10 Footwork Artists You Need to Know

The sound of juke and footwork aren't anything new, but for some reason this feels like their time to shine. DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn of the Ghetto Tekn

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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The sound of juke and footwork aren't anything new, but for some reason this feels like their time to shine. DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn of the Ghetto Teknitianz crew have been putting on for Chicago and the entire sound via their string of releases for dynamic labels like Hyperdub, as well as recent tours of Europe and a great showing at this year's Pitchfork Festival. Artists like RP Boo are also emerging and getting the proper respect, and with artists like Machinedrum experimenting with jungle and juke at the same damn time, we have a feeling the footwork and juke scenes will only grow. You know what that means? It's time to get educated. Get to know 10 of the footwork scene's finest, from the pioneers who paved the way to the new breed of footwork producers that will be pushing the scene to new heights.

RP Boo

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Talk about a legend. RP Boo's been in the Chicago house scene for decades, starting out as a dancer before honing his skills as a DJ and producer. For the influence he's had on the juke and footwork styles, it's wild to think that his album Legacy was a collection of over a 10 years worth of music, most of which was seeing the light of day for the first time. That's even wilder when you listen to his FACT mix from earlier this year, which features practically NOTHING from the album in it. In a word, RP Boo is prolific.

DJ Rashad

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To many, DJ Rashad (along with DJ Spinn) is footwork. He's been instrumental in pushing the footwork sound to the masses, first through releases on Planet Mu's footwork compilations and now through EPs on Hyperdub, which are part of the current footwork push. As part of the Ghetto Teknitianz crew in Chicago (as well as one-third head of Lit City Trax), Rashad has helped push juke's more hypnotic underground sound (which he always says they just called "trax") into Europe, with a slew of shows and festivals asking for him to perform. If you want a true representation of what footwork can do, pick up his TEKLIFE Vol. 1: Welcome to the Chi album from 2012.

Traxman

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Straight out of the west side of Chicago, Traxman is a legend in Chicago's house scene. He was around during the heyday of Dance Mania Records in the 1990s, one of the founding members of the Geto DJz crew, and is a part of the Ghetto Teknitianz. As you saw via his BEAT THIS segment, Traxman's key is his record collection, as he spends time digging for the proper songs to sample and manipulate for his creations, which we got to witness via his Da Mind of Traxman album on Planet Mu, which found him showcasing his love of soul, jazz, funk, and all sounds in between. You can look at Traxman's work like many looked at jungle, where you could work any influence into this blueprint and make it work. Awe inspiring.

DJ Spinn

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If Rashad is the main ambassador for the more intricate style of footwork, Spinn maintains the juke vibe throughout his work. It's a solid blend of the deeper, more experimental side of footwork with the bounce that makes juke just an infectious, danceable riddim. He also knows how to ride a sample. He won't perform these crazy, razor sharp chops, but explore the subtle nuances of the source material that he's using, building a great bridge. He's in the same conversations with Rashad, and it feels like he's one solid album away from getting more recognition on his own.

Gant-Man

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Gant-Man is a young prodigy that seems to have been born to do this music thing. He was counting beats (and blending records) at the age of five, had his own radio mixshow at the age of 10, and his first residency at the age of 14. His first EP for Dance Mania came out in 1995, and he's recognized along with DJ Puncho for calling the sound "juke," helping give the growing ghetto house sound the name that it's referred to these days. Gant-Man has seen some of the biggest success from the scene, with official remixes for Beyonce, Cajmere, and Kid Sister leading to be her official tour DJ, which makes sense considering they're both from Chicago. He was recently featured at the debut EDC Chicago, and continues to excite us with his reworks of Daft Punk and Jay Z. Dude's a living legend for the scene.

Young Smoke

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Young Smoke could just as easily be known as Young Future (as in life that's not happened now, not Future Hendrix). While Traxman has the dustiest fingers out of the bunch due to his years of crate digging, Young Smoke is the opposite; he can't legally buy alcohol, but he took to producing at a young age and brings an abstract vibe to his output that's helping bring this already future music into the cosmos. Planet Mu obviously saw the promise and releases his fantastic Space Zone album in the fall of 2012. Expect more from this young talent in the near future.

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DJ Earl

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DJ Earl was brought into the TEKLIFE fold after building with DJs Spinn and Rashad in 2008, after being a student of the scene for the three years prior. This chance meeting sparked a bug to start producing, taking influence from everyone from Traxman to Timbaland in his trax, which you can hear immediately in the choice of sample material and construction of his beats. His releases on Planet Mu, FreshMoon, Booty Call, and other spots operate like a window into the future of this sound.

DJ Clent

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Clent's a studio workhorse. We've seen him make a beat in six minutes, and have fallen in love with his juke and footwork tracks, which have found homes on Juke Trax, Ghettophiles, and Planet Mu, which featured a number of his tracks on their two Bangs & Works compilations. He's the DJ who popularized "bang bang bang / skeet skeet skeet," and is a Geto DJz affiliate. Clent's been in the game for years now, and injects a certain flavor to his productions, be they more party-influenced or deeper and more leftfield.

DJ Manny

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Manny is a Chitown footwork artist that we wish had more tracks out. One of his more memorable cuts, "All I Do Is (Smoke Trees)," was featured on the Ghettoteknitianz EP on Planet Mu, and his reworking of Lil Wayne's line over a somber melody was enough to hook us. There's not much out there in terms of info on Manny, but judging by the video footage we've seen, he's as ill at the actual footwork moves as he is with the production, and he always has a smile on his face. Manny has put in loads of work, being featured on DJ Rashad's two Hyperdub EPs from 2013, on both Spinn and Rashad's albums from 2012, as well as Traxman's Da Mind of Traxman album as well. How long before we get a new Manny EP/album, though?!

DJ Roc

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Southside Chicago's DJ Roc, aka "The Crack Capone," is another name that has been around for the last decade, knocking out a full album The Crack Capone via Planet Mu. That project dropped in 2010, and featured a rumbling that dwelled in the area between the party and the underground, with tracks like "Phantom Call" straddling the weird with the rhythm in ways that definitely kept the dancefloors in hysterics. Add the three editions of the Juke City mixtape series with DJ Slugo, and you have a solid amount of quality cuts from a DJ and producer that's helped make waves for the sound both in the U.S. and worldwide.

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