Basement Jaxx "White Sky"

Vampire Weekend's latest Contra single got ahold Basement Jaxx, "White Sky," and absolutely nuts result. The skipping beat of the original is replaced with a more straighforward thud and the keyboards are augmented with about 100 extra parts. Ezra Koenig's vocals are kept pretty intact, except his castrato chorus part is repeated several, several times. What was once a pleasant little ditty has now been blown up into a stadium sized banger. Listen to the track in radio rip form below.

Teenager's Death At Electric Daisy Carnival May End Rave Festivals in L.A.

Despite how retro it may sound, raves, light shows, and carnivals in concert setting are still a regular part of the American music experience. The Electric Daisy Carnival in L.A. hasn't gotten the press coverage of some other festivals, but with appearances from the likes of Moby, Will.i.Am, and Basement Jaxx certainly make it a regular pop music experience. At the fourtheenth Electric Daisy Festival, things got out of hand.

Over 226 people sought medical attention at the festival at the L.A. colisseum, with a variety of substance abuse-related injuries and ODs (ectasy was still a regular factor). But the death of Sasha Rodriguez, 15, of suspected drug overdose may have ended mass-scale rave events in Los Angeles once and for all.

Similar controversies surrounded the drug use and lack of ID checks at a New Year's Eve festival that resulted in one death and 18 ODs. But the death of a teenager put a halt to festivities at the L.A. Coliseum last weekend, and may stop future parties of this ilk in the future.

It's too early to report on the exact cause of Rodriguez's death, but it is pretty clear that one of the larger music celebrations in California will never quite be the same.

Basement Jaxx Bad Luck while recording their latest album 'Scars'

Basement Jaxx thought they were being smitten by God when making their last album. They told how they felt they were being given a message from above to after sessions for their album 'Scars' were struck by series of unfortunate events.

Felix described how he was initially warned after he was mugged for a second time on his way to the group's studio, and had his bike stolen by a group of children. To make matters worse, their studio was then flooded, making for uncomfortable recording conditions.

Simon added: "It was like God saying 'You Must Leave!' On three occasions water was literally pouring down the walls, so we had to move everything out the way.

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/basement-jaxxs-godly-fear_1116598

Basement Jaxx to Party at Club Eden

Grammy-winning British electronic duo Basement Jaxx will heat up the party scene with their upcoming performance Feb. 27 at Club Eden, Ritz Carlton Hotel, southern Seoul.

The duo, composed of Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Burton, are behind some of the most popular progressive house anthems in the British club scene. Ratcliffe and Buxton met at a riverboat party in Brixton, south London in the early 1990s. Before they met, Radcliffe was into Latin funk, while Buxton was interested in Chicago house music.

Their distinct influences came together as they formed Atlantic Jaxx Records in 1994. Among their early releases was ``Da Underground'' and ``Samba Magic,'' which was distributed by Virgin Records. As they gained recognition as a top house production unit, the duo was tapped to remix songs for Pet Shop Boys and Roger Sanchez. The single ``Flylife,'' which entered the Top 20 of the U.K. charts in 1997, was one of the year's most popular club anthems around the world. Basement Jaxx also performed regularly in nightclubs, where they gained a following.

They signed with XL Recordings, and released their first album, ``Remedy'' to critical acclaim in 1999. The single ``Red Alert'' was featured in the film ``Bend It Like Beckham'' and various commercials. Other hit songs from the album included ``Jump N' Shout,'' ``Bingo Bango'' and ``Rendez Vu.''Basement Jaxx has also released ``Rooty'' (2001), ``Kish Kash'' (2003) and ``Crazy Itch Radio'' (2006). ``Kish Kash'' became the first recipient of the Best Electronic/Dance Album Award at the 47th Grammy Awards in 2005. Their single ``Where's Your Head At?'' included in the ``Tomb Raider'' soundtrack, also helped boost the duo's international profile.Last September, Basement Jaxx released a new album ``Scars,'' featuring their trademark dance tracks in collaboration with Yoko Ono, Santigold, Sam Sparro and Paloma Faith.``Zephyr,'' described as a ``soundscape'' album, was also made available as a download from Basement Jaxx's Web site in December. It shows an ``ambient, ethereal and mellow side of the Jaxx output,'' and includes collaborations with Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke and New York jazz vocalist Jose James.Aside from working on their own music, Basement Jaxx is also known for remix productions.

