Remedy (Basement Jaxx album)

Last updated

Remedy
Basement Jaxx - Remedy album cover.jpeg
Studio album by
Released10 May 1999 (1999-05-10)
Recorded1998
Genre
Length57:03 (CD)
65:51 (LP)
Label XL
Producer
  • Felix Buxton
  • Simon Ratcliffe
Basement Jaxx chronology
Remedy
(1999)
Rooty
(2001)
Singles from Remedy
  1. "Red Alert"
    Released: 19 April 1999
  2. "Rendez-Vu"
    Released: 2 August 1999
  3. "Jump n' Shout"
    Released: 25 October 1999
  4. "Bingo Bango"
    Released: 3 April 2000

Remedy is the debut studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released in May 1999 by record label XL.

Contents

The album was very well-received critically, and reached number 4 in the UK Albums Chart. Four singles were released from the album: "Red Alert", "Rendez-Vu", "Jump n' Shout" and "Bingo Bango".

Background

Concept

When Basement Jaxx first rose to stardom, the duo was unsatisfied with the state of dance music, describing it as "linear" and "close-minded". "Most dance music is very shiny and so robotic," Simon Ratcliffe told Rolling Stone . "There's just not much feeling. If we made a record like that, we'd be just like everybody else." [3] Consequently, the title Remedy was chosen as "an antidote" to the "poisons" they saw within dance music. "A lot of it seems quite superficial," Ratcliffe said. [4]

"For me, Remedy was always about togetherness, which is the appeal of house music. You may be black; you may be white; you may be Jew; you may be gentile. It doesn’t matter in our house," Felix Buxton said. [5]

Release

Remedy was released on 10 May 1999 in the UK and 3 August 1999 in the US, by record label XL. It reached number 4 in the UK Albums Chart.

Four singles were released from the album: "Red Alert" on 19 April, "Rendez-Vu" on 2 August, "Jump n' Shout" on 25 October and "Bingo Bango" on 3 April 2000. "Red Alert" was the first Basement Jaxx single to reach number 1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. "Rendez-Vu" also reached number 1 later in the year, and "Bingo Bango" became their third number 1 single the following year.[ citation needed ]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 88/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [7]
Alternative Press 5/5 [8]
Entertainment Weekly A [9]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Melody Maker Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
NME 9/10 [12]
Pitchfork 3.5/10 [13]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [15]

Remedy holds a rating of 88 out of 100 on review aggregator website Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim". [6] AllMusic's John Bush called the album "one of the most assured, propulsive full lengths the dance world has seen since Daft Punk's Homework ." [7] Marc Weingarten of Entertainment Weekly described Remedy as a "blissful joy ride", [9] while Ted Kessler of NME called it "probably as good a dance album as anyone from these Isles has produced this decade." [12] The Austin Chronicle 's Marc Savlov called the album "a top beat assemblage to rival any release this year". [16] Alternative Press wrote: "Somewhere on this album, Basement Jaxx have created a song that you're going to love, no matter what sort of music you listen to [...] the mere existence of Remedy shows hope for modern music's future." [8] Melody Maker wrote that the album "repeatedly, and durably, synthesises those notoriously unstable dance music elements; the dizzying dancefloor rush and the complex, long-lasting emotional hit", calling it "deft and obviously heartfelt" and "truly great." [11] Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk proclaimed the album as "better than [theirs]." [17]

The A.V. Club was less favourable, saying Remedy was "nowhere near as revolutionary as the hype would insinuate", though noting that it does "offer its distinct pleasures." [18] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice remarked: "Like so much good house, more fun than reading the newspaper and less fun than advertised." [19]

Remedy was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [20] In 2012, Rolling Stone placed Remedy at number 13 on its list of the 30 Greatest EDM Albums of All-Time. [21]

Track listing

All tracks written by Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, except where noted. [22] [23]

Remedy track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rendez-Vu" 5:45
2."Yo-Yo" 4:29
3."Jump n' Shout"
  • Buxton
  • Mark James
  • Ratcliffe
4:42
4."U Can't Stop Me" 3:40
5."Jaxxalude" 0:35
6."Red Alert"
4:17
7."Jazzalude" 0:23
8."Always Be There" 6:24
9."Sneakalude" 0:11
10."Same Old Show"
5:55
11."Bingo Bango"
  • Buxton
  • Ratcliffe
  • Jose Ibata
  • Rolando Ibata
5:58
12."Gemilude" 0:47
13."Stop 4 Love" 4:53
14."Don't Give Up" 5:15
15."Being with U" 3:49
Total length:57:03
LP version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rendez-Vu" 7:10
2."Yo-Yo" 5:04
3."Jump n' Shout"
  • Buxton
  • Mark James
  • Ratcliffe
5:21
4."U Can't Stop Me" 3:40
5."Jaxxalude" 0:35
6."Red Alert"
6:10
7."Jazzalude" 0:24
8."Always Be There" 6:23
9."Sneakalude" 0:11
10."Same Old Show"
8:46
11."Bingo Bango"
  • Buxton
  • Ratcliffe
  • Jose Ibata
  • Rolando Ibata
7:26
12."Gemilude" 0:47
13."Stop 4 Love" 4:52
14."Don't Give Up" 5:13
15."Being with U" 3:49
Total length:65:51
Japanese edition
No.TitleLength
16."Better Days"6:07

Sample credits

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Remedy
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [35] Platinum300,000^
United States135,000 [36]
Summaries
Worldwide1,000,000 [37]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basement Jaxx</span> British electronic music duo

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".

<i>Kish Kash</i> 2003 studio album by Basement Jaxx

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<i>The Singles</i> (Basement Jaxx album)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rendez-Vu</span> 1999 single by Basement Jaxx

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