Waste Mail: Issue 004 👟 Footwork special
Dedicated to Chicago's 160bpm sound and its global mutations
Welcome to the fourth issue of Waste Mail, the newsletter that’s dedicated to cutting-edge club music and is curated by Tropical Waste.
Everyone’s talking about fast dance music so now feels like a good time to dive into the world of footwork, the uptempo genre from Chicago that innovates relentlessly and continues to inspire – and confound – new generations of speed freaks.
Below you’ll find footwork tracks, EPs and albums that have been released within the last month (give or take). The recommendations are split into music from Chicago, so you can hear what the locals are up to right now, and music from the rest of the world, so you can hear how producers in Poland, Japan and Egypt, among other places, are responding.
There are also links to recent DJ mixes and further watching and reading if you want to dive deeper than what’s been going on over the last couple months (including some recordings from previous Tropical Waste events). The history of footwork is fascinating: constant evolution and the frenetic energy of the dancefloor are at the core of this music, which is maybe why it never sounds old.
As usual, all of the tracks have been added to the Waste List. And there’s some exciting news about our forthcoming party with Unsound Festival in the self promotion section at the bottom 😎 Enjoy!
Dedicated to the king, DJ Rashad ❤️🔥
I’m about to let you know 🔊
This IG post by Kode9 was the catalyst for dedicating a whole issue to footwork, a genre that continues to pump out brilliant and truly new music well over two decades since it was invented in Chicago. It’s an open invite to explore back catalogues, sniff out fresh bangers and make merry at 160bpm.
Looking at the dates, it also makes sense to survey the scene: this year marks 10 years since DJ Rashad’s masterpiece ‘Double Cup’ was released, as well as RP Boo’s debut LP ‘Legacy’, which took his career to new, international heights. The legendary status of those records grows as each year passes, a high watermark for the rest of the scene to match – thankfully, the energy of the current footwork community in Chicago and beyond remains undimmed.
Tracks, EPs & albums from Chicago 🌆
Cuenique ‘So Chicago’ A sleek, techy workout from Cuenique. Check her album ‘Pull No Punches’ for more tuff trax Listen
DJ Earl ‘Fever’ Chicago birthed house, ghetto house, juke and footwork. All of that history is distilled into 3-and-a-half-minutes on ‘Fever’, a new party anthem from the legendary DJ Earl Listen
Dj.Mc ‘Relentless’ Tracks on this EP include ‘Who Wants Smoke’, ‘Chicago Flow’ and ‘Space Godz’, creating a flawless render of footwork as battle site, folk music and Afrofuturist exploration Listen
DJ Hank ‘City Stars’ If Kelela made a footwork album – or you’re jonesing for more of this – here’s what it would sound like. Teklife mainstay DJ Hank blends r’n’b, UKG, drill and ambient at 160 and we may just have a 2023 classic on our hands Listen
DJ Manny, Please & Khalfani ‘Man Down’ A cold collab between rapper Khalfani and Chicago producers DJ Manny and Please. Proper murky with a melody that’ll send a chill down your spine – mastered by Bok Bok an’ all Listen
DJ Manny ‘Feet Start Dancing’ This EP for Moveltraxx will end up being some of the best footwork to be released this year – an expert take on the form, full of energy, emotion and sheer danceability. No surprise from an artist who’s been scoring hits since 2011 Listen
DJ Taye ‘Ghost 2’ Taye was on insanely good form at last year’s Rashad tribute at Jazz Cafe, mixing futuristic footwork at high speed and pulling mind-expanding bangers from what must be a sacred – and highly sought after – folder on his USB. Perhaps some of those tracks are on this mixtape, which has a distinctly sci-fi quality and could be suited to a video game soundtrack as well as a heaving dancefloor Listen
DJ Twan ‘The Rise Of An Underdog 2’ Big up DJ Twan for this fat stash of raw, battle-ready tracks that come spliced with rap and r’n’b samples – chef’s kiss! Listen
EQ Why ‘Footwork Tracks Vol 10’ EQ Why releases relentlessly and his drops are always cause for celebration. Here’s his latest treasure trove Listen
Heavee ‘DISCOVERY PT. 1’ Astral 160 and some slower cosmic house in this drop from Heavee, who’s recent EP for Hyperdub is also a must Listen
Please ‘Orbital’ Any sound that comes into Chicago can be flipped and re-werked, as evidenced by Please who’s invented a brand new sub-genre by fusing footwork and drill. Genius Listen
RP BOO ‘B.O.T.O.’ The inventor of footwork is about to drop ‘Legacy Vol 2’, another LP of joints made in the early 00s; this is the lead single and further proof that Boo has always been lightyears ahead Listen
Traxman ‘Tekvision Vol 3’ Traxman is a footwork lifer who never takes his foot off the gas; here the illustrious producer drops 10 raw battle tracks that are riddled with wriggly high frequencies and powered by knock-out lows Listen
Tracks, EPs & albums from the world 🌐
ABADIR ‘Mutate’ This track comes from the utterly essential album of the same name. ABADIR imagining a battle track based on Maqsoum folk rhythms from Egypt Listen
Aleroj ‘GUARECHETECK’ Out of Colombia comes a fusion of guaracha music with footwork and other club styles. An incendiary experiment that provides uptempo bangers for new school club kids Listen
Andreas ‘Big Stepper’ Big UK rave energy on this very DJ-friendly free download, which bridges new school footwork aesthetics with classic ‘ardcore Listen
DJ Girl ‘Get Down’ File this one under Deconstructed. An angular rhythm, bass blasts, 8-bit distortion and an incessant vocal sample that is either urging you to take cover from the shrapnel or get your ass on the dancefloor Listen
