Heavee: Unleash (Vinyl LP)

Heavee is a Queer Chicagoan DJ and producer with a long history in footwork. His 2022 Audio Assault EP on Hyperdub showcased synth-driven, melodic footwork, but Unleash goes much further into audio world-building, with a fresh, spongy and citrus-y sound palette and rich, bright chord sequences.It's minimal, airy, balancing light and dark, sometimes breezy and sometimes clinical.

Heavee works simultaneously outside and inside the box, rebuilding footwork's framework and vibe to his own unique specification. Rhythmically, it's dance floor ready, using footwork's 160 template as a springboard for building new drum sounds to express these rhythms, and draws from R&B, rap, jazz and grime, with a sprinkling of bitter-sweet vintage Detroit techno. Unleash takes footwork’s “eats all” approach to music and leads it in a fresh direction with a freedom of spirit. It's a strong addition to the footwork cannon and shows that experiments in dance music can be fun.

Black vinyl version.

1. StarSeeker
   
2. Unlock
   
3. SearchN 4 ft. Babii
   
4. Bang Bang
   
5. Can U Feel It
   
6. Bounce Dat ft. PayPal & DanTOG
   
7. Unleash
   
8. See the Sun
   
9. Whiplash
   
10. Sumthin Different
    
11. Heart Fragments
    
12. Work Me
    
13. Make it Work
    
14. Smoke Break ft. Homesiick & Takuya Nakamura