 player, and found myself grooving to “Do Your Thing” on the way to class.

Even the songs I didn’t particularly dig had me dancing and tapping. Somehow the whole album just oozes funk in such a fun way that my brain couldn’t quite gets its point across: I don’t actually like half the songs.

I don’t love the album from start to finish, there are perhaps only 4 or 5 tracks that I would seek out to listen to on it, but the rest have a good beat and are well done enough that (these days) I’ll still dance along and enjoy myself should they come on.

Perhaps it was that my teenage angst was simply able to diffuse what now is accosting my soul. I guess if anything could kill a good beat and a good portion of funk, it would be teenage angst.

Anyway. The Basement Jaxx.

They’re a house duo, which might be half of the reason I didn’t get them in the past. As far as House goes, though, they keep the repetition to a minimum, and keep the instruments diversified enough that the songs don’t drag. I don’t think I would have guessed them as a house group just due to this wide diversity of music and vocals.

Perhaps just a tidge of electroclash rubbed off on them. Or maybe it’s the guest vocalists they include that just push it past being overly repetitive. In my opinion “Just 1 Kiss” is the most obviously House track on the album. It also has the least amount of vocals, and the most repetitive lyrics. Though there are some others that feel ‘bare’ compared to the more ridiculous (and therefore awesome) tracks on the album.

All the songs on Rooty have vocals, which makes me a happy Panda. House music without vocals, to me at least, just gets painful. Six hours of watching Paul Van Dyk spin vocal-less tracks, left me swiping beers to get through the event, despite his critical acclaim and mad skills.

I could watch Basement Jaxx even without “free” Heineken.

What to Take Away?

Rooty, from start to finish, has amazing beats layered with so much groove that unless you’re dripping in angst, you’ll likely be dancing.

What to Expect?

House that has been influenced by a variety of other musical styles, making it quite palatable, even for non House lovers (like myself).

Drink Pairing?

A Bay Breeze. 1.5 ounces Vodka, 1 ounce Cranberry Juice, 4 Ounces Pineapple Juice. Serve over ice in a highball glass.

Favorite Song?

While “Where’s Your Head At?” prompted the purchase, “Do Your Thing” I think has risen to the top.