# The Waxonia Desk: Footwork Travels

Five records tracing how Chicago's footwork reached a listening audience that had never seen the dancing — mostly through a British label that spent a decade putting it in front of everybody else.

- **Picks:** 5
- **Genre:** Juke and Footwork
- **Years:** 1997–2013
- **Curator:** The Waxonia Desk
- **Updated:** 2026-08-29
- **Curator's page:** https://waxonia.com/artist/the-desk/
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-footwork-travels/

## The picks

Selected, not ranked — the order is the curator’s, and carries no claim about which is best.

### [DJ Nate](https://waxonia.com/artist/dj-nate/) — [Hatas Our Motivation](https://waxonia.com/track/dj-nate--hatas-our-motivation/)

*2010 · Planet Mu*

The first footwork signing a foreign label made, found by following YouTube uploads back to a contact address. The distance between hearing this music and being able to release it was the whole problem.

Also on: [Juke and Footwork](https://waxonia.com/genre/juke-and-footwork/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/DJ%20Nate%20Hatas%20Our%20Motivation) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=hMWOlHaDs-I)

### [RP Boo](https://waxonia.com/artist/rp-boo/) — [Baby Come On](https://waxonia.com/track/rp-boo--baby-come-on/)

*1997 · Dance Mania*

The record usually named as the first of its kind, thirteen years older than the compilations that made the genre legible abroad. A scene is always much older than its export edition.

Also on: [Juke and Footwork](https://waxonia.com/genre/juke-and-footwork/), [The Waxonia Desk — 160](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-160/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/RP%20Boo%20Baby%20Come%20On) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=L17sHYmwTWY)

### [Traxman](https://waxonia.com/artist/traxman/) — [Footworkin on Air](https://waxonia.com/track/traxman--footworkin-on-air/)

*2012 · Planet Mu*

The crate-digger's answer to the accusation that footwork is only rhythm. This is the record you put on for somebody who has decided the genre has no melody in it.

Also on: [Juke and Footwork](https://waxonia.com/genre/juke-and-footwork/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Traxman%20Footworkin%20on%20Air) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=LnunCPpdNzQ)

### [DJ Rashad](https://waxonia.com/artist/dj-rashad/) — [Feelin](https://waxonia.com/track/dj-rashad--feelin/)

*2013 · Hyperdub*

The one that went furthest, and it went out on somebody else's label. Opening a door and then watching other people walk through it is the standard fate of a scene's first champion.

Also on: [Juke and Footwork](https://waxonia.com/genre/juke-and-footwork/), [The Waxonia Desk — 160](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-160/), [The Waxonia Desk — Ghosts](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-ghosts/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/DJ%20Rashad%20Feelin) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=MC5zj4eLM3k)

### [Jlin](https://waxonia.com/artist/jlin/) — [Erotic Heat](https://waxonia.com/track/jlin--erotic-heat/)

*2011 · Planet Mu*

Footwork with the samples taken out and the battle taken out, by somebody who never made tracks for dancers. Whether it is still footwork is a fair question, and the answer is probably no.

Also on: [Juke and Footwork](https://waxonia.com/genre/juke-and-footwork/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Jlin%20Erotic%20Heat) · [Search YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/search?q=Jlin%20Erotic%20Heat)

## About the curator

The people who write the rankings on this site. We keep the lists honest, we argue about the order, and we get asked the same question more than any other: where should someone actually start. These are our answers.

Elsewhere: https://waxonia.com/

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.