Chi-Town Footwork

I love how this video pulls from decades of dance footage and splices it with shots of kids who are doing this thing called Footwork in Chicago. I was first introduced to the music via DJ Nate.



From what I've gathered this stuff has been being produced for some years now growing out of Chicago's rich electronic music history and I imagine merging some with the Hip Hop that's always been their coupled with young peoples own artistic desires to try new things. Add with this their obvious appreciation for dance that requires a certain kind of energy.



You aren't getting down like that to just anything!

The profile of this music has elevated to outside it's region thanks to the interests of Planet Mu. A label with a long history of forward thinking electronic sounds. They released DJ Nate's project Da Trak Genious in September, DJ Roc's The Crack Capone this month and have a compilation scheduled for release December 6th, Bangs & Works Vol. 1 In the below video you can hear clips from various tunes on it.



I'm excited to hear this collection. Right now I'm still devouring Nate & Roc's records. My initial thoughts make me feel partial to Roc as his tunes feel more complete and full to me. Nate plays with more minimal effects and sounds that may prove to be far more conducive to rocking a club but don't offer me as much while sitting here listening in my room.

Another thing that pulls me to this stuff, like most electronic sounds I'm feeling today, is the growth I see in it from Hip Hop. Both of these guys are weaving sounds left and right. Nate relies on a lot of very hollow drums that I don't enjoy as much as the dusty ones Premo and his ilk dug up. But elsewhere you can hear vocal bits cut to pieces, synthesizer chords, piano keys, guitars and anything else. I don't think a song of any kind would be safe from these guys.

I'll leave you with the opening cut off DJ Roc's long player "One Blood."

DJ Roc - One Blood by gardenparty