- Renee Pawlowitz records come with the presumption of excellence. Under his overlapping Head High and WK7 aliases, his hit-rate has been especially high; Avalanche, from 2010, is among his finest and most accessible releases. It's simple, spacious and beautifully designed club music that mines the past and renders it in high definition.
Unlike previous WK7 12-inches, Washer isn't a nod to past eras. Aspects of it draw in more contemporary styles, if only by osmosis. This is particularly true of "More Music," whose jabs of funk remind me of an Eglo or Apron record. The track's rides and cymbals skip among lightly grilled chords and a smooth vocal.
"Washer (Dirt Dirt Dirt)" takes a more familiar shape. Its vocals, two sets of utterances chopped off at both ends, engage in animated conversation in a strange yet easily understood language. Its drums swing and bounce in Pawlowitz's trademark style, but what you notice about "Washer (Dirt Dirt Dirt)"—and "More Music"—is how much friendlier it is. These are bridge tracks, not destination points. They may therefore be perceived to be not as good as other Power House records. But, to paraphrase an old saying, it's not about where you're going, it's how you get there.
TracklistA1 Washer
B1 More Music