Blink-182 got in touch with their inner philanthropists on Wednesday when two of the three members helped paint a Habitat for Humanity house in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. According to The Associated Press, drummer Travis Barker had to watch from the sidelines since recent foot surgery put him on crutches. The band was in town to play a show at nearby Hershey, Pennsylvania's Star Pavilion that night. ...

Ozzy is wondering if you have what it takes to share his stage. The Prince of F---ing Darkness and his wife are looking for eight unsigned bands to compete for the chance to perform on the main stage of Ozzfest, alongside headliners Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Slayer. Winners also receive a second-stage slot on Ozzfest 2005, music equipment and cash. More info is available on www.ozzfest.com. ... The Pixies have added another crop of dates to their reunion trek, filling in some blanks on a tour that runs through December 6 in Washington, D.C. New markets on the band's itinerary include Camden, New Jersey; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Birmingham, Alabama; Las Vegas; Kansas City, Missouri; and Nashville. ... Famed DJ Scratch is working on a documentary on the origins of his career in turntablism. "The DJ: The DJ Scratch Story" features interviews with Jay-Z, Redman, Busta Rhymes and others. The DVD is expected to drop this fall. ... Basement Jaxx have been added to Lollapalooza's main stage for four West Coast shows: July 15 in Seattle, July 18 in San Francisco, July 21 in Ventura, California, and July 23 in San Diego. The electronic duo's latest album, Kish Kash, was released in October. ...

Chaka Zulu, music entrepreneur and co-CEO of Ebony Son Entertainment/ Disturbing Tha Peace Entertainment, will be promoting fatherhood a little before Father's Day. Ludacris' longtime business partner and friend, Zulu will be the keynote speaker at the National Fatherhood Initiative's Seventh Annual National Summit on Fatherhood. The summit takes place on June 8 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta. ... U.K. hip-hop sensation the Streets will embark on a Stateside tour to support his second album, A Grand Don't Come for Free. Five dates of the three-week trek, which begins June 11 in Mountain View, California, are with fellow Brit b-boy Dizzee Rascal. ...

Former Queens of the Stone Age bassist and singer Nick Oliveri will release a solo acoustic record later this summer. Oliveri also continues to work with his band Mondo Generator on a new album, which is being produced by former Queens drummer Gene Trautmann. ... Megadeth's still-untitled new album will come out September 14. In addition, seven records from Megadeth's back catalog will be released July 27. Each disc will feature up to four bonus tracks. ...

Lars Frederiksen won't be seeing much of his humble abode this summer. The Rancid guitarist and his band the Bastards will set out on the Punks Vs. Psychos Tour (June 1-13) with the Horrorpops, Nekromantix and Disasters before beginning a headlining tour (June 14 to July 6) that will bleed into their monthlong stint on the Vans Warped Tour, which begins July 20 in Milwaukee. The Bastards' second album, Viking, is set to drop July 29. ... Thrice and indie label Sub City Records were honored last week at the first Sub City/ Thrice Scholarship awards ceremony at the A Place Called Home youth center in South Central Los Angeles. The band and label raised over $57,000 for the center by donating a portion of each sale of Thrice's 2002 album, The Illusion of Safety. A portion of sales from the group's 2003 Island Records album, The Artist in the Ambulance, has also gone to charities. ...

The Allman Brothers Band will release the first anthology to span their 35-year career on June 8. The two-CD Stand Back: The Anthology will feature 32 digitally remastered recordings, at least one from each of their 13 studio albums and Live at Fillmore East. ... Rush will release an eight-song covers EP on June 29 to celebrate their 30-year anniversary. The disc features versions of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" and "Mr. Soul," the Yardbirds' "Heart Full of Soul" and "Shapes of Things," the Who's "The Seeker," Alice Cooper's cover of Love's "Seven and Seven Is," Blue Cheer's rendition of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" and Cream's take on Robert Johnson's "Crossroads." Rush launched their 30th anniversary tour on Wednesday in Nashville. Dates run through August 22 in their hometown of Toronto. ...

5.26.2004

Bad Boy will release a remastered, 10-year anniversary edition of Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album, Ready to Die, on July 13. The CD will feature two previously commercially unavailable songs, "Ready" and "Who Shot Ya?," and will come with an accompanying DVD featuring Biggie's videos and a live performance in Atlanta. ...

