Pre-pubescent Japanese kids know every DJ Rashad track by heart; Londoners can be found fucking with lesser-knowns like DJ YB and DJ Rolow; even extraterrestrials are battling to Young Smoke’s Planet Mu LP Space Zone. But not nearly enough people are getting down with the raw, gritty trax of RP Boo, the “creator of footwork.” (That’s not a self-proclaimed title — dude has a trophy to prove it.) Of course, any claims to actually “creating” a whole genre of music is crazy, but there’s no disputing the fact that RP Boo, with his classic Dude Off 59th Street mixtape and specifically with quintessential footwork track “Heavy Heat” (1999), pioneered the dominating template that has since been copped many times over.
Aside from appearing on both Planet Mu comps, RP Boo (also known as Arpebu and Kavain W. Space) has been relatively quiet throughout footwork’s ascension to international recognition, but every now and again he’ll release a track via SoundCloud. His most recent is “AREA 72!,” an ode to Chicago’s community 72, Beverly, which features the skittering snares, paranoid atmosphere, and syncopated bass thuds that characterize the type of footwork tracks that drew many of us to the style in the first place. Respect is due:
• RP Boo: http://soundcloud.com/arpebu
