Bangs & works, vol. 1 : a Chicago footwork compilation

"For a Chicago-born style that's spearheaded by young clubgoers and spread by the Internet, footwork is surprisingly abstract, combining the minimalism and fast beats per minute of ghetto-tech with the traditional boom of bass music. Top this off with tightly cut samples that feature either strange vocal lines or off-kilter melodies and you've got footwork, a genre that both DJ Assault and Throbbing Gristle can agree on. In other words, it's not for everyone, but the Planet Mu label's Bangs & Works, Vol. 1: A Chicago Footwork Compilation is a good taste test".

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"There is little question why footwork evolved in Chicago: House music birthed the raunchier, uptempo ghetto house (or "juke"), which in turn led to the stripped-for-parts footwork sound. Like ghetto house, tracks usually settle in around 160 bpm; at 140 you've found yourself a ballad. There are hip-hop roots too: the sound's genesis is rooted in RP Boo's "Baby Come On", a track that prominently features an Ol' Dirty Bastard sample (sadly not included here). Other tracks owe a debt to hip-hop's vulgar confidence. Kanye West is said to have been influenced by the scene's early progenitors".

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