DJ Manny

DJ Manny crafts productions within Chicago’s juke and footwork community that retain intense drive while appearing marginally less frantic than those of some contemporaries. His approach centers on powerful low-end frequencies, pared-down samples, synthesizer melodies, and sporadic breakbeats, yielding tracks suited to the style’s celebrated dance competitions yet marked by greater poise and introspection. He maintains regular partnerships with fellow Teklife members such as DJ Spinn, DJ Earl, and the late DJ Rashad. His catalog comprises numerous digital releases and EPs alongside the full-length albums Greenlight (2017), Signals in My Head (2021), and Hypnotized (2023).

Manuel Gaines first entered the scene as a dancer and aligned himself with the Ghettoteknitianz crew alongside producers including DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, and Traxman. The crew later became Teklife, after which Manny contributed to recordings by affiliates such as DJ Earl and DJ Taye while issuing numerous solo digital tracks on labels including Ghettophiles, Hoko Sounds, and TAR. Teklife released his first proper album, Greenlight, in 2017. He sustained a steady stream of digital output and supplied a track for DJ Taye’s 2018 Hyperdub album Still Trippin’. Planet Mu issued Signals in My Head in 2021, a record shaped by smooth R&B as well as house and drum’n’bass. The EP Feet Start Dancing appeared on Moveltraxx in 2023. Later that year he returned to Planet Mu for both the Control EP and the album Hypnotized.