Basement Jaxx aren’t out to make fashionable dance music. They avoid minimalism, the vogue du jour in electronica, like the plague. Instead, the UK icons’ seventh studio album, Junto, is testament to their determination to follow their own path.
It starts strongly: ‘Power to the People’ is an anthemic house tune spearheaded by a lavish harp roll and peppered with steel drums and brass; ‘Summa Dem’ revolves around a meatier funk beat. ‘Never Say Never’ is the first single and hands-down the pinnacle of what’s on offer. It’s unapologetically upbeat, well-balanced and full of chart potential.
Despite a promising start, things dip in the final third. ‘Sneakin’ Toronto’ is formulaic, making you wonder if Jaxx are coasting on former glories. ‘Something About You’ immediately follows and is a disappointing stab at a slower, laid-back sensibility.
Towards the end the album peters out, though it picks up again slightly with ‘Mermaid of Salinas’, a flamenco and samba-fuelled mesh that echoes the exciting unpredictability promised in the first half. Clearly this is a record all about getting people moving. But there is too much filler for it to be regarded as an outstanding success.