r r a _ - _. . _ _. . .. __ \ i / I i 1 1 tA a 12A - e Michigan Daily - WeAnd, etc. Magazine -Thur y, September 23, 1999 ' S; 0 0: 0 The Michigan Daily# Weekend, etc. Mag FUN MICROWAVE TRICKS, OR WHY I LOVE ROOMMATES "Basement Jaxx" brings more than hype to We all huddled together, eagerly staring at the little light in the box on Yur kitchen table One of my room- mates had heard that really cool things happened when you put an egg in the microwave, so for some reason that I still don't completely understand, on that particularly bor- ing evening it seemed like a good idea to try it; At least 30 seconds had passed, however, and we were beginning to give up hope. No cracks, no expand- 4isg shell, no change whatsoever. But lust as I was about to turn away, POP' And the microwave door flew open, covering us all (now quite embarrassed about our little experi- ment) with partially cooked scram- bled egg. College is possibly the only time of life (with the exception of "Friends" and other sitcom situa- tions) when it's completely normal to live in a house with a large group of friends Although for most people the thought of September induces visions of huge lecture classes and cooler weather, the start of a new school year is also exciting because it always brings a new living situa- tion and, with it, new room- mates. Everyone has stories about their first-year dorm room- mate, or about a "roommate from hell" who Yeah, roommates have their quirks. But learning to live with other people is an important part of college, one of those experiences older people advise us we'll learn from now and laugh about later. I, know a few people who live by themselves in single apartments. Most of them claim to love it - they say it's easy to study, as clean (or not clean) as they want it to be, and although it's often slightly more expensive, the advantages far out- weigh the disadvantages. They're completely free, and there's no one to tie them down. They almost make the roommate relationship sound like a dead-end marriage. But I don't buy it. These people always seem lonely. When I walk into my apartment, whether it's late afternoon or early morning, I can be sure that at least one of my five roommates is home. In fact, someone is probably sitting in our living room watching cheesy TV. There's always someone to come with me on a Meijer run, or to study, or to play endless games of "Would You Rather." (Incidentally, I would much rather drown in marshmallow creme than have someone pull off my toes). There's always someone to sing, "You are so beautiful, to mececeee e ..." when ]'m suffering from low self-esteem. Maybe I was lucky enough to find not just one, but five roommates I could get along with, or maybe I'm just more laid back than the average college student is. Sometimes it seems as though I don't know anyone who really has a good relationship with their roommates, and I almost think that something must be wrong with me. I first knew for sure that my room- mates and I were going to get along well shortly after I moved in, approxi- mately two weeks into September. That was when I walked into the apart- ment early one afternoon to find two of them nearly in tears with laughter. When I finally got them to calm destroyed at least one term of college life. It has become a unique sort of bonding expe- rience to gripe to classmates and other Jessica Eaton State of the Aits friends about a living companion's trash, or that funny-smelling bag in the refrigerator that no one will claim. Ballroom Dance Club .4:. -.-, Sunday September 26 Classes: 4:30-6:00 6:30-8:00 Open Dancing 8:00-10:00 Location: Union Ballroom Hotline: 763-6984 STUDY APANESE IN TOKYO The Waseda/Oregon Transnational Program, January 11- June 23, 2000, is a comparative US-Japan Societies study program that offers three levels of Japanese language instruction and thematic humanities/social science courses that mix US-based and regular Waseda students together in the classroom at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Scholarships up to $1,000 are available. For more information, contact: Waseda/Oregon Programs at (800) 823*7938, info@opie.org, or www.opie.org. down, they explained. On a dare, one (who shall remain nameless) took the cover of our bright blue Spam-brand grill, put it on her head, and walked/stumbled around the block, meeting all of our new neighbors along the way. Some people, including those neighbors, might not understand how that could be the first sign of a good friendship. But it was just the first in a string of "adventures," and now that I'm entering a second year in the same apartment, I can't imagine liv- ing by myself. If anything is wrong with me, it's only related to my sense of humor. The next time I move, it will prob- ably be into my own place. I may not have any roommates, and ifI do, I'm willing to bet they won't be the type of people who let eggs explode in their microwave. It's a shame, really. - Jessica doesn 't spend near/y enough time at home, but you can reach her via e-mail at jeaton a umich.edu. Do-you like to write? Would you like to meet new people? Are you good at doing all of your work at the last minute? Join the Daily Arts staff! Call 763-0379 for more information. gold bond QUALITY DRY CLEANING & SHIRT SERVICE 332 Maynard (Across from Nickels Arcade) 668-6335 By Jason Birchmeier Daily Arts Writer Believe the hype. Basement Jaxx aren't a construction of savvy music journalists and sly record industry insiders. They are the new sound of dance music: a diverse and inventive transcendence of traditional genre con- straints. Their recently-released debut album, "Remedy," just may cure mainstream America's ill feelings towards creative dance music. The songs aren't pompous or pretentious. The sound isn't alien or Basement Jaxx Motor Detroit Saturday at 9 p.m. inhuman. And above March 1999, long before "Remedy" even hit the streets. The Jaxx - Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe - were the talk of the Winter Music Conference and managed to grace the cover of not one but three British elec- tronic music magazines in the month of April. To call their debut album highly anticipated would be an understate- ment. When Basement Jaxx bring their unique DJ show to Motor Detroit. Detroit's trendiest club for electronic music hipsters, for this Saturday's 9 p-m. gig, the South London pair all, they don't cater to the lowest com- m o n denomina- tor of intel- ligence. Important music publi- cations in A m e r i c a and Britain began pro- claiming Ba sement J a x x' s genius as early as Simon and Felix, chilling with the tools of their trade promises to dismiss the excessive hype and prove why they've been hailed as the new sound of dance music. So why all the hype, and what exact- ly is the new sound of dance music? Actually, the best way to define the new dance sound of Basement Jaxx is to talk about what it isn't. Their music can't be summed up as simply house, techno, electro, garage, rock, salsa, disco, trip-hop or electronica even though every single one of these sounds make it onto their album. Yet even with such an eclectic group- ing 'of sounds and styles, Basement Jaxx's music possesses a unique signa- ture sound. Rooted and influenced by American house music, the sound of the Jaxx refuses to conform to the tradi- tional formula for house music - essentially a high-tech, modernized er- sion of disco. Instead, Basement Jaxx retain the essential qualities of house music: a cel- sampled instruments, strange el sounds and an almost non-stop of human vocals. The songs longer than five or six minutes; tinually fluctuate their struct pacing, never straying far frc booty shaking ideals. Basement Jaxx have rece much attention and support f electronic music world because the first artists to re-engineer t mind-numbingly danceable I dance music. Not since the earl when a few DJs in Chicago beg rodding disco with their machines, synthesizers and saml eventually pioneering what was be known as house music - h one transcended the genre's tn sound. While it is true that Daft P Armand Van Helden have p some massively popular, qualit music in the past few years, them have done much in the innovation. Basement Jaxx's "R pushes the boundaries of hous like Goldie's "Timeless" redefi gle and Plastikman's "Shee changed the sound of techno. Not simply a collection of cltl assembled over the years, "P functions as an album in the trai "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hear q , ebratory tone, accelerated pacing, thumping basslines and a heavy sam- pling of acoustic instrumentation. Then they discard all the tired qualities that have characterized the genre as stagnant such as simple structure, samples of wailing divas, overused sounds and monotony. This is the foundation of their house, onto which they build thick walls of ,. '': _ .to L I RUSH P RUSH P RUSH PSI U FRATERNITY ember 23, 1999 6-10 p.m. nber 26, 1999 through amber 30, 1999 6-10 p.m. RUSH PSI U , t The new albu Featuring 17 new skits and songs including " "7 Foot Man" and "The I In Stores Now alsc available: