Don't Assume: RP Boo

_This is a radio edit of the Don’t Assume podcast series which was broadcast on podcast platforms in 2024. For this edit music has been added that directly reflects or relates to the conversation. _ Is this the happiest man in dance music? Kevain Space, better known as RP Boo, is widely regarded as one of the originators of footwork, a high-energy, syncopated form of electronic dance music from Chicago. Starting his career in the 1990s, RP Boo started out as a dancer and a DJ before developing his signature sound, which blends rapid beats, chopped-up samples, and frenetic rhythms designed to accompany fast-paced footwork moves. In this Don’t Assume interview Zakia and Boo get into the origins of Footwork in West Chicago, how the music evolved in lock step with the dancefloor and the influence of one dancer in particular who they were always trying to outpace. Boo talks about getting inspiration from the everyday, making songs out of the drinks machine at the garage where he worked or from overhead snatches of conversation. Boo’s energy is infectious, busting moves from the moment he got in, despite just having landed from Chicago and getting Zakia up to teach her some footwork basics. His take on life is that you can be spiritual while having fun, words to live by.