WK7 / Head High – Do It Yourself (Original Mix) / Rave (Dirt Mix)

Big standard throw back. Ten a penny. Over priced clap trap

Rave is such an incredible track. Such powerful vibes, such good partying memories associated with this release !

Admittedly throwback and maybe even a little kitschy, these are great 90's rave style tunes nonetheless. Perhaps the hype was a bit too much, but the music is good, so I'm happy to own a copy.

One of the most over rated releases ive ever known, Crazy!

Are people aware that we've had (and still have) tons of the tracks like this back in the 90s? :) I'm seeing like 1800 have's, 1200 wants, 300 votes, and i'm wtf...for an ordinary house tunes? :) We've had these in loads back in the days, you really should dig deeper. I'm fascinated by the fascination on this...it's just telling you how many people aren't really into their stuff.

Confession time. Although being fully aware of Rene Pawlowitz' immense reputation, and being acquainted with the ease with which his Wax and EQD releases commanded attention on the dance floor, as well having listened to his two albums on Ostgut Ton ("Shedding The Past" and "Traveller"), I just wasn't fully convinced yet. A sensible person would probably go something like: Whoa, you listened to all of that and you're still not convinced? Man...
But that is how it went.

Not even this one won me over immediately. When the first white label issue sold out as fast as it did, it didn't even make me shrug my shoulders. What happened then? Repeated listens, and the inability to hide from these masterpieces. Every mix, every chart, any given party with a decent DJ - you name it, but this spread like a virus and you could not deny it if you were going out. Just like another massive 2012 release, "Binary Opposition", this was rapidly rising to become the year's signature 12", and it was not possible for me to turn around and not get exposed to these immense drums and cosy, old school strings and keys.

Keep in mind that I did not even have a digital copy of this, so I either heard it played out through powerful sound systems or whilst browsing through recent youtube mixes. Then it hit me. The percussion, funky to boot and rock solid. The harmony, it just grabbed me by the testicles and tossed me into a packed warehouse where micro and minimal are terms that have not been conceived yet. The booming bass line made me think that I was listening to a beefed up version of the tightest Masters At Work production. In all fairness, on these two tracks, everything blends to perfection. I mean that.

It took me a while to get there, but let this be a lesson to all you naysayers: give it time. Just give music time. For me, what started out as a dope club filler record turned out into one of the most crucial and indispensable releases I've purchased in the last few years. I think we call this stuff retrofuturism nowadays, although the man himself says:
"It's actually only the past. It's all old school. For someone else, it sounds new. But, for me, it's done. It's the Power House stuff. It's old school, it's a '90s house sound or UK hardcore. It's been done for 15 years now."

Whether you agree or not is up to you. What I guarantee you is that this record is good enough to single handedly restore and reignite your lost faith in techno. If you thought the naive innocene, the human imperfection, the soul and the harmony have left this once revolutionary musical movement, you might want to give this a spin or two.

Not that there isn't anyone out there unable of pulling off amazing melody work (Vince Watson or Minilogue anyone), but it has been a while sine I've heard such soothing key stabs coupled with drum work that knocks 95% of the "proper" techno stuff right through the window. That's the real charm of this record. As much as it relies on pianos and impassioned elements, it simultaneously begs to overpower hungry club crowds. The bass line on both tracks is tremendous, and it is quite probably to blame for my total infatuation with this record. Flawlessly produced, irresistibly funky, with delicate melodies, and acutely perceptive understanding of the demands of a dance floor. There's so much childhood memories and imagination put into this record that it's a hard one not to adore. Yes, there is a lot of hype today, tons of elitism, but somehow everyone seems to revere this one with the intensity of the red color on the center labels of this treasured piece of wax.
This record possesses qualities of fine craftsmanship, and is ingeniously devised and thought out, combining nostalgic hooklines with devastating percussive elements. Shed has created not only a gargantuan two tracker, but one that has the potential to appeal to plenty crowds without sacrifying its artistic integrity and risking having its quality diminished.

EDIT: Well that was quick, this can be bought now digitally too on hardwax.com! :)

Originally released as a mysterious white label with ridiculously low pressing (100 or 150, I've read both numbers) on Hardwax in late march, this has been the subject of a lot of discussions since it got sold out a day or two after its initial release.
Obviously the sound aesthetic is very similar to the straighter works of Rene Pawlowitz aka Shed aka the man of 1000 monikers as well as the "no announcements no name" policy he often utilizes in releasing his tracks, so the news of a new record of Shed surfacing spread around like a wildfire. But since only a few lucky people had the chance to get it, the scene was begging for a repress. A friend of mine asked DJ Pete via email what the chances the mysterious rave anthems getting repressed were, and he replied "It will never be available in this form again. MAYBE as something else in the future." There was much sighing.
BUT here we are, a mere two months later, happily rejoicing because a) we get a repress (which is not even heavily limited this time it seems) and b) with actual names and artwork confirming only what we knew all along though!

The hit on this record is definitely the WK7 a-side which has a lot in common with it's predecessor "The Avalanche" in terms of rhythm, production and overall sounds (the kick being a sure hint that it's produced by the same person). Interestingly this was the b-side on the white label release. Anthemic piano chords strike after 16 bars, a female vocal sample digs its way into the foreground and without noticing it, our arms are suddenly all up in the air while we dance topless in the park when the kick hits back at full force and we are cheerfully slapped by those hi-hats and ride cymbals.
Rave (Dirt Mix) is less anthemic and more in the vein of Shed's earlier EQD releases in terms of functuality without relying too much on melodies but rather on loops. A simple bell melody is looped again and again, having a catchy signature sound, being brought in and reduced again and again to give room for the stacked drumrack. Not much else is happening though, this is less "play- and cheerful" than the a-side, but it still does the job.

Overall one should always be careful when writing about "tracks of the year" when we haven't even passed may yet but I'm pretty confident WK7 - Do It Yourself will end up on at the top of a lot of "Best of the year" lists...it's in my personal one for sure :)