Review: Dälek & Charles Hayward ‘HAYWARDxDÄLEK’
Challenging, intense, and fearless, a fascinating meeting of two restless creative forces.
I had never heard Dälek before this record. The only reason I arrived here was Charlie Hayward… curiosity more than anything else. But by the end of the album, I understood exactly why he was here.
Charles Hayward is best known as the drummer and driving force behind the legendary experimental band This Heat. He also played with Quiet Sun with Phill Manzanera and later with Massacre with Bill Laswell. Since the late ’70s, he has remained one of the most inventive figures in the UK avant-rock scene, constantly exploring rhythm, improvisation, and the outer edges of rock music.
On the other side is Will Brooks, better known as MC Dälek, whose work has pushed hip-hop into darker territory by blending heavy noise textures, industrial atmospheres, and politically charged lyrics.
Their collaboration HAYWARD×DÄLEK brings those two worlds together: free improvisation, hip-hop, drones, and noise-rock fused into something dense, intense, and unpredictable.
Most of the music was created during a residency in Salford, UK. Over two intense days, Hayward improvised on drums and synthesiser while Brooks worked with a sampler and an iPad. The sessions were recorded live soon after, and the duo even managed to prepare a live version within the same week. Brooks later mixed the material and added vocals to several tracks.
Despite the technology involved, the record is driven mostly by Hayward’s drumming. The electronics and drones function more as textures than programmed beats, creating a shifting sonic landscape rather than a conventional hip-hop structure.
An interesting and unique improvisational record that deserves to be heard…
The album opens with Increments, where said drones and restless percussion slowly build tension. Between The Word And The Drum deepens the uneasy atmosphere before the first vocal appearance. Breathe Slowintroduces heavy clattering beats with a strange, claustrophobic groove, whereas Salvage moves slowly and massively, like tectonic plates grinding together. The free-form Antiphony drifts into abstract territory with scattered percussion floating over hovering hums.
One of the most recognisable Dälek moments appears on Asymmetric, where his rapid-fire delivery rides over relentless live drumming and murky atmospherics. As Children Chant takes a darker turn, building a disturbing atmosphere that becomes genuinely unsettling.
The near eleven-minute Sojourn offers one of the album’s most interesting dynamics, beginning with calm notes and drifting drones before erupting into pounding drums and harsh textures. The closing track Re-Evolutionunleashes full sonic chaos with manic drumming, scorching drones, and ghostly voices swirling through the mix.
This is not an easy listen, but that seems to be the intention. HAYWARD×DÄLEK feels less like a traditional collaboration and more like a document of two musicians pushing each other into unknown territory. Hayward’s improvisational instincts and Dälek’s dark sonic world collide on a collaboration that is intense, abstract, and at times overwhelming.
An interesting and unique improvisational record that deserves to be heard and appreciated.
Label: Relapse Records
Dälek: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Charles Hayward: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Renzo
