The Teklife Crew Kicks Off 2020 With a New 'TEKLIFE VIP' Compilation

After all of the holiday jazz about gifts and resolutions, there are certain traditions this time of year that I can't wait for. One of them is the TEKLIFE crew's yearly VIP compilation full of bangers from their heaviest hitters. Overnight, they unleashed the 2020 version, which features 17 footwork bangers from everyone, from DJ Spinn to Traxman. For what it's worth, I'd say hit up Gant-Man's Public Enemy flip. He DID that.

You can stream the full project below, and head over to their website to grab the .zip for free.

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Download the 31-Track TEKLIFE VIP 2019 Compilation

The TEKLIFE camp has been solid this year; albums from DJ Taye, Heavee, and others have helped me personally get by, and truth be told, the TEKLIFE stamp of approval is all I need. That said, I woke up this morning noticing some cuts being thrown onto their YouTube page, and low and behold, they've dropped a massive 31-TRACK COMPILATION on SoundCloud. The whole squad is here, from the aforementioned names to DJ Manny, Jana Rush, Traxman, DJ Earl, DJ Spinn, DJ Chap, DJ Paypal, and many, many others, including combinations of the mentioned names.

You can stream the full project below, and download it for free via the TEKLIFE website. Best way to end a fucked up year.

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DJ Chap Blends All of the Genres In New Release, 'El Mundo Es Tuyo'

Feels like it's been a minute since we've heard from DJ Chap, but realistically, we rocked to Saint Elsewhere back in May. Since then, his Baile Furioso EP has been getting some love, and this week he also dropped El Mundo Es Tuyo. A "mixtape" featuring material he's made over the last year or so, Chap says the project was inspired by "r&b, jungle, ambient music and progressive rock." If you know what time it is with Chap, that still doesn't dive into the meat of this project.

What's wild is, I had just been asking about the lack of bootleg dance remixes, but then realized that they just hide in footwork releases, under different names. Not only does Chap flip Kanye West and Lil Pump's "I Love It" on this release, to this hypnotic SWV rework that I forgot I'd been sitting on for a WHILE.

Releases like these make me remember why I love when capable producers start to question what's been given to us, putting their own spin on these gems. You can stream El Mundo Es Tuyo down below, and cop it over on Bandcamp.

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DJ Chap Drops Footwork-out 'Saint Elsewhere'

Image via Alfred Englis

In the mood for some footwork on your Sunday afternoon? Take a trip to Saint Elsewhere, courtesy of DJ Chap. This five-track EP feels like his first release in a minute, and is one to really soak into. Not too many people can take Tribe Called Quest interludes and turn them into fully-functioning tracks, but then again, not too many producers are Chap. There's something about the sample choices that he puts out there; cuts like "Speakers" put you in a dreamscape, while "300 Conejos" feels like a full-on journey to a gunfight. It's an intoxicating adventure that you can cop right now, via Bandcamp.

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Stream DJ Manny's "Footwork Masterclass" 'Greenlight'

Image via LIKES.THIS

I'm not sure if Fall is for footworkers, but it feels like most of the illest footwork comes out this time of the year; maybe it has something to do with footwork pioneer DJ Rashad's birthday being October 9th. Whatever the case may be, one of Rashad's proteges, DJ Manny, has unleashed what the Teklife crew is calling a "footwork masterclass" in the form of his latest project, Greenlight. I've had it on since it dropped on the 6th and have been enamored. It's the proper mixture of special Teklife bass thumps and UK jungle-leaning breakbeat editing, laced with hypnotic synths and call-and-response hooks.

In typical Teklife fashion, Manny doesn't shy from putting the squad on. Burgeoning bass beast DJ Taye (a duo who knocked out the memorable "Burnin Ya Boa") is featured on half of the album's 10 tracks, but you're also hearing from the likes of DJ Chap and DJ LUCKY, but don't get it twisted; cuts like "Like That" highlight Manny being comfortable enough on his own to churn out solo BANGERS.

You can stream the entire album below, but it's highly recommended that you cop Greenlight digitally or on vinyl. And note, you can get a vinyl album AND a Greenlight t-shirt if you cop from Cargo.

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Taso Picks Up Where He Left Off With 'Cold Heat Vol. 9'

Image via Reza Iman

In 2016, TEKLIFE member Taso was looking to drop an EP a month in a series he called "Cold Heat." For some reason, he got to Vol. 8 and ended up falling off, but has picked it up a year and a month later with Vol. 9, which hit his Bandcamp page this week. He might not be there when you call, but judging by the sound of this one, he's always on time.

It's dope, because every time I feel like I'm lacking in new footwork, the universe hits me in the face with a bunch of new (and forthcoming) tracks. This EP featured collabs with DJ Earl, Sam Binga, and a posse cut called "Tired" featuring Taso alongside DJ Manny (who has a new album, Greenlight, due out in October), DJ Chap (who has a dope remix/bootleg release that you need to rock with), and DJ Boylan.

Dope four-tracker for a dope price. And if you like what you hear, check out Taso's new promo mix (and a video for "West is the Best") down below.

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The Month of August Has Basically Been "TEKLIFE" Month

I almost just wrote "Chicago's TEKLIFE crew," but it's way past that. Sure, the crux of the squad is a gang of producers and DJs from the Chi, but the sound and style has gone global. This month in particular has been pretty amazing for the squad, and instead of chopping up different posts, I figured a dope collection of what's been going on with the crew in one spot would make sense. Hit the jump and get educated... and some free tracks!

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