Daily Gamecock

Issue date: 9/19/06 Section: The Mix

The new album from London band resembles a radio broadcast and delivers instrumentation and 'roller-skate club.'

"Crazy Itch Radio"
Basement Jaxx
4 out of 5 stars

There's something to be said for the U.K.'s ability to produce astounding electronica artists. From greater Manchester's funk-breakers The Chemical Brothers to London's Coldcut to Cambridge's Groove Armada and Surrey's Fatboy Slim- Britain's penchant for producing acts perfect for partying has best been parlayed into its thriving club scene and all the while has made waves in the U.S. that could very well register on the Richter Scale. Brixton, South London's Basement Jaxx, comprised of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, are much like their U.K. compatriots at outputting albums that merge "dance floor ready" and "critically acclaimed" as one and the same, but it's the duo's proclivity at merging various instrumentation and left-field takes on House standards that set them apart from many of these otherwise similar artists.

Crazy Itch Radio, out Sept. 4, 2006, relies much on such instrumentation for a similar effect, but this record is a bit more engraved in a foundation of early disco and funk, demonstrated on roller-skate club hits like "Hush Boy" featuring Vula Maligna as a

soulful chanteuse riding an electro train through Funkytown. The album itself plays out as though the listener would be tuning into a radio station hosted by Basement Jaxx themselves, with apocalyptic sounding intros, slick segues and random DJ voicing spread throughout. Much as with the accompaniment of Maligna, the album becomes more cogent when it features other collaborators.

But regardless of who joins the DJ duo in studio, any preconceived notions that the two are simply a "House" group are missing the mark. Even 2002's "Where's Your Head At?," probably the most recognized song for the duo, was more electro-tinged with its sample of Gary Numan's "M.E." as opposed to generic House music, which shows that Brixton's own cannot be so easily pigeonholed within the context of one genre.

The latest record also finds instances of Latin percussion and brass usage, also delving into a more rhythmic Balearic beat on "Hey U" sung by Swedish pop songstress and dance-floor alum Robyn, who charted in the U.S. with dance compilation staples like "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love." "On The Train" samples Ray Charles' "Hit The Road, Jack" while Tommy Blaize's soulful vocal chords are carried

along for the ride.

"Run 4 Cover," easily the most frenetic, and yet an infectious tune on the album is led by East London grime MC Lady Marga, who, like Lady Sovereign and M.I.A, spits rhyme that is both indistinguishable and catchy and is layered upon what might sound like the theme song to "Diddy Kong Racing," courtesy of Buxton and Ratcliffe themselves.

Other album highlights include the shoulder-shrugger "Smoke Bubbles" featuring Milly Oldfield, and the synth-laden "Take Me Back to Your House," with Martina Bang, banjo-plucking, and acoustic sample looping.

Crazy Itch Radio, in most senses, begins just as maniacal as the name suggests, but loses a bit of its tempo toward the end. In any event, the boys from Brixton have brought a beat-heavy bevy of bangers, all with a little help from their friends and a secure

position in U.K. club immortality.

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