#344: Basement Jaxx - Remedy (1999)

Zack: Basement Jaxx are essentially British Daft Punk, which makes Remedy the British Homework. With that in mind, I think Remedy was clearly the superior of the two. Both are (mostly) highly danceable and fluctuate significantly in the sorts of musical styles that songs place their roots in. But whereas Remedy has weird digressions every few tracks, these interludes are always less than a minute, as opposed to the 7-and-a-half minute horror that is Rollin’ and Scratchin’. The other thing I really appreciate about Remedy was the same reason I included the word “mostly” before danceable above. Whereas a great deal of this album was clearly designed to be played loudly at a club where the ecstasy runs freely as well as the water, there are still a number of less bouncy, more moody and atmospheric tracks that really balance out the vibe. There’s a certain complexity that really comes across in Remedy, which was more than enough to make it one of the electronic albums that I would be willing to recommend.

Favorite Tracks: Stop 4 Love; Red Alert; Being With U

Emily: When Zack and I went to the Firefly Music Festival last year, there were a whole bunch of electronic artists (that we largely skipped) and a "silent disco" in the woods (that we also skipped) where you put on headphones that presumably played EDM music and danced in the woods while everyone around you was listening to the same music on their individual headphones and dancing along. A friend of mine tried it the year before and she said it was a super weird experience - there were two different music streams you could listen to, so the crowd was divided into 2 groups dancing to totally different things. Kinda makes me wish I had tried it, but I don't think I could take bass drops so close to my ears. Now, if this was happening in 1999 and Basement Jaxx was on the silent disco headphones, I think I would've been willing to give it a shot. Unlike today's rise-and-fall, crazy loud bass EDM, Basement Jaxx's late-'90s house stylings are a much smoother auditory ride. Though I'm still not big on songs that are just random sounds (I'm looking at you, Daft Punk), most of Remedy is a cool blend of upbeat and melodic electronic music that's well suited for a club, chilling, or even a silent disco with 300 of your closest headphone-clad friends.

Favorite Tracks: Jump 'N Shout; Red Alert; Always Be There