The Singles (Special Edition)

It took several years for house producers to catch up with Basement Jaxx. Alternately, as some might argue, several years passed before Basement Jaxx decelerated enough for anyone sharing a vaguely similar stylistic slant to meet up with them. Even if 2003's Kish Kash wasn't bubbling over with new ideas and previously unfathomable contortions and combinations of old ideas, as Remedy and Rooty had done before, the Jaxx still did it better than anyone else, melting down 30 years of dance and pop, simultaneously casting fresh looks on both forms. They are to house what Miles Davis is to jazz, what Chuck Berry is to rock, what Public Enemy is to rap. The Singles, a timely and nearly faultless stopgap compilation, picks the A-sides from the three albums, adding earlier cuts "Samba Magic" and "Flylife," only two examples of why the debut LP was so heavily anticipated. Here's the only bad aspect: despite boldly displaying most of the duo's strengths, all of these A-sides just happen to be intended for clubs and high-speed driving, so the set doesn't show casual fans how adept the Jaxx have been at mellow material, let alone the moments that disconnect completely from house constructs without any hiccups. Those who are fully aware of the Jaxx's versatile brilliance and hang on the duo's every beat might also do well to pick up the disc; the single edits offer some slight variations on the album versions, and the manner in which they are presented, typically stripped down to three minutes and change, makes a durable argument for the duo as supreme pop songwriters. There's also a pair of new tracks. The rubbery "Oh My Gosh," easily the best of the two, is deliciously flirtatious and cartoonish, if more of a fitting Jaxx-past-in-miniature parcel than an indication of what lies ahead. It's just as pleasurable as saying the name of the song's vocalist, Vula Malinga, out loud. [The limited-edition version adds a second disc of remixes, B-sides, and other goods.]