Frank Heiss

What's this then, a drum & bass album that isn't some lame-ass attempt from a DJ trying to up his booking fee by putting out a record? Are there actually people making jungle who aren't DJs? You bet. Tube is Frank Heiss, who's American despite the fact that his "thank" list reads like a German techno guide. Like Philadelphia's jungle prodigy Jamie Myerson, he is a producer, not a DJ. However that fact doesn't hurt; it helps. Unlike a lot of DJ-Producers who are conscious of releasing music that isn't of the style they spin, Heiss is free to explore. From the dark and abstract "step Edit" to the free jazz of "Break Bop" to the rolling breaks and live percussion of "Piece by Piece" to the laid back groove of "Time and Time Again," 'Alive' is an exercise in the diversity and wealth of possibilities jungle has to offer.
- DJ Lovegrove - Urb Magazine May/June 1998

12:30am GMM Showcase, Club Onyx. I have to force myself out of bed for this one. But as soon as I'm in, Tube (Frank Heiss) immediately cheers me up. Working the tinny treble-heavy sound for all it's worth, he clutches a beer in one hand, tweaks knobs with the other, and occasionally lifts a fist in the spirit of rocking out. His infectious enthusiasm and clearly constructed tracks mark his appearance as one of the most original acts of the whole conference. The rest of the bill is an ambitious amalgamation of live acts (Headrillaz Sound Sytem, Space Girl, 187 etc...), DJs (J.Majik, Mixmaster Morris, Wally, and more), and film (an 8:00pm premier of Iara Lee's 'Modulations'). While there are reported no-shows, like Ed Rush and Nico, and the mostly WMC crowd is toast at this point, the attempt to carry off such an wide-reaching production is both admirable and refreshing. Whether it "failed" in terms of attendance or musical quality is not the point - at least they tried. - MixMag

Running the gambit from sample based compu-chunky beats to breathy melodic atmospheres local Boston producer Frank Heiss demonstrates his mastery in the fine art of drum and bass with the release of his new CD Steak. By bouncing rapidly between layers of cold and cranky bass and growling drums Heiss manages to lower defenses enough to inject the listener with his spooky musical intentions. Sliding in like a greased needle, a handful of short piano riffs echo like a haunted harpsichord, inoculating each track with a distinctive scheme all its own. While these brief filtered melodies are a personal favorite, the album is bolted together quite seamlessly, a short body of original work with an immunity to the waves of tired and overwrought drum and bass. Like a cat fight behind curtains Tube's drum lines can be frantic and panicky; a temper tantrum of speed breaks vying evenly with a grumpy strain of bass. Each tune sutures together equal parts tech and organic, producing a creature of fluid character lacking any signs of incompatibility. In the spectrum of about a half hour Heiss takes the listener from the light here-and-now of "and in this..." to the foggy distance of "further out" displaying an intelligent selection of wares. How ironic then that the picture inside the sleeve notes features the Frank Heiss in a cow suit.
- Nick Schiermeyer - The Weekly Dig Vol 3 Issue 3 - January 17-24, 2000