Three years after founding the nonprofit Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, Russell Simmons is reaching out to the Latino community with the Latino Hip-Hop Summit, taking place July 13 at Lehman College in the Bronx, New York. Fat Joe, Angie Martinez, Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and Rosie Perez, among others, were on hand when Simmons announced the event at a press conference in New York Monday. ... As Madonna resumes her tour, plans for her TV concert special are moving forward as well. The CBS two-hour special looks like it will be filmed in Lisbon, Portugal, and though there's no air date yet, a fall date "seems probable," according to the singer's spokesperson. ...

New York radio station Hot 97 has announced that its June 12 Summer Jam concert at Giants Stadium will now feature a fashion show, freestyle battle area and a second stage. Lil' Wayne, Erick Sermon, Dead Prez, Pitbull, Philly's Most Wanted, Posta Boy, Lyfe, James Lee and Roc-A-Fella's own Rell, Allen Anthony, Nicole Rae and Denim will kick things off early in the afternoon on the small stage before Lil Jon, Alicia Keys, Outkast's Big Boi, the entire G-Unit and others hit the big stage. ... Kid Rock, Cypress Hill, Nickelback, Ludacris, Our Lady Peace and Lil Jon and Tha Eastside Boyz are on board for the second annual Coors Light Mountain Jam on August 14 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, outside Denver. Last year's event boasted performances by 50 Cent, Korn, P.O.D., the Roots and Evanescence. ...

Former Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland plans to hit the studio to record a bunch of songs with Danny Lohner and Telefon Tel Aviv's Josh Eustis. Mellowdrone singer/guitarist Jonathan Bates is expected to join the trio later in the month. ... The Red Hot Chili Peppers are bringing a little something extra on their tour of the U.K. — the Godfather of Soul. James Brown will bring his time-tested funk on the journey, opening up five dates starting June 18 in Manchester and ending June 25 in Hyde Park. ...

The search begins for America's next make-believe guitar hero next month at the second annual U.S. Air Guitar Championships, to be held in Chicago (June 3), Denver (June 10), Minneapolis (June 10), New York (June 12) and Los Angeles (June 17). The five regional winners will compete June 17 in L.A. for the American crown, and one lucky winner will receive a trip to Oulu, Finland, for the Air Guitar World Championships. ... Jai Rodriguez, the culture guy on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," is returning to Broadway, but just for a two-week fling. Rodriguez will star as Angel in "Rent" starting July 5 and running through July 17. ... The Bad Boys didn't have too far to travel Tuesday night when they hit New York's Babalu for a LifeBeat charity concert. Loon, Mario Winans, Carl Thomas and 8Ball and MJG, who all performed, just had to walk a few steps from P. Diddy's Daddy's House studio to the club. ...

As Michael Jackson's Friday hearing date draws closer, attorneys on all sides are filing a flurry of motions about which court documents should be kept under seal. Both the defense and the prosecution wish to keep the grand-jury transcripts and the indictment secret, while lawyers for the media argue that those documents should be made public. Jackson's team tried to keep his motions for reduction of bail and to compel more discovery under seal, and while Judge Rodney Melville granted their requests, the motions were made public in an edited form. ... P. Diddy, Godsmack's Sully Erna, Staind's Aaron Lewis, Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels, Clint Black, Macy Gray and Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik will be among the celebrity judges for this year's International Songwriting Competition. Submissions will be accepted until October 15, and the grand-prize winner will receive $10,000 in cash and $30,000 in merchandise and services. An additional $60,000 will be distributed between 49 other winners in various categories. More information can be found at www.songwritingcompetition.com/entry2004.htm. ...

• blink-182
• Ozzy Osbourne
• The Pixies
• Jay-Z
• Basement Jaxx

JC Chasez
Photo: MTV News

GLENDALE, California — While Justin Timberlake has become the hot collaboration in hip-hop, JC Chasez is claiming the title in electronic music.

Just weeks after lending his voice to BT's new release (see "BT Secretive About 'NSYNC Payback On Upcoming Album"), the 'NSYNC star has recorded a track with British dance duo Basement Jaxx.

The collaboration came together during a visit Chasez made to London last month. "I was visiting people I listen to who aren't here in the States and ended up running into the Basement Jaxx," JC said. "Those guys are really, really cool, really creative. The stuff they come up with is out of this world."

Chasez watched the duo at work for a few hours before they asked if he would go into the vocal booth.

