| Crazy Itch Radio | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 September 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Genre | House | |||
| Length | 51:05 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Basement Jaxx chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Crazy Itch Radio | ||||
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Crazy Itch Radio is the fourth studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. The album features Linda Lewis and Swedish popstar Robyn among the guest vocalists.
The album was listed on several publications' year-end lists, including The Observer and PopMatters .
"The Crazy Itch of life is the thing that inspires and motivates you to act," explains Felix Buxton about the title of the album. [1]
The duo ended up making about 40 songs for the album. "And then towards of the process of the album, we're like 'Okay, we got to focus on some now and get them finished.'" [2]
The duo incorporated Balkan horns on the album. [3]
It was originally scheduled for an early 2006 release but the release date was put back.[ citation needed ]
"Hush Boy" and "Take Me Back to Your House" were released as singles. "Hey U" was released as a single to digital download services in 5 March 2007.
For the song "Hush Boy", the band worked with vocalist Vula Malinga to create its melody over a basic track. Vula's vocal was then kept but all the music was redone, which the band said allowed them "a tremendous amount of freedom to explore different sounds". [4]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 73/100 [5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| The A.V. Club | B+ [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ [8] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10 [9] |
| Mojo | [10] |
| The Phoenix |  [11] |
| PopMatters | 7/10 [12] |
| Slant Magazine | [13] |
| Q | [14] |
| Uncut | [15] |
The album was given a score of 73 out of 100 by Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews", although less so than Basement Jaxx's previous records. [5] AllMusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars, writing "at this point, it's impossible to imagine them topping themselves; an album that is merely deeply engaging and wildly entertaining cannot be considered a flop in any way." [6] In his Consumer Guide, Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honorable mention ( 
), stating, "Interchangeable ladies detail interchangeable ups and downs over beats whose changeabilty supposedly renders them indelible," and picked out two songs from the album, "Take Me Back to Your House" and "Run 4 Cover". [16]
Pitchfork, while still giving the album a positive review, wrote, "Crazy Itch Radio isn't a bad album by any means; it just doesn't scream "best album of the year" from the moment you put it on." [9] NME , on the other hand, was more critical, writing "It's easy enough to ignore until a real stinker passes by." [17]
Resident Advisor More successful was Basement Jaxx's 'Crazy Itch Radio'. Unlike 'Kish Kash' from 2003, a rather ho-hum effort handicapped by letting N’Sync's JC Chasez near the mic, this year's 'Crazy Itch Radio' was easily the duo's best, mostly due to an inspired roster of vocalists: R&B songstress Vula Malinga, Swedish superstar Robyn, and second lady of grime Lady Marga. The production was also as diverse as ever, expertly layering influences plucked from all over the world. In 2006 the Jaxx are superstar DJs, touring with Robbie Williams for Christ's sake, but they've certainly earned their stripes. Ten years on, they're sharp as tacks. Freestylers and Greatest Hits merchants take note: if you don't keep reinventing your sound, your window of relevance gets slimmer and slimmer with every passing year. – Dave Rinehart
PopMatters 's Tim O'Neil rated the album as his tenth Best Electronic Music of 2006 for the website, stating that It's not their best album, not compared to 1999's epochal Remedy or 2001's assured Rooty. But it is an improvement on 2003's overrated Kish Kash, which garnered so much initial attention but hasn't aged nearly as well as its predecessors. Thankfully, Crazy Itch Radio is nowhere near as hyperkinetic and jam-packed as Kish Kash. It still feels stuffed to the gills in places, but it seems as if the duo have at least acknowledged that an album like Kish Kash was so dense as to be almost unlistenable in places. There are still a few moments of confusion and chaos—why the hell did they bury the lead on "Hush Boy" but have a grimey Muppet scream the chorus?—but when the Jaxx are on, as on a track like "Take Me Back to Your House", they work better than almost any other dance act in the world today..
In 2006, Basement Jaxx were the support acts for the European leg of Robbie Williams's Close Encounters Tour, which started on 9 June and ended on 19 September. [18] The duo at first refused to be a part of the tour because most of Ratcliffe's friends who "are into good music don't think Robbie's very good at all". They later changed their minds after learning Williams was playing at Wembley Stadium, which Ratcliffe called "such a historical venue", and because their friends encouraged them. [19]
All tracks are written by Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Wil Malone | 0:37 |
| 2. | "Hush Boy" |
| 3:59 |
| 3. | "Zoomalude" |
| 0:50 |
| 4. | "Take Me Back to Your House" |
| 5:08 |
| 5. | "Hey U" |
| 4:54 |
| 6. | "On the Train" |
| 4:14 |
| 7. | "Run 4 Cover" |
| 4:14 |
| 8. | "Skillalude" | 0:35 | |
| 9. | "Smoke Bubbles" | 4:20 | |
| 10. | "Lights Go Down" |
| 5:13 |
| 11. | "Intro (Reprise)" | 0:36 | |
| 12. | "Everybody" |
| 5:53 |
| 13. | "Keep Keep On" | 2:24 | |
| 14. | "U R on My Mind" (includes hidden track "As the Night Moves On") | Buxton | 8:09 |
| Total length: | 51:05 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "U R on My Mind" | Buxton | 3:45 |
| 15. | "Trouble" | 3:19 | |
| 16. | "Hush Salsa" ("Hush Boy" remix; includes hidden track "As the Night Moves On") |
| 8:47 |
| Total length: | 58:47 | ||
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
Basement Jaxx
Additional musicians
Technical personnel
| Additional vocalists
|
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [20] | 70 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [21] | 21 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [22] | 63 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [23] | 59 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) [24] | 29 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [25] | 40 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [26] | 16 |
| UK Dance Albums (OCC) [27] | 1 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [28] | 1 |
| US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [29] | 4 |
Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. The pair got their name from the regular club night they held in Brixton, London, UK. They first rose to popularity in the underground house scene of the mid-1990s, but would go on to find international chart success and win Best Dance Act at both the 2002 and 2004 BRIT Awards. Their most successful singles are "Red Alert", "Rendez-Vu", "Romeo" and "Where's Your Head At".
