Basement Jaxx got the ingredients right for their multiflavored house music seven albums ago: bumping beats, Afro rhythms, carved-out vocals. On their latest, Junto, house music is the framework but style mixture remains a Jaxx tradition. Steel drums on “Power to the People,” breakbeats and ragga vocals on “Buffalo,” sped-up reggae on “Rock This Road” and the Beastie Boys–like “Sneakin' Toronto” keep Junto's tempos fluid. The urban essence of Soul II Soul is recalled on “Unicorn,” setting the mood for the soul ripper “Never Say Never,” while the twinkling ballad “Something About You” contrasts against the zesty Latin number “Mermaid of Salinas.” It is apparent that with Junto, the U.K. duo is still the architect of the house-music blueprint. Ahead of the album's release, Basement Jaxx are hitting a select few North American cities, including L.A., with DJ-set dates.

Fri., July 11, 9 p.m., 2014
(Expired: 07/11/14)

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