Hyperdub to release new EP from Chicago footwork producer, Heavee: Listen
Chicago footwork dynamo Heavee, a mentee of the late DJ Rashad, is set to unleash a new EP, ‘Audio Assault’, via Hyperdub on 25th March.
Heavee drew inspiration for the six-track release from Video Game Music (VGM) soundtracks, envisioning “a series of moments in battle; the calm before the storm, the showdown, the battle, and the aftermath”, he said.
‘Audio Assault’ follows Heavee’s dizzying 2018 LP for Teklike, ‘WFM’, which packed standout collaborations with label alumni Gant-Man, DJ Paypal, DJ Phil, and Sirr Tmo into Heavee’s synth-favouring footwork. The album’s undeniable highlight came via a 2013 co-production with DJ Rashad, ‘It’s Wack’, which was featured on Grand Theft Auto.
The Chicago-based queer multidisciplinary artist, who began making music in 2009, also dropped into the ‘Nextlife’ 10th anniversary compilation in 2015 with his tracks ‘8 Bit Shit’ and ‘Icemaster’.
‘Audio Assault’ is out on all streaming platforms next month. You can listen to the first track, ‘Watch Yo Step (Feeling Myself)’, below.
Kode9’s Hyperdub imprint has been a critical force in shaping a more diverse electronic scene, both sonically and socially. Having weathered the loss of Chicago footworker DJ Rashad and British dub poet The Spaceape, the label found a new outlet for their borderless world building with cutting-edge London party Ø. Gabriel Szatan spoke to the key players that make up the 21st century’s most futuristic underground unit for DJ Mag’s August cover feature back in 2019, and you can read it here.
