After a ten-year hiatus from the live stage, dance legends Basement Jaxx have announced their comeback, due to perform at Croydon’s South Facing Festival next summer. To celebrate their two-decade career and return to the stage, it’s a fitting time to reflect on the duo’s journey and rank their studio albums to date.
#7 – Zephyr
Zephyr serves as an obscure palate cleanser and bridge into Basement Jaxx’s discography for soft rock fans. With synths, soft percussion, and dreamy vocals, this 33-minute album, shorter than others, defies the duo’s usual sound. For a taste of their reborn eccentricity, start with ‘Dark Vale’, a techno, video game-esque track.
#6 – Junto
Released twenty years after their debut, Junto taps into what fans love most about the band
– their seamless fusion of house, world music, and electronic textures. High-energy tracks, like ’Power to the People’, dominate, while the album’s signature unpredictability offers a reliable, fun experience, capturing the duo at their most characteristic.
#5 – Scars
With Scars, the duo once again deliver a collaborative fusion of sounds, featuring legendary artists like Yoko Ono and Paloma Faith. Blending diverse genres with contemporary collaborations from Chip and Sam Sparro, the record is firmly anchored in the late noughties. Overall, Scar still provides a timeless and distinctly era-defining listen.
#4 – Kish Kash
Though an album featuring stand-out collaborations such as Dizzee Rascal at the peak of his fame in the UK grime scene, Kish Kash feels like a mixed bag rather than a conceptual piece like its predecessors. However, it’s still quintessentially Basement Jaxx in its non-conformist, deeply inspired sound and deserves the hype 11 years on.
#3 – Crazy Itch Radio
Dramatic strings open this album, perhaps juxtaposing the pure funk that streams through the remaining tracklist. A record that undoubtedly returns to the band’s roots, with its witty and provocative lyrics oozing with pop energy, the album also sees a return of their archetypal interludes, making the album again feel thoroughly curated.
#2 – Rooty
Featuring iconic club anthems like ‘Where’s Your Head At?’ and ‘Romeo’, Rooty is a dynamic blend of punchy tracks and sensual lyricism. The record effortlessly transports you to various vibrant locales, from the sun-soaked beach clubs of the South of France to the gritty dive bars of New York and the underground garage scene of Brixton. Unpretentious and bold, it offers a refreshing insight into an era when electronic music was as much about storytelling as it was about danceability.
#1 – Remedy
Characterised by rambunctious synths, jazz interludes, and an overarching grittiness that could only come from the streets of London, Remedy is home to some of the duo’s biggest and best hits commercially, such as ‘Red Alert’ and ‘Bingo Bango’. Blending classic elements of electronica with deeper garage and ragga components found within the likes of ‘Yo Yo’ and ‘Jump ‘N Shout’, it’s no surprise that their debut catapulted them into fame, eventually establishing them as a hallmark act in the world of dance. It would be a grand disservice to underestimate the artistry that went into creating such a multi-faceted, genre-fusing body of work, and for that reason, it has to take top spot.
Words by Ruby Brown
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.