"They were like, 'We've got this song we're working on. We just need you to maybe sing some stuff over it or just go with the flow. And here are some of the words. If you want to say some of the words, you say 'em. If you don't, it's cool, just kind of sing and make some up,' '' Chasez recalled. "I was like, 'OK, why not?' "

JC spent a few hours goofing around in the booth but didn't think much of it until the guys called him back the next day.

"They're like, 'Man, we've cut all this stuff together, and man, it's brilliant.' 'It's brilliant,' that's what they say in England," Chasez said, laughing. "They were like, 'We just need you to come in for another hour tomorrow, dude, and we got some layout here and we'll just clean it all up.' ... Who knows if they'll use it or if they won't, but either way it was just fun to work with those guys."

Basement Jaxx have yet to set a track list or release date for their follow-up to 2001's Rooty, which included the hit "Where's Your Head At" (see "Basement Jaxx Stay On Point For Rooty"), according to their spokesperson.

Chasez, meanwhile, is putting the finishing touches on his debut, which so far is without any guest vocalists (see "JC Chasez Previews Schizophrenic Solo Debut").

"[Collaborations] aren't supposed to be contrived," he said. "You're supposed to be hanging out. That's just the way I feel about stuff. I just want things to feel good and flow, and if you're into it, you're into it, and if you're not, I don't want it to be about dollar signs. I want it to be about doing a cool song."

• *NSYNC
• JC Chasez
• Basement Jaxx

Gorillaz
Photo: Gorillaz Partnership

Hip-hop and electronic music's elite join forces on the upcoming soundtrack to "Blade 2," which features collaborations from Ice Cube and Paul Oakenfold, Mystikal and Moby and others.

The album, due March 26, also features pairings of Bubba Sparxxx and the Crystal Method, Redman and Gorillaz, Cypress Hill and Roni Size, Volume 10 and Roni Size, and Mos Def and Massive Attack.

While Eve was originally slated to collaborate with Basement Jaxx, Fatboy Slim has also done a track for her. It has not yet been determined which song will make the album, according to a spokesperson for the soundtrack.

Jay-Z may appear on the soundtrack as well, the spokesperson said.

A cut by the Roots and BT recorded for BT's forthcoming album (see "BT Working With Roots, Sarah McLachlan On New LP") will also make the Blade 2 track list.

Three threesomes recorded songs for the album: Busta Rhymes, Silkk the Shocker and the Dub Pistols; Jadakiss, Fabolous and Danny Saber; and Trina, Rah Digga and Groove Armada.

The "Blade 2" soundtrack was executive produced by Immortal Entertainment founder Happy Walters, the man behind 1994's landmark "Judgement Night" soundtrack, which paired hip-hop and rock acts, and 1998's "Spawn" soundtrack, which paired electronic and hard rock artists.

"Blade 2" stars Wesley Snipes and Kris Kristofferson and is scheduled to hit theatres March 29.

Mystikal appeared on the soundtrack to the first "Blade," along with Mobb Deep and New Order (see "Mobb Deep, Mystikal, Master P. Help Wesley Snipes-Produced Soundtrack").

Partial Blade 2 track list, according to the spokesperson:

• Mos Def and Massive Attack - "I Against I"
• Ice Cube and Paul Oakenfold - "Right Here, Right Now"
• Busta Rhymes, Silkk the Shocker and the Dub Pistols - "The One"
• Bubba Sparxxx and the Crystal Method - "Sharecropper's Dream"
• Jadakiss, Fabolous and Danny Saber - "Be Like This"
• Cypress Hill and Roni Size - "Child of the West"
• Volume 10 and Roni Size - "Raised in the Hood"
• The Roots and BT - "Tao of the Machine"
• Mystikal and Moby - "Gettin' Aggressive"

• Eve
• Ice Cube
• Redman
• Mystikal
• Moby

Mary J. Blige
Photo: MCA

"No More Drama" queen Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z and Scottish rockers Travis have signed on to perform at next month's MTV Europe Music Awards.

They join previously announced performers Basement Jaxx, Blink-182, Craig David, Depeche Mode, Dido, Kylie Minogue, Rammstein and R.E.M.

Confirmed presenters include Nelly Furtado, the Corrs' Andrea Corr, Kelis, Alicia Keys, Samantha Mumba, Pink, Christina Ricci, Bush's Gavin Rossdale, Shaggy and Ben Stiller.

Gorillaz, Limp Bizkit, U2 and Craig David lead the list of nominees (see "Gorillaz, Bizkit, U2 Nab Most Noms For MTV Europe Music Awards").

