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ESSENTIAL MIX WITH BASEMENT JAXX Broadcast 02/05/99 : 02:00 - 04:00 |
In a year that has seen stunning albums from Underworld, Armand Van Helden and Cassius, and with new long players from the Chemical Brothers and Leftfield yet to come, it is a glowing tribute to Basement Jaxx that the press are already hailing ‘Remedy’ as album of the year. Armand Van Helden described them as "the future of house music", Daft Punk love them and Erick Morrillo will even get beer spilt on his shoes just to hear them play. We caught up with them as they prepared for the release of the album.
The album is wicked and looks like it is going to be one of the best albums this year. How did you feel after finishing it?
Simon: When we finished the album we were happy with it, we thought it was the best thing we had done but it is difficult because you just don’t know what other people will make of it. Some of the stuff on there isn’t straight house/garage stuff; it is a bit off the wall and new territory for us so it will be interesting to see how well it all goes down.
Felix: All the apprehension and the worry took place when we were recording the album last year. That is all done now so we are just getting on with it.
Do you have a favourite track on the album?
Felix: We both think ‘Jump and Shout’ is the stand out track. The reactions we get from playing it in the clubs are amazing. ‘You Can’t Stop Me’ is good because we have done a mix style that we haven’t done before. It is cool and different. They are all cool in their own way and have different meaning to us.
Have you been overwhelmed by the amount of hype and publicity you have had in the last month?
Simon: Hype is great, and we are getting lots of that but the crunch line is how it sells, we are being very cautious. All the reviews have been good and everyone we meet seems to think that it is wicked but we don’t want to think of the album in terms of greatness yet.
There are so many different styles on the album; Did you ever sit back and think "we are pushing our luck a bit here"?
Felix: Well ‘Jump and Shout’ is ragga and we thought that a lot of people wouldn’t like it, but it is important for people to hear ragga because a lot of people do have the wrong idea about it. We are really into ragga but don’t necessarily associate ourselves with the kind of slackness you find within the scene. We felt it was important to have ragga represented on the album.
What happened to the album that you scrapped last summer?
Felix: We had twelve tracks that we going to be the album. We played it people and they seemed to like it but we took a step back and realised that it wasn’t the dogs bollocks. There were too many filler tracks on there; we just didn’t have the confidence in it. We went back into the studio and took half the tracks we had finished and started on a load of new stuff. There are probably about four tracks from the old stuff on the new album.
Where did this phrase ‘punk garage’ come from?
Simon: I think that phrase really describes where we are at now. We have always been very much influenced by American music like garage and house. I think we are trying to blend the sophistication and the sexiness of that music with our Englishness. There are elements of rave music and punk, which are quite crude, and in your face. It is us being ourselves saying this is who we are but thanks for the influences.
It is quite amazing that for years you have been labelled as deep house producers when in reality this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Simon: That has been a problem for us. We did originally base our sound on the American producers but after a while we decided that we were more than just that. We started to bring in a bit of R&B and a little reggae but we were still being label as deep house which annoyed us. A lot of deep house is very dull and there are lot of people basking in that scene without being critical enough and asking if there is anything that can be done. A lot of deep house music is made so that one record can mix seamlessly with another so that it is all on one level. There is never one track that instantly jumps out at you.
Which is the opposite to your Basement Jaxx night at the Junction whereby the whole night is a bit of a riot and more of an anti DJing sort of thing.
Simon: Well that is what it always was. It was just fun, that is how it all started. Friends came down, we only played the music that we love and that is how it went for four years. It is only in the last six months that it has become trendy and that people have started to talk about it. The whole vibe is very cool and relaxed. Whenever our American friends were in town they’d come down and play for an hour for nothing. You would also have people like Erick Morrillo, who is a bit of shiny guy who wears expensive clothes, and there would be nowhere for him to hang his coat. Even though people would spill beer on his new shoes he’d loved it.
Was the club a victim of its own success?
