heavee: wfm

Heavee's eight-track album WFM features new collaborations with DJ Phil, Gantman, DJ Paypal, and Sirr Tmo, and a previously unreleased classic from 2013, co-written with DJ Rashad. The first thing that jumps out is Heavee's masterful use of synthesizers and sound design. You get the sense that these elements have been lovingly crafted during countless hours of sonic experimentation and invention in the studio. The primary focus on synths represents a departure from his usual creative process. Heavee has made a conscious decision to challenge himself, adopting a different approach to his past productions. In doing so, he moves away from the familiar sampling techniques which characterized his earlier work: "I am a child of the last days of ghetto house culture as it shifted into juke/footwork. My parents, aunties, and uncles played house and ghetto house music at family functions, BBQs, and house parties. That's my roots and where I came from. However, on this record, I chose to stray away from vocal samples, to give myself room to grow in different areas." Heavee finds his voice in emphatic fashion on "Cloud Ride" DJ Phil. His lyrical content and flow are on point as the track flips seamlessly from hip hop to footwork and back again. DJ Phil features on three tracks in total, a reflection of Heavee and Phil's close friendship and musical connection. "It's Wack" is a classic collaboration with DJ Rashad that still sounds fresh today. Heavee remembers how Rashad would always stay connected: "We'd get calls no matter where he was. We would talk about everything! He ALWAYS had new info; what new music was popping, scenes that were really accepting or supportive of what we were doing, blends that made the party go off, sites, adventures and just fuel us with support from him and give us living proof of the global support that was to come and the journey that was ahead of us." Although Heavee makes music with the dancefloor firmly in mind, the sheer quality of his music transcends that space. So sit back and enjoy the next chapter in the Teklife story.