Offie Mag

It’s been a footwork-heavy February for us in the Offie Mag offices. Circus EP from Chicago’s very own DJ Manny dropped on 31/01, but surely we can be forgiven for rinsing this well into the year’s second month.

As I write this, I’m on a four-hour train from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to the island of Penang, running on minimal shut-eye but this project has brought me back to life. When fathers of Footwork—the late, great DJ Rashad and RP Boo—developed those original grooves in the late ’90s, I doubt they expected them to travel quite this far. But DJ Manny, a protégé of Rashad, has held it down, becoming one of Juke and Footwork’s most important figures over the last decade or so.

Released under London-based label Little Corner, Circus EP delivers three tracks that have gone straight onto my USB. Certified floor-fillers, 'Backdrop' and the titular 'Circus' are synthy groovers, but it’s the percussion that’ll get your feet moving—snares, claps, open hats, closed hats, all battling for domination while the 808 rumbles from the deep.

Rounding out the trio is an edit of Groove Theory’s 'Tell Me'. Characteristically, the pitch is raised, the samples are chopped, and the vocals become as rhythmic as they are melodic. Footwork can sometimes be hard to get into, but tracks like this are a great place to start.

You can listen to and buy Circus EP here.

Words from Louis Rowland.