art of noise, "axel f" and herbie hancock's "rockit"
― the late great, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 19:33 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, the same with me, except that I was working class. Growing up in the early 90s, with MTV Europe playing club music all the time, and with Eurodance and house and trance and rave tunes being on the charts, there never was a time that I wasn't into dance music. I had an "indie" elitism phase in my late teens, but that was about which type of dance music was the best (i.e. underground techno and drum'n'bass, not the chart stuff).
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 19:33 (twelve years ago) link
(x-post to Nick)
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 19:34 (twelve years ago) link
yeah i got seriously bullied out of publicly liking electronic music when i moved to a wealthy all-white neighborhood
― the late great, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 19:35 (twelve years ago) link
During my teens I moved to a place where the default music was country & western so listening to any kind of European / British music, guitar based or electronic was considered "faggot music" so YMMV.
― White Chocolate Cheesecake, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 19:52 (twelve years ago) link
it actually should have been "Prince or Men Without Hats"
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Tuesday, April 3, 2012 7:31 PM (48 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
right on
― Milton Parker, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:21 (twelve years ago) link
ABSOLUTELY BASEMENT JAXX
― Blomqvist, Jesper (admrl), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:23 (twelve years ago) link
Even if we don't include their pre-Remedy parties and DJ sets, which are among the best things EVER
― Blomqvist, Jesper (admrl), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:24 (twelve years ago) link
Basement Jaxx were amazing but then they released Scars
also they are not Orbital
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:26 (twelve years ago) link
basement jaxx easily the most overrated electronic duo of all time, even "remedy" was 50% horrible
― the late great, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:30 (twelve years ago) link
i'll admit that i too got sucked up by the poptimist madness of the fin-de-siecle but when you consider the difference between something like "jump n shout" or "samba magic" to "romeo" and "do your thing" it's quite sad
― the late great, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:32 (twelve years ago) link
wtf no it's not, all four of those songs are awesome
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:33 (twelve years ago) link
I actually think all of the above duos are great. well, except for Crystal Method, but none have given me more pleasure or represented the LDN better than Basement Jaxx, so them.
― Blomqvist, Jesper (admrl), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:36 (twelve years ago) link
"do your thing" is about as awesome as "cotton eyed joe"
― the late great, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:37 (twelve years ago) link
both in terms of sound and concept
I don't think you are defending your point as well as you believe you are
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:38 (twelve years ago) link
Cotton Eye Joe is pretty crunk, imo
― Blomqvist, Jesper (admrl), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:38 (twelve years ago) link
like basically you are being the dance music version of me on R&B threads going "this is terrible, it sounds like Ginuwine"
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:39 (twelve years ago) link
Late Great otm, who could ever want to listen to more than a tiny few Basement Jaxx tracks again? They've aged terribly. They have some genuinely embarrassing stuff too, lots of it.
― I'm going to allow this! (LocalGarda), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:40 (twelve years ago) link
voted for autechre, though I actually like their 00s stuff a lot more than their 90s stuff
― silverfish, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:40 (twelve years ago) link
What's that even worse one, after do your thing, had a novelty video?
i would rather listen to ginuwine than any post-rooty basement jaxx
― the late great, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:44 (twelve years ago) link
i say this as someone who used to have the "lucky star" single
who could ever want to listen to more than a tiny few Basement Jaxx tracks again?
indeed, WHO? Clearly nobody here. Hmmm
― Blomqvist, Jesper (admrl), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:44 (twelve years ago) link
I listen to them all the time FWIW
― Blomqvist, Jesper (admrl), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:45 (twelve years ago) link
air
― Lamp, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:46 (twelve years ago) link
Who could ever deliberately misunderstand a rhetorical question?
― I'm going to allow this! (LocalGarda), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:47 (twelve years ago) link
Very UK centric list, this.
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:49 (twelve years ago) link
Who would waste time and space asking one?
― Blomqvist, Jesper (admrl), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:50 (twelve years ago) link
Are rhetorical questions?
― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:54 (twelve years ago) link
No
― Blomqvist, Jesper (admrl), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 20:55 (twelve years ago) link
Opinions a waste of time, why even post on a messageboard?
― I'm going to allow this! (LocalGarda), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 21:19 (twelve years ago) link
I think the "would you listen to much of it now / has it aged well" rubric is usually problematic but particularly so with electronic music where it seems to reward only stylistic bet-hedging.
Truly Basement Jaxx ended in embarassing territory but so did a lot of such acts and nothing they have ever done is a patch on the awfulness of "The Salmon Dance" - and yet I still think the Chemical Bros were (are) a fantastic act. See also Orbital and that hideous David Grey song.
With seveaal of these acts I think a lot of what made them great at some times is intimately bound up with what made them embarassing at others - not knowing where to draw the line makes you vulnerable to hideous errors of judgement but it also allows you to see possibilites others can't.
In terms of public perception Basement Jaxx now feel overdetermined by the guest star eclecticism of their third to fifth albums (though this is not to take away from the fact that Kish Kash is excellent) - it's very easy to forget that first and foremost they had a vision of house that was pretty singular.