DJ SWISHA & Kush Jones ‘Star Of The Story’ No survey of the current footwork scene would be complete without the New York new school. This is straight-up 21st century soul music, the propulsion of a club wrapped up in the velour of a bedroom where the lights are low and the flickers of a candle rise high Listen
ERAM ‘You Shot Me Down’ A track of two halves from Brazil: things begin with a slinky, anti-gravity rhythm before a hefty kick brings it all pumping back to earth Listen
Goldman ‘The Waiting Room EP’ Bristol represents as Goldman drops his take on footwork from deep within the South West 160 scene. Drops via his Works label, which also runs parties in the city Listen
Hesk ‘Cleansed EP’ Hesk is on a red-hot run of form that’s marking him out as one of the best producers outside of Chicago. ‘Cleansed’ is aimed straight at the floor, all low-end bump and psychedelic John Carpenter-esque synth squiggles ≠ out on Mel G’s on-point Low Key label Listen
IFS MA ‘Reifsma’ IFS, a duo from Poland’s fertile footwork scene, link up with Japanese rapper MA to concoct a potent, trippy album that lands somewhere between Foodman and King Midas Sound Listen
Julio Bashmore ‘Au Seve’ (Chunky Strapz Footworked Bootleg) I once saw Addison Groove drop Rashad’s juke remix of ‘Battle For Middle You’ in Trouw and the place went fucking wild (he also chucked in a 160 version of ‘Jimmy Mack’). Here, Bashmore continues to be immortalised at high speed and the results are predictably hype Listen
metaroom ‘OXIDIZED ARCHIVE’ Maximalist, technicolour explosions from an LA producer who continues what Rustie, Machinedrum and PC Music started Listen
Nikes ‘Texas Gold’ Another one on Low Key. Nikes offers a treasure trove of 160 hybrids that feature plenty of junglist swagger - TIP! Listen
Nondi_ ‘Flood City Trax’ Nondi_ may well have invented hypnagogic footwork on this unique album, which is an immersive, auditory reaction to living in a small, isolated town in Pennsylvania which has a history of flooding Listen
Papa Nugs ‘Endo’ A naughty take on electro that whips along, unhindered by the stomping low-end that comes attached to it – weapon alert Listen
Phillip D Kick ‘Off World Tales’ More sci-fi visions as the jungle footwork originator goes on one final mission Listen
Various Artists ‘JBDUBZ Vol. X’ LA crew Juke Bounce Werk usually drop a huge compilation at the end of year and this is 2022’s. At 52 tracks, it’ll keep you going until the next one in December Listen
The Waste List 🚨
The Waste List includes all of the artists that are featured here and is updated every month alongside each new issue of Waste Mail
Mixes 🎧
Cuenique - The Cue Nation Radio Show The Chicago local goes into the mix for an hour of OG footwork Listen
d. clemente b2b DJ SOIBOY - 1020 Radio d. clemente’s radio show is a really consistent and really great blend of juke, footwork and uptempo UK NRG/madness and this link-up with fellow Tough Act crew member SOIBOY is no exception. Fire emoji, etc Listen
DJ Deeon presents Freak Mode with DJ Clent An absolute treat from a couple Chicago godfathers. First half is pumpin’ ghetto house, the second is a masterclass in 160 Listen
DJ SOIBOY - Melodic Distraction This is what happens when footwork meets the kaleidoscope of fast dance music that’s raising gun fingers on UK dancefloors. Fuck the Tories, let’s dance Listen
DJ Swisha, AceMo, Kush Jones and MoMa Ready b2b @ The Lot Radio Pure class – obviously! – from this pioneering group of m8s Watch
Hesk - Footwork Jungle Mix Series Vol098 Super smooth session from the Dutch producer who’s currently based in Toronto – delivered via the on-point Footwork Jungle series/platform Listen
Juke Joint - Reform Radio Manchester crew Juke Joint drop 160 every month via this fierce radio show, which also accompanies a regular party that’s previously booked SWISHA, Taye and Naina. Big recommend Listen
k means - Rinse FM k means detonated a mind-melting, high speed DJ set at Tropical Waste back in February. This session is a little more chill, but the mixing remains totally ingenious, building experimental dub into a crescendo of footwork Listen
LCY - Rinse FM A frenetic show from LCY during which footwork gets blenderised alongside other forms up uptempo, upfront club music Listen
Teklife Records w/ Jana Rush Paul Johnson taught Jana Rush how to produce back in the day and she’s recognised as one of the most uncompromising artists in the scene thanks to a flurry of albums on Planet Mu. This is an instant listen Listen
The Trilogy Tapes w/ Allecto Footwork runs alongside d’n’b, percussive dub and ambient abstractions on this finely crafted and meditative 2-hour session from the Late Night Shopper resident Listen
Videography 📹
Bibliography 📚
Fancy Footwork: How Chicago’s Juke Scene Found It’s Feet Again
“Something I Never Seen Before”: Chicago, Dance and the Roots of Footwork
Teklife, Ghettoville, Eski: The Sonic Ecologies Of Black Music In The Early Twenty-First Century
With love from Tropical Waste 💖
The next Tropical Waste party will take place on May 6 at The Glove That Fits in LDN. We’re linking up with Unsound Festival (!) to present the UK debut of Safety Trance and we’ll also have another Very Special Guest (mentioned elsewhere in this mailer) too. Tickets are out now!
The latest Tropical Waste radio show is available to listen to via Balamii. 100-160bpm, you know the drill. It’s also on YouTube too
Thank you to everyone who came to our party in February. There’s a cute recap on IG now 🙏🏻
loved this! also sick news re. safety trance performing at the next tropical waste!