Chicago, IL-based footwork producer Heavee lays on a synth-heavy sound, marrying juke with wonky and video game-inspired melodies.

While taking part in a footwork dance group called Animosity in 2007, Heavee met genre stalwart DJ Earl, who persuaded him to take up producing. He was soon taken under the wing of footwork legend DJ Rashad, who would go on to act as a mentor to the young artist. In order to fund his early career, Heavee worked night shifts as a security guard; a turning point came when one of his DJ Rashad collaborations, "It's Wack," was featured in Grand Theft Auto V. Following up on his newfound exposure, he released two EPs, 2013's Altitude and 2014's B L I S S. He kept a relatively low profile for the next couple of years before appearing on a Fractal Fantasy compilation in 2017 called Visceral Minds 2. Heavee's debut album, 2018's WFM, arrived the following year on Teklife and featured guest spots from DJ Paypal and Gant-Man, as well as a previously unreleased collab with DJ Rashad. His 2022 EP Audio Assault, released through Hyperdub, was his first to heavily lean into the purple sound and video game soundtracks. ~ Liam Martin, Rovi