Best exemplified by their 1997 and 1999 Essential Mixes I think.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 22:44 (twelve years ago) link
In terms of public perception Basement Jaxx now feel overdetermined by the guest star eclecticism of their third to fifth albums
On a related note, I can't shake the feel that (bizarrely to me) a lot of people ignore the first two Chemical Bros albums and instead conceive of them as "Setting Sun" + "Block Rocking Beats" + Surrender.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 22:45 (twelve years ago) link
I mostly agree with you, Tim, but I do honestly think the vast majority of Scars is worse than "The Salmon Dance"
also I can't really fathom that view of the Chems, but that's mostly because I hated Surrender and took them off of the trusted list after that album, even though I pretty much love Come With Us and We Own The Night
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 22:47 (twelve years ago) link
Truly Basement Jaxx ended in embarassing territory but so did a lot of such acts and nothing they have ever done is a patch on the awfulness of "The Salmon Dance" - and yet I still think the Chemical Bros were (are) a fantastic act. See also Orbital and that hideous David Grey song
well for the Jaxx that's really their whole aesthetic. the tracks you mentioned were one-offs, and c'mon, neither is really that bad
― Estimate the percent chance that a whale has ever been to the moon? (frogbs), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 23:01 (twelve years ago) link
well for the Jaxx that's really their whole aesthetic.
What, bad music?
Anyway what about "The Test" and (the original of) "The Golden Path"? Or most of The Altogether?
― Tim F, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 23:04 (twelve years ago) link
I don't really know what "their whole aesthetic" refers to, but presumably it doesn't include:
- "Be Free" / "Samba Magic" - gorgeous textured latin-influenced deep house
- "Flylife" / "Set Yo Body Free" - slamming jack house
- "Lonely" / "Wish Tonight" - stunning percussive vocal garage
- "Razocaine" / "All U Crazies" / "Same Old Show" - mindbending ruminative yet thuggish drug-house
- "Missing You" / "Jump N Shout" - rigorous dancehall/house fusion
- "Bingo Bango" / "I Beg U" - epic latin house
My point is not that they covered lots of bases, but that none of the above sit easily with this popular notion of them as mix'n'match guest-star poptimists, which doesn't really start until Rooty and (properly) Kish Kash.
As with the early Chemical Bros, people seem determined to wipe out any legacy of Basement Jaxx as consummate track-centric producers crafting dancefloor bangers.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 23:35 (twelve years ago) link
For pushing a consistent aesthetic throughout their discography:
AirAutechreBoards of Canada
For keeping the mainstream and my younger years interesting:
Basement JaxxThe Chemical BrothersDaft Punk
For their production values:
MatmosRöyksopp
― Moka, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 00:01 (twelve years ago) link
well I like "The Test" quite a bit and most of The Altogether isn't pop. not saying they haven't made some bad music. I would just categorize them differently.
― Estimate the percent chance that a whale has ever been to the moon? (frogbs), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 00:43 (twelve years ago) link
aye well i'm a very uk centric person - or was in the 90s. electronic music wise.
― i remember when there was time for klax (ledge), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 08:13 (twelve years ago) link
B12 were about 1,000,000,000,000 times better than Autechre
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 14:56 (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yeah, no. listening to time tourist (1996) and it's still very much warp circa 92/artificial intelligence: chillout room melodies, four on the floor beats with some added skitteriness. autechre got a little bit more "out there" than that.
― i remember when there was time for klax (ledge), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 08:37 (twelve years ago) link
Basement Jaxx are at that 10-year point where they just seem hideously unfashionable and dated and incongruous up against the backdrop of current music. There was a moment a few years ago when funky was straying into Basement Jaxx territory but it's largely swayed away since. But a lot of the acts in this poll were in that position a decade or so ago and sound relevant again now as sounds and approaches reoccur in different contexts.
But Basement Jaxx are a different era to most of the rest of this poll, they're a late 90s act who pushed on into the next decade rather than a late 80s/early 90s act who started winding down around 2000.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 09:38 (twelve years ago) link
They also lack Daft Punk's feted deity status. Surprised there's still so much gloss around DP seeing as they haven't made a good record for 11 years and every variety of lowest common denominator hack has wrung just about everything out of their sound.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 09:41 (twelve years ago) link
Matt DC OTM.
― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 09:48 (twelve years ago) link
Lots of canonical electronic acts haven't put out a decent record in 10 years.
Lots of canonical electronic acts have had their sound utterly pillaged by hacks.
I don't see how that automatically revokes their canonical status, when they were so U&K at a certain time and place.
― Popcorn Supergay Receiver (Masonic Boom), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 09:54 (twelve years ago) link
i know!
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 09:55 (twelve years ago) link
i am kind of conservative sometimes in my tastes and i guess that's an example.
Masonic Boom - yes, that's true, BUT most of those have had time for elements of their sound to come back into fashion. I suppose the case with DP is that they've never really gone OUT of fashion, which Basement Jaxx decidedly have. They clearly have a sort of aura that most of these acts lack. I'm not trying to revoke the canonical status of those first two records, they're amazing.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 09:59 (twelve years ago) link
I think a lot of DP's pull is down to the paucity of material they released.
― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 10:37 (twelve years ago) link