On the second night of the Jisan Valley Rock Festival, there was fevered anticipation, as well as curiosity, for headliner’s Basement Jaxx, in their first-ever show in Korea.

Many festival goers weren’t sure what to expect from the London based duo, but what the crowd got wasn’t a duo at all, but rather a full band bringing an unprecedented level of energy, excitement, musical virtuosity, and brain crushing beats to the stage.

The rain mostly held off for the later hours of the show, but my guess is that it wouldn’t have mattered if there was a hurricane because this groups mix of garage, disco, ragga, funk, and hip-hop, orchestrated under the umbrella of deep house provided by beat masters and Basement Jaxx founders Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, sent the mostly Korean crowd into a frenzy of jumping, moshing, and crowd surfing.

The South London-based group has always drawn on a wide array of musical influences, from the unique sounds of Chicago House, to the Latin funk of jazz legends George Duke and Sun Ra. The band seamlessly incorporates these influences into their elaborate stage shows that come to life through dancers and singers decked out in wild costumes that change with each song. Longtime fan Greg Inglis sums it up well:”…When the Jaxx come to town it’s like Notting Hill Carnival, Mardi Gras, and Ibiza rolled into one; an explosion of colour, rhythm and energy…”.

One of the more awkward moments of the night’s show came when singer Vula Malinga opened a song with “Hello Tokyo!”, an expression also uttered by the late great James Brown at a concert in Seoul in 2006. Realizing her mistake, she won the crowd back by saying that Korean fans were the best they’ve had.

Basement Jaxx opened the show with “Good Luck” from the 2003 album Kish Kash. In a well orchestrated set that covered every musical genre imaginable. The set included hit singles such as “Rendez-Vu”, “Red Alert”, “Do Your Thing”, “Bingo Bango”, “Jump and Shout” , “Breakaway” and “Romeo”. The set closed with a ripping-loud  “Where’s Your Head At”. Throughout the show, the high level of energy was reciprocated between the crowd and the performers, showing once-again that Korean crowds are among the most appreciative and enthusiastic in the world. You could see the band responding to the crowd’s energy and giving it everything they had.

After getting slammed into repeatedly, sprayed with beer and grass clippings, my friend and I decided to make our way from the front of the stage, back towards safer ground. It should be noted that wherever you are at a BassJax show, you would not have trouble hearing the music.

When the stage comes down on Monday and concert-goers crawl out of their tents and pile home in droves, I wouldn’t be surprised if the BassJax set will be the most talked about of the weekend. We certainly hope to see these guys back on the peninsula in the future.

Before Basement Jaxx hit the Big Top Stage, popular local band, Windy City, primed a crowd at the Green Stage. The four member band’s reggae, dub, salsa, and heavy funk inspired sound rounded out the festival’s more dominant genres thus far. A rare opportunity to hear such a distinctive sound in Korea, it was clear that the crowd was digging these island sounds.

Sunday’s line-up will feature godmother of punk Patti Smith and Oasis to close the three-day festival.

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