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Heavee's take on footwork has evolved far beyond the style's origins, incorporating video game-style melodies, slower tempos, and more atmospheric textures.
Unleash, his first full-length for
Hyperdub, expands his range while looking back and acknowledging the influence of earlier movements in music. Following the gentle, poised opener "StarSeeker," the album veers off into more experimental directions with "Unlock!," a matrix of intricate yet minimal code-like rhythms and miles of open space. On "Search N'4,"
BABii's intimate vocals are surrounded by squirting synths over easygoing but slightly jittery knocking beats. "CanUFeelit" directly samples an early-'90s New Jersey house classic ("Follow Me" by
Aly-Us), and other tracks like "Bounce Dat" and "WorkMe" are essentially hi-tech interpretations of
Dance Mania-style ghetto house. The brash, futuristic "Whiplash" has beefed-up distortion and angular rhythms, bridging footwork with the deconstructed club scene. For all the album's experimentation,
Heavee also displays a knack for delivering direct raps and lyrical hooks, as on "Sumthin Different." "Smoke Break," the record's final track, is a mellow jazz diversion with elegant saxophone playing by Japanese composer
Takuya Nakamura.
Unleash has its share of tracks that would do proper damage during a footwork dance battle, but it also has a wealth of material that rockets into uncharted territory, proving that
Heavee is one of the most daring sound designers in the game. ~ Paul Simpson