Basement Jaxx: Basement Jaxx back on the beats with tour, 'Scars'

Basement Jaxx, the British duo responsible for some of the most infectious dance floor anthems of the last decade, is following the release of its latest studio album with a series of rare North American DJ dates this fall, including tonight at the Congress Theater.
For "Scars," the group's fifth album, Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe enlisted Yoko Ono, Kelis, Santigold, blue eyed soul newcomers Sam Sparro and Eli "Paperboy" Reed, Amp Fiddler and Bellrays singer Lisa Kekaula, among others.
The album kicks off with an operatic intro before the title track's stuttering half time beats compete with the band's signature kitchen sink of noise. "Twerk" is an electro-laden floor-filler that riffs on "Maniac" from "Flashdance," anchored by a Yo Majesty rap. "She's No Good" turns Lightspeed Champion's vocal chant into a funkified call-and-response, while "Raindrops" gives Buxton's own vocals the Auto-Tune treatment. Ono lends her vocals to "Day of the Sunflowers (We March On)," while Santigold's ska-tinged track is called "Saga."
The group also recorded a second, still untitled set of "Pink Floyd-y, more ambient-y stuff," according to Buxton. "That's going to come out as probably a mini LP afterward, more for bathtime music."
Fans at tonight's show will see the band's massive, circus like show, which includes an ever evolving crew of 20 or so singers and dancers.

Basement Jaxx Embrace presents

Basement Jaxx are a critically acclaimed English house music duo comprised of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe that rose to popularity in the late 1990s. Started Basement Jaxx in Brixton, South London, UK in 1994, where they held a regular club night called Rooty, which would later become the name of their second artist album (Rooty). In addition to Rooty, their other albums include Kish Kash with the title track sung by Siouxsie, Remedy, The Singles and Crazy Itch Radio. Kish Kash won the 2004 Grammy for best dance album and was their most critically acclaimed album for its innovative sound. They also won BRIT awards in 2002 and 2004, both for Best British Dance Act. In addition to their own work, Basement Jaxx have become in demand remixers. Tracks such as 4 My People (which became a massive chart and club hit), PlayLike I Love You and PlayShe Wants to Move have all had the Basement Jaxx remix treatment.In 2005, Basement Jaxx headlined the UK’s Glastonbury festival as a replacement for Kylie Minogue. In 2006 they were support to Robbie Williamson Robbies “Close Encounters”-Tour.The production duo got their name from the location of the studio where they recorded their first EP - it was located in the basement of friends of Simon Ratcliffe. Currently the Tate Modern invited the duo to write music inspired by a piece of art featured in the gallery. Karel Appellis’s Hip Hip Hoorah! ended up being the inspiring work. There are only two places in the world you can hear it - in the gallery or its official site.

Basement Jaxx new music report

The “Christian Rock” pick in this week’s New Music Report (contributing editor Christian Hoard’s current fave) is Scars, the fifth album from British house duo Basement Jaxx. The group’s 2001 album Rooty featured the hit “Romeo,” which charted in the States thanks to its synthetic yet warm vibe, and Scars is their best album since then. All the tracks are all sung by guest vocalists including Santigold and Kelis, as well as smaller names like Paloma Faith, who takes the lead on “What’s a Girl Got to Do.” It’s a song that’s ready for an iPod commercial with its clipped disco groove, keyboard stabs and rejiggered New Orleans brass.
The beats on Scars are often stronger than the songs, but when Basement Jaxx get a hot beat and a hot tune together you get something magical: progressive pop. It is dance music that can venture into the cheesy — but it’s a good cheesy.