Kish Kash is the third studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released on 20 October 2003 by XL Recordings and Astralwerks. After a lengthy tour which caused them exhaustion and homesickness, they settled in their new studio and wanted to develop a fresh new approach, less reliant on grooves and samples and more focused on songwriting.
The Singles is the first greatest hits album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released on 21 March 2005 via XL. The album contains two new songs, "Oh My Gosh" and "U Don't Know Me", which were both released as singles. "Do Your Thing" was previously included on the 2001 Rooty album, but with the release of this compilation album, the single was re-released in the UK after the two aforementioned singles.
Remedy is the debut studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released in May 1999 by record label XL.
Rooty is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released on 25 June 2001 by the record labels XL and Astralwerks in the UK and US respectively.
"Oh My Gosh" is a song by British electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. It was released on 14 March 2005 as the lead single from the band's greatest hits album, The Singles. Vula Malinga and rapper Skillah are two vocals contributor in the song.
"Fly Life" is a song by English electronic dance music duo Basement Jaxx from their fourth extended play, EP3, released in 1996. The track was largely based on the 1996 single "Live Your Life with Me", which they produced for vocalist Corrina Joseph, their collaborator since 1995 in order to make "proper songs".
"Lucky Star" is a song by British electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. It was released as a single from their third studio album, Kish Kash. The song features grime artist Dizzee Rascal and Mona Singh, the daughter of Channi Singh. It was released under XL Recordings, the same label Dizzee Rascal himself was on at the time of release. It was released as a 12" single, and reached number 23 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Good Luck" is a song by British electronic music duo Basement Jaxx featuring vocals from Lisa Kekaula of American band the Bellrays. It was released on 5 January 2004 as the second single from their third studio album, Kish Kash, and reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, number two on the US Hot Dance Club Play, and number 22 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. The song was nominated in the Best Dance Recording category at the 47th Grammy Awards.
English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx have released seven studio albums, two compilation albums, 17 extended plays, thirty-four singles, one soundtrack album, and a number of other appearances.
Scars is the fifth studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. It was released in September 2009 by record labels XL, Ultra and Interscope. Three singles were released from the album: "Raindrops", "Feelings Gone" and "My Turn".
"Bingo Bango" is a song written and recorded by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx for their debut album, Remedy (1999). The track, which contains a sample of Bolivar's "Merengue" and as a result, Jose Ibata and Rolando Ibata are credited as songwriters, combined dance music with various elements of Latin music. It was released by XL Recordings as the album's fourth single on 27 March 2000, and later became the duo's third No. 1 song on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. The song also peaked at No. 6 in Iceland and No. 13 in the United Kingdom.
Zephyr is the sixth studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released on 7 December 2009 through XL Recordings internationally. A departure from their prior work, it was described as chill-out music. Zephyr was originally intended to be a double album with Scars, released in September 2009, but each was ultimately issued separately. The album missed most major music charts, but did appear at number 12 on the UK Dance Albums Chart.
"Plug It In" is a song by British electronic music duo Basement Jaxx featuring American singer JC Chasez, formerly of NSYNC. It was released on 29 March 2004 as the third single from their album third studio album, Kish Kash (2003), and debuted at its peak of number 22 in the United Kingdom the following month. The song also charted in Australia and Ireland, reaching numbers 43 and 45 respectively. There are various versions of the song, including a radio edit which was featured on the duo's first greatest-hits album, The Singles (2005).
Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest is a collaborative album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx and Dutch orchestra Metropole Orkest. The album features of older Basement Jaxx tracks rearranged for an orchestra with participated vocals from Vula Malinga, Sharlene Hector, Brendan Reilly, Oli Savill and Lisa Kekaula.
Junto is the seventh and most recent studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released in August 2014 by record labels Atlantic Jaxx and PIAS. It is the duo's first full-length album since Zephyr in 2009, and was announced on 19 May 2014. The title is taken from the song "Power to the People". The album sees a departure from the dark tone of their previous album Zephyr.
"Hush Boy" is a song by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. It was released in August 2006 by record label XL as the first single from their fourth studio album, Crazy Itch Radio (2006). It reached number 27 on the UK Singles Chart and number 39 in Australia.
"Take Me Back to Your House" is a song by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx featuring Martina Sorbara. It was released as the second single from their fourth studio album, Crazy Itch Radio (2006), by XL Recordings. The track reached number 42 on the UK Singles Chart following its release in October 2006.
"U Don't Know Me" is a song written and produced by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. The Bellrays' lead singer Lisa Kekaula, who has previously appeared on Basement Jaxx's 2004 single "Good Luck", also co-wrote and contributed the song's main vocal. "U Don't Know Me" was described as a rock song with "kiss-off" lyrics that were similar to "Good Luck". On 13 June 2005 XL released the track as the second single from their greatest hits album The Singles. Later editions of the compilation replaced the album version with the "JaxxHouz Radio edit" which was also featured in the song's video.
"Hey U" is a song by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. An extended play featuring remixes of the song was released in March 2007 under XL Recordings, as the third promotional release from their fourth studio album Crazy Itch Radio. It did not chart. The song features vocals from the Swedish pop singer Robyn.
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