Thought to re-upload this little album I previously released in 2020. All tracks created, mixed and arranged by dan j. wilcox

Space Seal

Jolly Roger's Rave

Gölden Spönge

Heat Taker

Anyone with a passing interest in footwork and juke will know of Traxman. Corky Strong has a long history in the world of Chicago dance music, first releasing on the legendary Dance Mania label—which is now celebrating 40 years—in the mid-'90s. He's since split his productions between ghetto house, juke and footwork, releasing alongside titans of Black American music like the late DJ Deeon and DJ Rashad. Strong went on to become a member of DJ Rashad's renowned Teklife crew, and he was one of the creators of the legendary mixtapes on coloured cassettes that became a prototype for juke and footwork's evolution. 

In this Exchange, Strong speaks with RA's Kiana Mickles in New York about how he first became introduced to this world through his cousins, with whom he'd listen to funk and slow jams, Parliament Funkadelic, Farley Jackmaster Funk, James Brown and a variety of hip-hop throughout the '80s. The pieces eventually fell into place, he recounts, when he met the "mysterious kid" DJ Rashad in 1997. Together, they helped shape the music scene in Chicago, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Over the last few years, Strong has been celebrating footwork's past by putting out a series of albums called Da Mind of Traxman on Planet Mu. He's just released his third volume, and his first since 2014, which was crafted with the help of fellow Planet Mu artist Sinjin Hawke. Strong took on A&R duties to collate the best from hundreds of tracks dating back to 2005. The series is notable in part because it's a catalogue of footwork and its Chicago lineage—juke and house—as well as these genres' soul, funk and rock roots.  

Strong talks to Mickles about what Chicago's music scene was like in the '80s and '90s, why footwork was so rooted in dancing and where the genre is heading in the future. Listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula

EX.753 Traxman

"We made something we could dance to." The Chicago juke and footwork pioneer reflects on 40 years of Dance Mania and his longtime collaboration with the late DJ Rashad.

Anyone with a passing interest in footwork and juke will know of Traxman. Corky Strong has a long history in the world of Chicago dance music, first releasing on the legendary Dance Mania label—which is now celebrating 40 years—in the mid-'90s. He's since split his productions between ghetto house, juke and footwork, releasing alongside titans of Black American music like the late DJ Deeon and DJ Rashad. Strong went on to become a member of DJ Rashad's renowned Teklife crew, and he was one of the creators of the legendary mixtapes on coloured cassettes that became a prototype for juke and footwork's evolution. 

In this Exchange, Strong speaks with RA's Kiana Mickles in New York about how he first became introduced to this world through his cousins, with whom he'd listen to funk and slow jams, Parliament Funkadelic, Farley Jackmaster Funk, James Brown and a variety of hip-hop throughout the '80s. The pieces eventually fell into place, he recounts, when he met the "mysterious kid" DJ Rashad in 1997. Together, they helped shape the music scene in Chicago, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Over the last few years, Strong has been celebrating footwork's past by putting out a series of albums called Da Mind of Traxman on Planet Mu. He's just released his third volume, and his first since 2014, which was crafted with the help of fellow Planet Mu artist Sinjin Hawke. Strong took on A&R duties to collate the best from hundreds of tracks dating back to 2005. The series is notable in part because it's a catalogue of footwork and its Chicago lineage—juke and house—as well as these genres' soul, funk and rock roots.  

Strong talks to Mickles about what Chicago's music scene was like in the '80s and '90s, why footwork was so rooted in dancing and where the genre is heading in the future. Listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula

GET THE EP HERE :
bedroomresearch.bandcamp.com/album/bedroom-research-ep

The present tracks were produced circa 2000-2001 and are my first releases as "Subjex". This EP was "hidden" inside a compilation i curated for a small local label (Tot-Al Records, released in 2002) and that i called "Bedroom Research" because, at the time, my friends and i were living in tiny rooms, with a mattress thrown on the floor and a computer, exploring sound 24/7. I decided to keep this fancy name and make it the one of a collective and a label... A starting point.

Thanks for your curiosity and support! <3
Matt
credits
released March 4, 2025

Written & Produced by Matthieu Debliqui

Artwork courtesy of Matthieu Bourel aka "Electric Kettle", i just added the typo! ;) Thanks brother!
Check his awesome work here: dojo.electrickettle.fr

Subjex - Bedroom Research Ep - PREVIEW

Granular Detail

Made Our Love

part of the 30th anniversary of Aphex Twin's 'I Care Because You Do...' 
https://braindancenews.bandcamp.com/

ICCT HEDRAL (dan j. wilcox cover)

Prolific UK-based producer, Frankie Alpha segues elements of house, techno and club sounds into crafted, technical productions which are equally at home on the dancefloor as the car stereo. With a sound that refuses to be confined to one genre, incorporating ambient, IDM and downtempo, Alpha weaves together sonic and visual storytelling, with artwork mirroring his approach to production: minimal yet expansive, structured yet open-ended.
Over the last year and a bit, Alpha has dropped a series of self-released colour coded singles ranging from the rolling house grooves on ‘My Energy My Salted Butter’ to the sonic gradient in 'The End Never Ends' - a horizon that never quite settles.
One part of alternative/indie duo, 'Dope Rooms', this multi-instrumentalist is a curious producer with a strong love for percussive, melodic grooves. With shimmering synths, quirky vocals, and rhythms that make you wanna move, it’s music that feels like golden hour on repeat, reminiscent of good times with friends.

Electronic Musician / Multimedia Producer

More Edits & Remixes, MIxes & Beats & Skratches @
https://andrebravoxculo.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/brvobts
https://soundcloud.com/androidosloflow
http://www.soundcloud.com/culoculoculo

The weekly RA Exchange is a series of conversations with artists, labels and promoters shaping the electronic music landscape.

New tracks tagged #PLanet Mu