The show will air live on MTV from Frankfurt, Germany, on November 8.

• Mary J. Blige
• Jay-Z
• Travis
• Basement Jaxx
• blink-182

Basement Jaxx
Photo: Astralwerks

Basement Jaxx have the perfect back-to-school Remedy and they're bringing it to a theater near you.

The Brixton, England, house-music duo will play tracks from their 1999 breakthrough, Remedy, and this year's Mercury Music Prize-nominated Rooty (see "Gorillaz, Radiohead Up For Mercury Music Prize") when they hit 16 North America cities beginning September 29 near Denver.

Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, who formed Basement Jaxx eight years ago to spin at an illegal club night in a Mexican restaurant, will also promote Atlantic Jaxx — A Compilation, a collection of their early recordings due September 4.

Titled after their own Atlantic Jaxx label, the album contains club anthems originally released as EPs during the mid-'90s. The tracks include the 1994 hit "Undaground" and 1995's Ibiza favorite "Samba Magic," along with two Basement Jaxx-produced singles from singer Corrina Joseph.

Basement Jaxx tour dates, according to their publicist:

• 9/29 - Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
• 10/1 - San Diego, CA @ 4th & B
• 10/2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Mayan Theatre
• 10/3 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
• 10/5 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox
• 10/6 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
• 10/8 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
• 10/9 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• 10/10 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
• 10/12 - Atlanta, GA @ Earthlink Live (Center Stage)
• 10/13 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
• 10/15 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 10/17 - Toronto, ON @ Koolhouse
• 10/18 - Montreal, QC @ Le Spectrum
• 10/19 - Boston, MA @ Avalon
• 10/20 - New York, NY @ Roseland

• Basement Jaxx

The Crystal Method
Photo: Jason Campbell

One of two inaugural Creamfields festivals scheduled for U.S. soil has been canceled, organizers announced Wednesday.

Creamfields Las Vegas, scheduled for September 29 and set to feature Basement Jaxx, Sandra Collins and other electronic acts not on the Creamfields New York bill, was called off for logistical reasons.

"Basically, the land that we had been told was available for us to use in Las Vegas turned out to be unavailable," Jim King, of organizers Cream, said in a statement. "It has been very frustrating and we are bitterly disappointed. We had put all our concentration on an alternative site in Los Angeles, but due to time restrictions, we were unable to guarantee that the move from Las Vegas to L.A. would guarantee that the Creamfields event would be truly unique."

Cream has instead invested more resources into Creamfields New York, set for September 1 in Long Island, according to the festival's spokesperson. Several additional acts, such as Hybrid and UNKLE's James Lavelle, have been added, and more will be announced next week.

Creamfields New York should be one of the bigger electronic-music festivals in North America. Forty-six acts are so far slated to appear on six stages.

The Crystal Method, Orbital, Stereo MC's, Hybrid, Uberzone and the Dub Pistols will perform live on the Main Stage.

Arena One: The Experience, presented by Cream, will feature Fatboy Slim, Pete Tong, Timo Maas, Erick Morillo, Seb Fontaine, Tall Paul, Christian Smith, DJ Feelgood, Anthony Pappa, John Debo and Mike Taylor.

Ritchie Hawtin, Josh Wink, Dave Clarke, Darren Emerson, John Acquaviva, Max Graham, Scott Hardkiss and Scott Henry will spin in Arena Two, presented by Buzz and Bugged Out.

Arena Three, presented by the Boutique and Mixer, will feature Photek, James Lavelle, Adam Freeland, Liquid Todd, Jason Bentley, Dara and DB, while NY Deep, presented by JD Productions, will find Francois K, Danny Krivit, Ron Trent, Kerri Chandler, MKL and Andi Hanley on the turntables.

Finally, Little Louie Vega, Todd Terry, Joeski & Onionz, Sandy Rivera, Carl Kennedy, Marcus & Dominique, Graham & Holmar and Filipsson will perform in the Centro Fly Arena presented by GBH and Plant.

In other Creamfields news, the fourth Creamfields U.K., set for August 25 in Liverpool, has added the Chemical Brothers to a lineup that includes Fatboy Slim, Gorillaz, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk and Goldie.

The cancellation of Creamfields Las Vegas comes on the heels of the Mekka Tour being called off (see "Mekka Tour Postponed Until 2002"). Roni Size, BT and the Crystal Method were slated for the inaugural trek.

