Electronic Sound July 2015 (Regular Edition) | Page 26

ALBUM REVIEWS

its jerky movements fuelling the sound
and vice versa. Just look at the cover
art here: hundreds of disembodied pairs
of legs, sneaker stripes in triplets like
snare patterns. The drum programming
on ‘Fingers…’ can get quite complex –
opener ‘1-2D-20’2’ seems particularly
designed to throw off newcomers, with
Boo tweaking the elements anytime it
seems to be coalescing into something
more straightforward.

RP BOO

Fingers, Bank Pads & Shoe Prints
PLANET MU

The Chi-Town footwork originator
turns in one of his best releases yet
Chicago’s footwork movement suffered
a tragedy last year with the loss of the
inimitable DJ Rashad, but the city’s
network of dancers and producers
continues to carry the torch in his
honour. Among the best of these artists
is RP Boo, aka Kavain Space, who is
not simply another footwork legend, he
damn near invented the whole thing. His
1997 hit ‘Baby Come On’ (re-released
earlier this year on his ‘Classics Volume
1’ EP) is often cited as the moment
of transition from ghetto house to
footwork.
Despite a career dating back to his days
as a dancer in the early 1990s, RP Boo
only let loose his debut album in 2013.
‘Legacy’ was more of a greatest hits
package, but while new record ‘Fingers,
Bank Pads & Shoe Prints’ also contains
some older material, most of it has been
culled from the last two years, making
it a more contemporary statement. It’s
intense and uncompromising, positioning
Boo at the vanguard of footwork rather
than at its origins.
Dance culture is integral to footwork,

Boo’s deployment and manipulation of
vocal samples is seriously impressive.
For one thi