Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton (born 8 May 1970) and Simon Ratcliffe (born 28 November 1969). Formed in London in 1994, they emerged from the British house music scene of the mid-1990s and later achieved international commercial success. The duo's name was derived from a club night they organised in Brixton, South London. They won the Brit Award for Best British Dance Act in 2002 and 2004 and are known for singles including "Red Alert", "Rendez-Vu", "Romeo", "Where's Your Head At?", "Do Your Thing", and "Good Luck".
Felix Buxton attended Loughborough Grammar School before studying Engineering Design at the University of Exeter.
In 1992, Simon Ratcliffe began releasing white-label records, attracting the attention of producers including LTJ Bukem and Goldie. The success of these releases enabled him to acquire electronic music equipment and establish a studio in a friend's basement.
Buxton and Ratcliffe met in 1993 through a mutual friend in a pub in Clapham, London, and discovered a shared interest in New York house music. They released their first extended play, "EP1", through the independent label Wall of Sound. The release sold more than 1,000 copies and received radio airplay in the United States from DJ Tony Humphries.
Basement Jaxx was established in Brixton in 1994. The duo organised a regular club night under the same name at venues including The George IV, The Crypt and The Junction. DJs and performers associated with the events included DJ Sneak, Daft Punk and vocalist Corrina Joseph. The club later evolved into a new night called Rooty, which subsequently inspired the title of the duo's second studio album. Before settling on Basement Jaxx, Buxton and Ratcliffe reportedly considered the name "Underground Oasis".
An early milestone in the duo's career was supporting Daft Punk on the "Daftendirektour". Around this period, they began working with Corrina Joseph, leading to the release of the single "Fly Life" through Virgin Records in 1997. Following its success, Basement Jaxx signed with XL Recordings, which released their subsequent six studio albums.
In 1999, Basement Jaxx released their debut studio album, "Remedy". The album produced the singles "Red Alert", "Jump n' Shout", "Bingo Bango" and "Rendez-Vu", the latter reaching number four on the UK Singles Chart. During the same year, they also issued the compilation album "Jaxx Unreleased", which featured B-sides, remixes and previously unreleased material. Another collection of new material, "Camberwell", followed in 2000.
The duo's second studio album, "Rooty", was released in 2001. It included the singles "Romeo", "Jus 1 Kiss", "Where's Your Head At?" and "Do Your Thing". "Where's Your Head At?" became an international hit in 2002 and appeared on the soundtrack of the film "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider". "Do Your Thing" was featured in the film "Bend It Like Beckham", in advertising campaigns, and in the video game "SSX 3". The EPs "Span Thang" and "Junction" were released between 2001 and 2002. The Rooty club night was closed in 2001.
In 2003, Basement Jaxx released their third studio album, "Kish Kash". The album featured contributions from Siouxsie Sioux, Lisa Kekaula, Me'shell Ndegeocello, Dizzee Rascal, Totlyn Jackson, JC Chasez and Phoebe. Singles from the album included "Lucky Star", "Good Luck" and "Plug It In". "Good Luck" was reissued in 2004 after being used in the BBC's coverage of UEFA Euro 2004 and also appeared in the films "Just Married" and "Appleseed". At the 47th Grammy Awards, "Kish Kash" won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album.
The duo also produced "Shake It" for JC Chasez's album "Schizophrenic".
In 2005, Basement Jaxx released the compilation album "The Singles", which reached number one in the UK. The release was accompanied by a DVD featuring music videos from their career and included the new tracks "Oh My Gosh" and "U Don't Know Me". A special edition added a bonus disc of unreleased recordings and remixes. The duo headlined the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival in 2005 after Kylie Minogue withdrew due to illness.
Their fourth studio album, "Crazy Itch Radio", was released in September 2006. Guest performers included Martina Sorbara, Lily Allen and Robyn. During the same year, Basement Jaxx supported Robbie Williams on his "Close Encounters" tour. They also contributed the song "Rocking Chair" to Cyndi Lauper's 2008 album "Bring Ya to the Brink" and released a trilogy of EPs under the collective title "Planet".
In 2009, the duo released their fifth studio album, "Scars", preceded by the single "Raindrops". Guest contributors included Yoko Ono, Santigold, Lightspeed Champion and Yo! Majesty. The instrumental album "Zephyr" was also released in 2009. A standalone single, "Dracula", followed in 2010.
In 2011, Basement Jaxx collaborated with the Metropole Orkest on the live album "Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest". They also worked with composer Steven Price on the soundtrack to the film "Attack the Block".
The duo began developing new material during the early 2010s and performed several unreleased songs in live sets. Singles issued during this period included "Back 2 the Wild" in 2013 and "What a Difference Your Love Makes" later that year. In May 2014, they released the track "Unicorn" online.
Their seventh studio album, "Junto", was announced in May 2014 and released in August of that year through Atlantic Jaxx and PIAS. The lead single, "Never Say Never", was issued in July 2014.
After concentrating largely on DJ performances for a number of years, Basement Jaxx resumed large-scale live performances during the 2020s. They appeared at major festivals including Coachella in 2025 and undertook tours in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
In addition to their own recordings, Basement Jaxx have produced numerous remixes. Notable examples include remixes of "4 My People" by Missy Elliott, "Everyman... Everywoman..." by Yoko Ono, "Like I Love You" by Justin Timberlake and "She Wants to Move" by N.E.R.D. They also collaborated with Janet Jackson on unreleased material intended for her album "Damita Jo".
The duo were commissioned by Tate Modern to create an original musical work inspired by Karel Appel's artwork "Hip, Hip, Hoorah!". The composition was later included on the album "Zephyr". In 2007, their song "Close Your Eyes", featuring Linda Lewis, appeared in the Japanese animated film "Vexille".
Felix Buxton appeared as a guest on the television panel show "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" in 2013.
In 2019, Basement Jaxx composed the music for the animated children's television series "The Rubbish World of Dave Spud". They also collaborated with The Sydney Metropolitan Orchestra on orchestral reinterpretations of several of their songs.
In 2021, the duo remixed Kylie Minogue's single "Say Something" and composed the theme music for the CBeebies series "What's On Your Head?". They subsequently provided music for the related programmes "What's In Your Bag?" in 2023 and "What's In Your Plant Pot?" in 2026.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basement_Jaxx
Studio albums
Remedy (1999)
Rooty (2001)
Kish Kash (2003)
Crazy Itch Radio (2006)
Scars (2009)
Zephyr (2009)
Junto (2014)
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