Remedy (Basement Jaxx album)

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

Remedy
Studio album by
Basement Jaxx
Released10 May 1999 (1999-05-10)
Recorded1998
Genre
Length57:03 (CD)
65:51 (LP)
LabelXL
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

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.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic88/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Alternative Press5/5[8]
Entertainment WeeklyA[9]
The Guardian[10]
Melody Maker[11]
NME9/10[12]
Pitchfork3.5/10[13]
Q[14]
Rolling Stone[1]
USA Today[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

  • "Red Alert" contains a sample of "Far Beyond" written by Harvey Mason, Tyrone Brown, John Blake Jr., Leonard Gibbs, James Simmons, Richard Steacker, Millard Vinson and performed by Locksmith.
  • "Same Old Show" contains a sample of "Hip Hop vs. Rap" written by Lawrence Parker and performed by KRS-One, sample of "On My Radio" written by Neol Davies and performed by The Selecter and a sample of "Ooooh Baby" written by Kenny Lewis and performed by Veda Simpson.
  • "Bingo Bango" contains a sample of "Merenque" written by Jose Ibata and Rolando Ibata and performed by Bolivar.

Personnel
  • Felix Buxton – vocals, producer, all instruments
  • Simon Ratcliffe – producer

Charts

Certifications and sales
Certifications and sales for Remedy
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Platinum 300,000^
United States — 135,000[36]
Summaries
Worldwide 1,000,000[37]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Walters, Barry (19 August 1999). "Basement Jaxx: Remedy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 November 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  2. Pitchfork Staff (2 October 2009). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 April 2023. As interpretations of classic Chicago house went, Basement Jaxx's 1999 debut Remedy was hardly a muted and polite take on the genre.
  3. Murray, Nick (22 August 2014). "Basement Jaxx Turn Up on Energetic, Hopeful New 'Junto'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  4. McLean, Craig (25 June 2001). "All right Jaxx". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  5. Panisch, Alex (26 August 2014). "Catching Up With Basement Jaxx". Out. Here Media Inc. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  6. "Reviews for Remedy by Basement Jaxx". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  7. Bush, John. "Remedy – Basement Jaxx". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  8. "Basement Jaxx: Remedy". Alternative Press (134): 92. September 1999.
  9. Weingarten, Marc (20 August 1999). "Remedy". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  10. Osborne, Ben (14 May 1999). "Basement Jaxx: Remedy (XL)". The Guardian.
  11. "Basement Jaxx: Remedy". Melody Maker: 44. 5 August 1999.
  12. Kessler, Ted (6 May 1999). "Basement Jaxx – Remedy". NME. Archived from the original on 4 October 2000. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  13. DiCrescenzo, Brent. "Basement Jaxx: Remedy EP". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  14. "Basement Jaxx: Remedy". Q (153). June 1999.
  15. Gundersen, Edna (31 August 1999). "Basement Jaxx, Remedy". USA Today. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  16. Savlov, Marc (10 September 1999). "Basement Jaxx: Remedy". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on 27 December 2002. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  17. Aaron, Charles (September 1999). "Blue Light in the Basement". Spin. 15 (9): 63–64. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  18. Klein, Joshua (19 April 2002). "Basement Jaxx: Remedy". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  19. Christgau, Robert (2000). "Basement Jaxx: Remedy". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  20. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  21. "The 30 Greatest EDM Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  22. "BMI | Repertoire Search". repertoire.bmi.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  23. "ACE Repertory". ascap.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  24. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 25.
  25. "Ultratop.be – Basement Jaxx – Remedy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  26. "Dutchcharts.nl – Basement Jaxx – Remedy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  27. "Lescharts.com – Basement Jaxx – Remedy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  28. "Charts.nz – Basement Jaxx – Remedy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  29. "Norwegiancharts.com – Basement Jaxx – Remedy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  30. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  31. "Swedishcharts.com – Basement Jaxx – Remedy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  32. "Basement Jaxx | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  33. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
  34. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1999". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  35. "British album certifications – Basement Jaxx – Remedy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  36. Lynskey, Paoletta (19 May 2001). "Basement Jaxx Shakes Up Dancefloors". Billboard. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  37. McLean, Craig (25 June 2009). "All right Jaxx". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
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