“This album might be great listening if someone is in a dark place,” says Chicago producer Jana Rush, discussing her new album Painful Enlightenment with Joe Muggs in The Wire 450. “And it does reflect what depression is... but it has some sort of abstract passion that burns like fire. The harshness of the sounds and frequencies are an interpretation of my aggression as well as my pursuit of empowerment.”

Read more about Rush's second album and her journey towards it inside the August 2021 issue of The Wire. This mix features unreleased tracks by the producer as well as other footwork and juke artists such as DJ Clent and EQ Why.

Tracklist

Jana Rush “Bright Lights”
Jana Rush “Carmen”
Jana Rush “Shadows”
Jana Rush “Living In Solitude”
Jana Rush “Bring Da Pain (Remix)”
DJ Rashad “Reverb”
Traxman “Beat That Bitch”
Jana Rush “Dem Chords”
Prototype “Outkast”
Jana Rush “Bit By Byte”
Jana Rush “Weird Thought”
Jana Rush “Meditation Station”
DJ Hank “Satisfy U”
EQ Why “Fuk Dat Hoe”
EQ Why “Space Track”
DJ Hank “I Like It”
Orange Julius “Shopping Spree”
DJ Clent “From Da Back”
DJ Clent “Dance (Remix)”
K.Locke “Untitled”

Wire subscribers can read Rush's interview via the online archive and download an exclusive track by the artist as part of Below The Radar 27. Painful Enlightenment is released by Planet Mu.