Get ready
to dance
Get ready to dance
dancing
Footwork is all about
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Press play for a better experience
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Juke is all about dancing
menu
Explaining the difference between juke and footwork is kind of like explaining the difference between jungle and drum and bass. People juke to footwork tracks and people footwork to juke tracks.
It is a hyper rhythmic, abstract dance music, pitched around 160bpm, that largely consists
of a template of cut-up samples and phrases that are twisted into repetitive rhythms & shapes,
to offbeat, syncopated drum machine patterns and pumping sub-bass lines.
of a template of cut-up samples and phrases that are twisted into repetitive rhythms & shapes,
to offbeat, syncopated drum machine patterns and pumping sub-bass lines.
Experimental tracks may intentionally challenge casual danceability.
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Footwork dance predates footwork/juke music, originating in the mid/late 1980s on the west side of Chicago. It incorporates elements of breakdancing and inspired the footwork/juke music genre. The dance features fast, complex foot movements with twists and turns, typically occurring in "battles."
Dance contests were held all over the place: outside shops, in community centres and at the ice rinks across the city.
It looks like a dance
from another
dimension
dimension
Their feet fly at insane speeds, something of a cross between house dance, tap dancing and breakdancing footwork.
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dimension
For many, footwork is a refuge from the violence and crime that plagues their neighborhoods.
Key contributors:
Ant Brown, Litebulb, Steelo, Chief Manny,
P-Top, King Frost,
Syd Falls Syd,
TOG – Takeova Global,
The Era Footwork crew, Terra Squad crew, Wolf Pac crew,
Lil Bit, Murda Mommy, Acey, Miki Ishizaka,
Da Queen Crystal
Da Pistol
P-Top, King Frost,
Syd Falls Syd,
TOG – Takeova Global,
The Era Footwork crew, Terra Squad crew, Wolf Pac crew,
Lil Bit, Murda Mommy, Acey, Miki Ishizaka,
Da Queen Crystal
Da Pistol
The story of footwork is entwined with the experience of living in Chicago and the suburbs beyond.
Black communities, facing racist policing and corrupt politics amid mind-numbing levels of violence, unemployment and poverty, nurtured creativity in music and art as a positive influence on younger generations.
Footwork/juke emerged in the late 1990s as a faster, more abstract variant of ghetto house, evolving to match the energy of footwork dance in Chicago’s ghettos.
Teklife label, Ghettophiles label, RP Boo , DJ Clent, DJ Rashad, Boylan, Traxman, DJ Spinn, DJ C-Bit, Majik Myke, DJ Roc, DJ Nate, DJ Earl, DJ Manny, Taso, Ashes57, DJ Earl, DJ Gant-Man, DJ Jalen, Heavee DJ Deeon, EQ Why, Jana Rush, DJ Phil
Key contributors:
Teklife til the next life
"Rashad had no limitation on what he would do or what he would try musically. I really liked that he never stayed in a box" Jlin
Teaming up since high school, DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn started their own collective in the 90s before launching the Teklife label in 2011. The pair pushed the genre’s creative development by bringing producers from far beyond the 606 area code and introducing elements of jungle and acid techno until DJ Rashad passed away in 2014. But Teklife lives on and continues to support the genre by signing new artists and hosting shows in Chicago.
"I want people not from Chicago to know that we’re all real people; we all go through struggles and trials and tribulations" DJ Spinn
Footwork has unquestionably found its footing worldwide. As the innovation of the genre’s producers has spread, this jewel of Chicago’s urban underground music culture has gained international influence, spouting sub-scenes that are flourishing.
