Dropping December 5, 2025 HAYWARDxDÄLEK (Relapse Records), the new collaborative project from celebrated This Heat drummer Charles Hayward and rapper/producer Will Brooks (MC dälek), releases its final pre-album single today, offering a last glimpse into the duo’s creative and boundary-pushing collaboration.

Following the hard-hitting charge of “Breathe Slow” and the sweeping, percussion-driven force of “Re-Evolution,” the latest single “Asymmetric” (listen here and below) arrives as the project’s next bold statement, pairing razor-sharp lyricism with adventurous production. Initially conceived as an instrumental, the track’s raw drums, brooding undertones, and propulsive synths set the stage for what ultimately became one of the album’s most stirring and dynamic vocal performances…

Speaking about the creative process, Brooks explains what drew him back to the track:

“Asymmetric was one of the tracks I couldn’t leave alone. In its original form, it was instrumental, but the rawness of the drums, drone and driving synth just spoke to me as an MC. Lyrically, as I say in there: ‘the movements seem manic’ The stream of conscious flow, touches on various subjects and came to me because of the overall feel of the track. The hook ‘These circular patterns produce asymmetry’ speaks to how the ‘looped’ and repetitive nature of this music can produce unexpected results and anomalies. The slightest shift in timing changes everything… this can be applied to the world at large as well.”

HAYWARDxDÄLEK combines daring improvisation with hip-hop-informed sampling; it’s a thrilling tour de force journey 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 sees Charles Hayward and MC dälek bridge generations and continents, uniting South East London and New Jersey in a scintillating exploration of rhythm, abstraction, and sonic architecture. It’s a striking album that traverses the lines between hip-hop, noise-rock, ambient soundscapes, and free improvisation.

While the September 2023 session in Salford was where the duo laid the groundwork for  HAYWARDxDÄLEK, its heart was forged through the friendship Brooks and Hayward have cultivated since the late 2000s. After connecting through a mutual friend, Hayward visited Deadverse Studio and was immediately struck by Brooks and his crew’s freeform approach to hip-hop. Brooks recalls that initial meeting: “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.” Hayward reflects on that same session: “I learned so much in those four days at Deadverse Studio. 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 UK, and Charles actually rode in the van with us,” says Brooks. “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 partnership adds a striking depth to HAYWARDxDÄLEK. “Increments” opens the album with an ominous half-bar drone, quickly disrupted, or perhaps augmented by Hayward’s jagged half-time kick/snare pattern and rapid 16th-note hi-hats. Tracks like “Between The Word and The Drum” and “Asymmetric” fuse ghostly synths and samples with Brooks’ furious lyricism, confronting the violent and impossibly cruel state of the world today. For all its complexity and playful experimentation,  HAYWARDxDÄLEK remains a weighty, deeply human record and one that models how collaboration can foster understanding and connection.

Hayward reflects on the process: “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.”