Review:
Dance Mania's mythical Traxman is back with a romping-stomping, leviathan of a compilation on Lit City Trax. Apparently this LP has been in the works for a long time and is finally all done and dusted, bringing you twenty-one tracks ranging from gnarly, half-step drum machine rhythms such as "Buddha Muzik" to more ghetto/juke flavoured anthems like "Blow Your Whistle" or "Bussin", featuring the equally as legendary DJ Rashad. The entire LP simply screams Chicago and its many facets or sub-genres of ghetto house - it's one for the lovers and not the playa haters! Traxman coming in hard yet again...
Review:
Cornelius Ferguson, or otherwise known as the mighty Traxman, has a long and respectful history when it comes to that 'ghetto' house sound and the whole footwork-juke continuum. Among other labels, he's been a part of Dance Mania, but has also given the UK's Planet Mu a credible angle into the US scene thanks to two killer albums. This new EP on Good Street is all fun and play, with both "Faces" and "Dusty Loopz" strutting their lively melodies amid fast-paced percussion knots. He appears alongside DJ Phil on the more mystical "Mystery Jazz", and with the infamous DJ Deeon on the classic DM-style ghetto joint "All U Pussy MF". "Long Dik Style" brings things to a close with a broken, shifting rhythm that pushes sampling to its limits.
Review:
A leading figure and respected elder in the Teklife family, Traxman has waited patiently while releases from young upstarts like Taso and Dj Earl have been enjoyed by footwork lovers all over the world. Now the time has come for him to take centre stage, presenting a collection of new material that demonstrates his mastery of the sound. Cornelius Ferguson is a mainstay of the Chicago underground, with a discography stretching back to the golden era of Dance Mania Records in the '90s. Ghetto house was an important precursor to Footwork, and Ferguson was a key figure during this transition. Highlights on Tekvision include the jagged deepness of "Be Gagen" (featuring DJ Earl), while "Drop It Down" and "Twist The Party Out" pay homage to the origins of juke and footwork.
