Juke
House · 2002 · 150 to 160 BPM · also known as Chicago Juke
Juke is Chicago ghetto house accelerated at the turn of the 2000s, up to 150 or 160 beats per minute, built for the south side's dance battles. Triplet toms, 808 basslines and vocals chopped into syllables create a permanent sense of syncopation. It sits as the intermediate step between ghetto house and footwork, and where exactly the border falls remains a debate among connoisseurs.
16 reference tracks
- DJ Slugo: Freaky Ride (2002)
- DJ Clent: Back Up Off Me (2004)
- DJ Slugo: Godzilla (2003)
- DJ Gant-Man: Juke Dat Girl (2005)
- Traxman: Footworkin On Air (2012)
- DJ Rashad: Ghost (2013)
- ILLENIUM: Wouldn't Change A Thing (2021)
- DJ Deeon: Yeah (2022)
- DJ Manny: Bubbly (2023)
- Fire Boys: Yarushikanee / Let'S Go (2023)
- DJ Spinn: Bounce N Break Yo Back (2024)
- Doechii: BOOM BAP
- DJ Rashad: Itz Not Rite
- DJ Spinn: All My Teklife
- Traxman: I Need Some Money
- DJ Rashad: Juke Them Thangs
At a glance
- Tempo: 150 to 160 BPM
- First appeared: around 2002
- Machines: Roland TR-808, FL Studio
- The sound: Roland TR-808 en triolets, Samples vocaux hachés, Basses sub 808
- Labels: Dance Mania, Teklife, Planet Mu, Juke Trax, Melting Bot
- Key artists: DJ Slugo, DJ Gant-Man, DJ Clent, Traxman
Producing Juke
Juke runs between 150 and 160 BPM, the zone where ghetto house turns into juke, with a nervous, syncopated feel: the kick no longer sits on a regular four beats but plays sixteenth-note motifs with rests, while 808 toms roll in triplets on top to create a second grid, a constant sense of three against two. Kick and bass are often the same 808, decayless for the kick and long-decay for the bass, playing a two or three note line with glides and no sidechain needed. The 808 toms are the real signature, three different pitches rolling in triplets in answer to the kick, with a clap on 2 and 4 or half-time on 3. On top, vocal samples chopped into syllables and stuttered in sixteenths or triplets, and simple monophonic square-wave leads.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Juke?
Juke is Chicago ghetto house accelerated at the turn of the 2000s, up to 150 or 160 beats per minute, built for the south side's dance battles. Triplet toms, 808 basslines and vocals chopped into syllables create a permanent sense of syncopation. It sits as the intermediate step between ghetto…
What tempo is Juke played at?
Between 150 and 160 BPM.
Who are the key Juke artists?
DJ Slugo, DJ Gant-Man, DJ Clent, Traxman.
