RP Boo

This is another sterling release from Planet Mu, which is leading the way when it comes to juke/footwork projects. This one is from a pioneer of the genre, RP Boo, who released the first acknowledged juke single in 1997, "Baby Come On." Considering Boo's O.G. status in Chicago and the fact that juke/footwork has been blowing up rather dramatically in the last few years (much thanks to the aforementioned Planet Mu), it's surprising that we have only just been graced with a full-length RP Boo album. This is a testament to the regional and insular aspect of juke and other area-specific sounds, such as bounce or New Jersey club. Fortunately, juke has broken free of Chicago and we can all now trip over our feet attempting to keep up with those machine gun-esque bass lines. For those unfamiliar with the sound, it's reminiscent of that other party-starting genre, Miami bass, inasmuch as the samples are recognisable and the bass seriously weighty, although the intense syncopation and often disorientating 160-bpm bass barrage truly set it apart on the dance floor. This is music made for dancers (and highly dextrous ones at that). They don't call it "footwork" for nothing.