Now, just about the time your stomach bile has stopped churning from the great, big, fat, greasy helping of Basement Jaxx you consumed a couple of years ago, they've released another one. This time, however, they've released their best album to date...by far.
Funky, fresh, and invigorating, Kish Kash flails around like any good dance album should. The clever Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe have crafted an album that, once again, has solidified their stranglehold on the dance party formula...a formula they should know well since they nearly invented the thing a decade ago. This time, however, they've got a few surprises in store, with some collaborations that seem to have refreshed the pair into making some of their most complex orchestrations ever. Most notably, the appearance of Dizzee Rascal on the flagship track, Lucky Star. It is another notch in Rascal's belt in a year that has, musically, turned him into Midas. Dizzee's rapid funkfire rhymes over the most daunting array of samples, scratches, blips, and bleeps makes Lucky Star zip along with an energy that brings your faith in the dance album back again. Even the middle eastern flavor brought in to the track (a somewhat overused technique as of late) doesn't feel tacked on...but necessary.
Other guests include Siouxsie Sioux and Me'Shell NdegeOcello, but it's Buxton and Ratcliffe that are the noticeable force behind this album. The opener, Good Luck, is certainly familiar Jaxx turf. Opening, as always, with a quiet, ominous sound...and then bursting into a jumper of a song, it seems like the formula would start tasting funny. It doesn't. I was suckling right on that tit the whole time and loving every minute of it.
Trust me, loving this album surprised the hell outta me. After Rooty wore out its welcome, I wasn't ready to open myself up to Kish Kash. And, while there may be a Where's Your Head At? or two on this album as well, you damn well better get down with it before those fuckers down at Ruffles or Microsoft sniff it out. - Eric Morris