The summer is not without electronic-music outings, however. Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox and others have been on the road for several weeks with Moby's Area:One tour, Crystal Method and Uberzone recently launched the 7-Day Tweekend tour and Perry Farrell is expected to announce an electronic music-heavy tour.

• The Crystal Method
• Fatboy Slim
• Basement Jaxx
• BT
• Roni Size

Gorillaz
Photo: Virgin

Radiohead, PJ Harvey, Gorillaz and Basement Jaxx are among the artists nominated for this year's Technics Mercury Music Prize, Britain's most prestigious annual music award. The prize is presented, along with £20,000 (approximately $28,000), to the English or Irish act whose album is voted the best of the year by an independent panel of music industry judges. The winner will be announced on September 11 in London.

Gorillaz, the cartoon-band brainchild of "Tank Girl" creator Jamie Hewlett and Blur frontman Damon Albarn, declined their nomination on Tuesday (July 24) with a press statement credited to their menacing (yet fictional) bassist, Murdoc, who called the prize "heavy ... like carrying a dead albatross round your neck for eternity." The band's Virgin Records rep confirmed that the refusal to accept the nomination was — unlike Gorillaz themselves — entirely real.

U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind, expected by many to be in the running for the award, was not nominated.

Last year's prize went to Badly Drawn Boy, a.k.a. Damon Gough, whose experimental folk-pop record The Hour of Bewilderbeast beat out efforts by Coldplay, Death in Vegas and Richard Ashcroft, among others (see "Badly Drawn Boy Wins Prestigious Mercury Music Prize"). Other past winners include Talvin Singh (for OK in 1999), Gomez (Bring It On, 1998), Roni Size/Reprazent (New Forms, 1997) and Pulp (Different Class, 1996).

The complete list of nominees for the 2001 Technics Mercury Music Prize:

• Basement Jaxx - Rooty
• Elbow - Asleep in the Back
• Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain
• Gorillaz - Gorillaz
• Ed Harcourt - Here Be Monsters
• PJ Harvey - Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea
• Tom McRae - Tom McRae
• Radiohead - Amnesiac
• Susheela Raman - Salt Rain
• Super Furry Animals - Rings Around the World
• Turin Brakes - The Optimist LP
• Zero 7 - Simple Things

• Gorillaz
• Radiohead
• Goldfrapp
• Super Furry Animals
• Basement Jaxx

Fatboy Slim
Photo: MTV News

Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method and Orbital will headline America's first Creamfields festivals in Long Island, New York, and Las Vegas in September.

DJs Timo Maas, Tall Paul and John Aquaviva will also perform outside of the Big Apple on September 1, while Basement Jaxx, Sandra Collins and DJ Dan will play Sin City on September 29, organizers announced Monday (May 21).

Several other top electronic acts are slated for both shows, including former Underworld DJ Darren Emerson, Stereo MC's, Uberzone, Richie Hawtin, Pete Tong, Josh Wink, Photek, Max Graham, Scott Henry, Scott Hardkiss, Scanty Sandwich and the Dub Pistols.

The Long Island festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and several circus tent arenas hosted by influential clubs from the East Coast and the U.K., will also include DJ Feelgood, Christian Smith, DJ Dara and DJ DB. The event will run from 2 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Dave Ralph, Donald Glaude, Bad Boy Bill, Christopher Lawrence and Adam Freeland will spin at the Las Vegas festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and six tents. That show will run from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

More acts, along with ticket information, will be announced later this month, organizers said.

Leading European dance event promoters Cream staged the first Creamfields in the U.K. in 1998. Held annually since, it has become one of the biggest dance-music festivals in the world, attracting 50,000 fans last year.

This year's U.K. fest will be held August 25 at the Old Liverpool Airfield in Liverpool. Fatboy Slim, Gorillaz, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk, Goldie, Seb Fontaine, Judge Jules and Pete Tong are among the artists scheduled to appear.

• Fatboy Slim
• The Crystal Method
• Orbital
• Timo Maas
• Basement Jaxx

Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method and Orbital will headline America's first Creamfields festivals in Long Island, New York, and Las Vegas in September.

DJs Timo Maas, Tall Paul and John Aquaviva will also perform outside of the Big Apple on September 1, while Basement Jaxx, Sandra Collins and DJ Dan will play Sin City on September 29, organizers announced Monday (May 21).

