HAYWARDxDÄLEK is the brand new collaborative album from This Heat drummer and creative force Charles Hayward and rapper/producer Will Brooks (aka MC dälek). Combining daring improvisation with hip-hop-informed sampling, the album is a thrilling trip into an uncharted new world of sound and possibility.

The collaboration came together through Samarbeta, a residency and artist development programme produced by From the Other in Salford, UK. The bulk of the music was recorded live in September 2023, Hayward improvised on drums and synthesizer, while Brooks played an SP-404 sampler and an iPad loaded with Samplr sampling software. Written over two feverish days in a studio at Islington Mill, the songs came to life in a blur of inspiration. They were recorded soon after in the New Adelphi Studios at the University of Salford before the duo spent just one day shaping a live version, which they debuted at Fat Out Fest. The entire process, from first note to live performance, unfolded in a single, whirlwind week. Brooks then took the live recording back to his Deadverse Studio headquarters in Union City, New Jersey, for mixing and adding lyrics for “Between the Word and the Drum,” “Asymmetric,” and “As Children Chant.”

The resulting body of work finds Charles Hayward and MC dälek bridging generations and continents, linking South East London and New Jersey through a scintillating exploration of rhythm, abstraction, and sonic architecture. HAYWARDxDÄLEK is a bold collision of hip-hop, noise-rock, ambient textures, and free improvisation, a boundary-blurring statement from two restless innovators.

While the September session in Salford was where the duo built the bones of this record, its heart was forged in the friendship that Brooks and Hayward have cultivated since the late 2000s. After connecting through a mutual friend, Hayward turned up at Deadverse Studio and was immediately struck by Brooks and his crew’s freeform approach to hip-hop. Brooks recalls that initial session.

“I remember me and (dälek group members) DJ Rek and Oktopus waiting for him to show up. When he showed up at the studio, Rek was back-spinning This Heat records and Charles was bugging out.” “I learned so much in those four days at Deadverse Studio.“ Hayward recalls. “It just felt like a really ecstatic experience to me.”

Following those initial sessions at Deadverse, the duo embarked on the ultimate test of musical camaraderie: going on tour. “We did a week-long tour throughout the U.K., and Charles actually rode in the van with us. I figured if this man was able to handle a week in the van with all of our madness, he's good people.”

This cross-cultural, intergenerational relationship only adds to the richness of HAYWARDxDÄLEK. “Increments” opens the album with an ominous half-bar drone that is quickly disrupted (or augmented?) by Hayward’s jagged, half-time kick/snare pattern and 16th note hi-hat. Songs like “Between The Word and The Drum” and “Asymmetric” pair ghostly synths and samples with Brook’s furious lyrics, decrying the violent and impossibly cruel state of the world today. For all of its complexities and playful experimentation, HAYWARDxDÄLEK is a substantial and heavy record. At its heart, the record is a model for how collaboration can facilitate understanding and connection. Hayward explains how working with Brooks has opened new avenues of expression for him, with the music carving out a pathway toward the future.

“It's just a big learning curve, and it's a big exchange that keeps everything alive. It's easy to sort of just acquiesce and be what you were, but working with Will has changed my head.”

Will Brooks (MC dälek) is a rapper and producer who stands as a true pioneer of alternative hip-hop. Through his acclaimed group dälek and his label/recording studio Deadverse, he emerged from the mid-1990s New Jersey DIY scene to forge a singular, uncompromising sound. For more than two decades, dälek has delivered groundbreaking albums on Mike Patton’s Ipecac Recordings that have captivated fans and critics alike, earning recognition across hip-hop, electronic, metal, shoegaze, jazz, and experimental circles.

Charles Hayward is an English drummer/singer/composer and was a founding member of the influential experimental bands This Heat and Camberwell Now. The former has profoundly influenced and inspired generations of artists, including Sonic Youth, Steve Albini, Massive Attack, Dean Blunt, David Grubbs, Squid, Dan Snaith (Caribou), and many more. Across five decades, Hayward has forged a singular approach to sound, blending improvisation, song, and abstraction, and channelling order and chaos into creative force. Since the late 1980s, he has released visionary solo projects and performed worldwide, exploring the outer edges of song and sound. A prolific collaborator, he’s worked with Bill Laswell and Fred Frith in Massacre, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor in About Group, and Pat Thomas and John Edwards in Albert Newton.

About From the Other: Independent creative producers, From The Other, specialise in innovative music commissions and live events, with a focus on championing underrepresented artists, cross-art collaborations and grassroots culture. From The Other champions all things experimental through their renowned Fat Out programme, with special events and festivals platforming intense, queer and downright rowdy music and performance. Their residency programme Samarbeta encourages the production of new and adventurous music, supporting musicians to come together and collaborate.