Simon: We stopped it because the club had reached a high point and we wanted to leave it on a high. The success meant that we would turn into club promoters and that is the last thing we want to do.
What is the story behind ‘Red Alert’?
Simon: ‘Red Alert’ is about people thinking too much, worrying too much and not getting on with life. The message is "stop worrying, start enjoying life and think about the things that are important". These days we are told to analyse our life too much and think about what is right and what is wrong, what kind of people are we, are we bad, do we fit in? We know that it doesn’t get us anywhere and that it can drag us down even further. The message is just live your life and everything will be all right.
How well are the pair of you equipped for fame, can you handle the kind of adoration Norman Cook has had since his album was released?
Simon: We will deal with it in our own way. We are proud of the music we make and we want as many people as possible to hear it so we are eager to please in some ways. I’m sure that we are going to be alright.
I read somewhere that Felix’s father was a Vicar and that he was never allowed to watch Top Of The Pops as a child.
Felix: That is right, I still haven’t been able to get over it. I did have a strict childhood but I was able to ride my bike outside.
Did you know that there are rumours that Tim Westwood’s dad is a vicar?
Felix: He is a bishop actually and my dad is a cannon, which isn’t quite as big as a bishop. It is strange that he never mentions it on the radio.
What next for the Basement Jaxx?
Felix: There is a lot of press and publicity still to be done on the album and a mini tour whereby we will be doing DJ sets. We have our label, Atlantic Jaxx, which has been left for a while. We want to get that up and running again. There is a reggae singer called Ronnie Richards that we are about to produce for the label and a few other bits. The label isn’t about making money; it is about doing what we do so we don’t really need to worry about it.
The Track Listings....
Basement Jaxx - ‘Dove’s Cry’ Intro
Mr Oizo - ‘Flat Beat’ (PAIS)
Whitney Houston - ‘It’s Not Right, But It’s OK’ - Accappella (Arista)
‘Music Keeps on Playin’ Miracles Mix (No more info)
Basement Jaxx - ‘Bingo Bango’ (XL)
Hard Soul - ‘Your Last Dance’ (No more info)
‘My Name is Start’ - (No more info)
Basement Jaxx - ‘Rendez-Vu’ (XL)
Teddy Douglas & Luis Radio - ‘The Violin’ (Basement Boys)
Jaxx Booty Version - ‘Knee Deep’ (No more info)
Basement Jaxx - ‘Jump n Shout’ (XL)
Laid Back Luke - ‘Music's Always On My Mind’ Scratch Obsession remix (Touche)
Urban Soul feat. Shawnee Taylor - ‘Got to Believe’ Geraldines Dub (King St Sounds)
Basement Jaxx - ‘Same Old Show’ (XL)
Michael Watford/TuffJam - ‘Reach On Up’ (No more info)
Basement Jaxx - ‘Yo Yo’ Big Club Mix (XL)
Basement Jaxx - ‘Yo Yo’ (XL)
Monday Michiru - ‘Cruel To Be Kind’ Jaxx Nite Dub (Polydor Japan)
Fatback Effekt - (No more info)
‘Do You Wanna Boogie’ BBE/ Musicworks re-edit (Barely Breaking Even)
Norman Connors - ‘Mother Of The Future’ (Acid Jazz)
Nas - ‘Nas is Like’ (Columbia)
Trina & Tamara (No more info)
Remix Tip - ‘Boyfriend/Girlfriend’ Assasin remix (Remix Tip)
Eminem - ‘My Fault’ (Interscope)
Bustah Rhymes - ‘Iz They Wildin Wit Us & Gettin Rowdy Wit Us
Party Busters - ‘We Just Wanna (Make It Hot)’ (Buds International)
Prince - ‘All the Critics Love U In New York’
Atlantic Jaxx - ‘Fukhouz’
Fingers Inc. - ‘Distant Planet’
Coriina Joseph - ‘I'm Thru With U’ - (Atlatic Jaxx)