Bangs & Works, Vol. 2: The Best of Chicago Footwork

Liner Note Author: Dave Quam.
The Planet Mu label's second compilation of Chicago juke and footwork music, a genre that combines the minimalism and fast beats per minute of ghetto-tech with the traditional boom of bass music, follows this weird dance music even further, so check Vol. 1 if you have yet to be schooled. Here, music and samples still skip like a CD player under attack, bass throbs as if it aims to loosen every filling, and tracks remain startlingly short since footwork is designed to be heard on the dancefloor in a mixed set and not through your headphones. Still, this unmixed set is an excellent document of a movement widely ignored outside of the Chicago underground and the back pages of the more esoteric dance music press, so try a couple of these over the top stunners and see if you're up for the pummeling. ~ David Jeffries