About Basement Jaxx
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".
Felix Buxton's father The Rev Derek Major Buxton was a Leicestershire vicar, who was ordained on Sunday 18 December 1960 in Leicester Cathedral. His father was originally from Leigh, Staffordshire, the second son of James Buxton, who died in 1969. In the early 1960s, his father was the assistant Anglican chaplain of the University of Leicester, moving to Ibstock in May 1969. The Rev Buxton and wife Eileen moved from Ibstock with Heather, to St Paul's Woodhouse Eaves and St Mary's church in Woodhouse on 27 April 1987, with a ceremony conducted by the Bishop of Leicester, on Tuesday 5 May 1987. His father retired in April 1998.
Felix Buxton studied Engineering Design at the University of Exeter.
In 1992, Simon Ratcliffe began releasing white label records, gaining him the attention of several music producers including LTJ Bukem and Goldie. The success of these releases enabled him to buy a few electronic musical instruments and set up a basic studio in a friend's mother's basement.
Ratcliffe and Buxton first met in 1993 through a mutual friend in a pub in Clapham, London. The two bonded over an appreciation of New York house music. They released their first extended play called EP1 via the British independent record label Wall of Sound, with the help of its founder Mark Jones. The album went on to sell over 1,000 copies and was played on American radio by Tony Humphries in New York City.
Basement Jaxx began in Brixton, South London, in 1994, where Ratcliffe and Buxton held a regular club night called Basement Jaxx. The night was also held in a variety of venues including The George IV, The Crypt and The Junction. They were joined by DJs including DJ Sneak, Daft Punk, and singer Corrina Joseph. They mutated the night into an equally popular club called Rooty, the namesake of their second album. Initially, the duo considered "Underground Oasis" as a name for the group, but the idea was scrapped reportedly after a friend informed them of a similarly named rock band that might "get big".
Map & Directions To Venue
