Having dominated the UK dance scene since they got their start in the late 90’s, it’s hardly surprising that Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliff aka Basement Jaxx, are still destroying dance floors of major venues and underground clubs a like. Their tracks are timeless, their beats infectious, and their energy level is as outrageous as it was the day they began putting on their own nights in South London.
Under their belt the duo have racked up Best New Act in 1999, Two Brit Awards for best Dance Act, a Grammy award for their album ‘Kish Kash’ and countless nominations in the past 10 years. It’s therefore not surprising that their music and legacy is deeply woven into the fabric of UK dance music and will be for some time to come blah blah blah yes that’s all very well and good, but what it ISNT, is surprising and, to be frank, it’s all just a bit dull.
So, time to lock the those pretentious accolades, awards and nominations away and find out who the men behind the decks really are in a little game called 10 things you never knew about Basement Jaxx. Beginning with a warm-up round here are some basic facts that have been mentioned time and time again by the pair in interviews, press releases and news features.
- Basement Jaxx was originally the name of a party that took place in the basement of a Mexican restaurant in Brixton. The night was put on by Felix Buxton, when Simon Ratcliff joined in on the decks that’s when they became the DJ and producer super group we know today as Basement Jaxx.
- Basement Jaxx co-wrote the score for the 2011 film ‘Attack The Blocks’, the soundtrack was released in May of last year.
- Their 4th Studio Album released in September of 2006 features vocals by famed Swedish pop-star Robyn as well as 70’s British singer Linda Lewis and also Lilly Allen.
- Despite the widely accepted fact that Basement Jaxx came out of London’s Brixton underground, the duo actually come from Camberwall, a district nearly 4 miles further east.
Interesting? Perhaps. Lets see how you fare in this next round….
5. Felix Buxton once mentioned that the ugliest landmark in London was the Elephant & Castle shopping center; Big Ben was the most beautiful.
6. Basement Jaxx can be credited with popularizing the now widely used sound technology ‘Auto-tune’, used today by rap stars and singers like T-Pain and Cher.
7. Member Simon Ratcliff was an ice cream man for 6 months when he was 19. He recalls spending a good amount of time “smoking weed and getting fat on ice cream” before getting ousted by other ice cream vendors who grabbed the now Grammy-award winning producer by the scruff shouting ‘get the fuck off my territory, this isn’t your place!’
And if you already knew all of that then I guarantee you didn’t know this
8. Felix Buxton’s father, Derek Buxton, is the vicar of a small town just outside Leicestershire. His advice to his son was ‘don’t reach for the stars, just do something honest and real.’ He has since changed his attitude.
9. Simon Ratcliff once approached sex pistols bassist Glen Matlock, asking him if he was Paul Cook, the Sex Pistols drummer. The penetrating scowl he received from Matlock, said it all.
10. Simon Ratcliff first came to London as a squatter. Some mates of his were squatting in a disused Magistrates Court just opposite a police station when Ratcliff moved in with them. What was once where his bedroom was is now a boots in today’s Centre Court shopping complex.
Get to know your Jaxx facts people, you can catch them live Saturday March 19th at Ministry of Sound.
