Legacy, Vol. 2

Ten years after Planet Mu released Legacy, a crucial anthology of tracks by Chicago footwork innovator RP Boo, the label issued a second volume, focusing on further material from the 2000s. By the time Legacy, Vol. 2 appeared in 2023, Boo had become a mainstay of the label, releasing several albums and EPs of classic older tracks as well as concurrent material. Even to listeners familiar with all of his releases, Boos approaches to sampling and rhythmic construction manage to surprise and confound. He often loops passages that seem crooked or oblong, requiring several listens to finally click in place -- the wobbly, off-time "B.O.T.O" is a particular ear puzzle, and the spiraling samples of "Azzoutof Control" are also mind-bending. He seems to drop samples in at random, like the bits from Ozzys "Shot in the Dark" that unexpectedly pop up throughout "Say Grace." Yet he also has so many tracks that are just straight-up dancefloor killers, like "Heavy Heat" and "Off Da Hook," both of which bookended the compilation Bangs & Works, Vol. 2. "Pop Machine" turns frustration at a broken vending machine into a gleeful dance anthem, and "Porno" has mischievous fun looping smutty samples. Legacy, Vol. 2 rounds up key tracks that werent included on Boos previous albums, along with plenty of gleeful surprises. ~ Paul Simpson