Several other top electronic acts are slated for both shows, including former Underworld DJ Darren Emerson, Stereo MC's, Uberzone, Richie Hawtin, Pete Tong, Josh Wink, Photek, Max Graham, Scott Henry, Scott Hardkiss, Scanty Sandwich and the Dub Pistols.

The Long Island festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and several circus tent arenas hosted by influential clubs from the East Coast and the U.K., will also include DJ Feelgood, Christian Smith, DJ Dara and DJ DB. The event will run from 2 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Dave Ralph, Donald Glaude, Bad Boy Bill, Christopher Lawrence and Adam Freeland will spin at the Las Vegas festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and six tents. That show will run from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

More acts, along with ticket information, will be announced later this month, organizers said.

Leading European dance event promoters Cream staged the first Creamfields in the U.K. in 1998. Held annually since, it has become one of the biggest dance-music festivals in the world, attracting 50,000 fans last year.

This year's U.K. fest will be held August 25 at the Old Liverpool Airfield in Liverpool. Fatboy Slim, Gorillaz, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk, Goldie, Seb Fontaine, Judge Jules and Pete Tong are among the artists scheduled to appear.

• Fatboy Slim
• The Crystal Method
• Orbital
• Timo Maas
• DJ Dan

Basement Jaxx
Photo: Rafael Fuchs

Basement Jaxx kept the music playing all night long on their 1999 debut, Remedy, but on its follow-up, Rooty, the South London duo focused on producing timeless melodies and infusing them with limitless soul.

"The songs don't hang around much," said the Jaxx's Simon Ratcliffe. "They're kind of straight into it, quite concise." His partner, Felix Buxton, said the duo looked beyond the dance-music realm for inspiration on the new record, due June 26.

"It's probably a reaction to all the dancing going on and on and on," he said, subtly referencing Remedy's smash hit "Red Alert." "If you think about great old songs — funk, soul, reggae, whatever — there's a song, that's what it's saying, it makes you feel good. Hear it again if you want to get that feeling again; don't stretch it out into six mixes and half an hour. What's the point? You've got one life, you wanna live it now." Although Basement Jaxx were founded by Ratcliffe and Buxton some seven years ago, the worldwide success of Remedy and its fun-loving singles "Rendez-Vu," "Red Alert" and "Bingo Bango" placed them in the upper echelon of dance-music stardom. But rather than make an album studded with the hottest vocalists of the day and aimed at the pop stratosphere, the Jaxx stuck to their guns and did their own thing. "It's kind of the anti-dance-music thing of no vocals, no personality, no expression," Buxton said. "We want to say, 'Here's some expression, here's some personality; take it or leave it.' Otherwise things get too bland. You've gotta stand up for something." Longtime supporters of the local scene, the duo chose to tap into the neighborhood's wealth of talent to find Rooty's guests. Kele Le Roc, a London R&B singer, supplies the umph on "Romeo," the album's incendiary opening track (Ratcliffe and Buxton provide the sing-song chorus), while Eeliot May adds a scat-style swing to the old-school house ode "Do Your Thing." Buxton himself sings on four tracks, "Breakaway," "All I Know," "Crazy Girl" and the delicious, soaring "Just One Kiss." That said, the trendiest of English musical styles at the moment, two-step, is a key player on Rooty, whose title comes from a Japanese flier for a Jaxx show that mistranslated a description of the duo as "rootsy." Ratcliffe and Buxton appropriated the name for a monthly underground party in their South London neighborhood of Brixton (they both live in nearby Camberwell now), which they employed as a sort of testing ground for new material, much of which found its way onto the new album.

One of those tracks, "Romeo," is the album's first single and video. "We did that probably six months ago, weren't sure about it, then played a version of it at the club," Ratcliffe explained. "It went down really well, people were asking about it, so we relistened to it and kept on doing different versions of it." In another move toward keeping it real, the Jaxx said they'll be avoiding as much as possible including remixes on the singles from Rooty. "Often remixes just seem to be what you expect, and often they're a waste of time, and often they're quite unspectacular," Ratcliffe explained. "So we're gonna have more B-sides instead. We'll do a couple of new songs to go on the other side." Buxton said that for the U.S. release of "Romeo" they might eschew the idea in honor of a couple of superstars.

"We might have a remix from the Neptunes or Timbaland in America," he revealed. "In 'Romeo' particularly there's elements of American house and R&B that we've taken, and we're sending it back to America, so someone like Timbaland would represent the cutting-edge production over here."

• Basement Jaxx