Underneath his producer alias dj blackpower, MIKE handles all however two of the album’s 24 tracks. (GAWD produced “African Intercourse Freak Fantasy,” whereas Laron is behind “Snake Allure.”) The beats vary from misty loops that evoke the sentimentality of Rely Bass D’s Dwight Spitz (“What U Say U Are,” “Let’s Have a Ball”) to cataclysmic landscapes (“plz don’t minimize my wings,” “needs to be!”). Burning Need illustrates MIKE’s evolution as a beatmaker, every music a tweezer-perfected terrarium of manipulated vocal samples, chunky loops, and rattling drums; the pockets of air MIKE finds inside them make room for a few of his most dexterous rapping but. Take “Zap!”, the place he bobs and weaves between brass stabs, or “African Intercourse Freak Fantasy,” the place his phrases ricochet off partitions of distorted bass like a rubber handball. The Liv.e and Venna-assisted “U assume Possibly?” marks the primary time that MIKE has integrated dwell instrumentation in his manufacturing discography. After two minutes of wistful call-and-response, the London saxophonist’s somber efficiency and Liv.e’s aching voice soften into tranquil concord.

As a prolific artist whose albums pull from a pool of acquainted collaborators, MIKE’s music can generally really feel insular, culled from an isolationist universe with little exterior affect. Burning Need doesn’t fairly crack his world open with surprising shock twists—Earl Sweatshirt returns, whereas Crumb’s Lila Ramani and the mysterious London singer mark william lewis make for refreshing visitors. Nevertheless it does level towards potential growth.

Earlier this 12 months, MIKE instructed me that he and his supervisor deliberate to function his profession like a “mom-and-pop retailer,” aiming to stretch alternatives so far as doable whereas staying small. Even with sponsorships from Supreme and Pepsi, occasions like Younger World display at the very least one type of dedication to that plan by prioritizing accessibility, intimacy, and neighborhood over self-gain. In line with an Okayplayer interview, MIKE handed on a headline present and as a substitute used the charges from SummerStage, the group that funded Younger World, to pay artists on his personal self-curated lineup. Burning Need feels comparable: an journey that preserves the homegrown spirit of MIKE’s music whereas taking a half-step towards one thing much more bold. “Thebe confirmed me Alc cash/Nonetheless be hella proud ’bout all of the shit I did with out cash,” he asserts on “Ho-Rizin.” On Burning Need, MIKE proves he’s nonetheless discovering methods to maintain that delight.