In Session: Shed

It doesn't matter what alias German producer René Pawlowitz dons, it's going to bear a distinctive quality that only he can conjure up. A quick glance at his Discogs page shows that he has a staggering 17 different monikers and those are just the ones that we know about – god knows what else he's been creating in his techno lab.

As WK7 and Head High, he's been releasing high-octane, pulsating house that lives on his own Hardwax-distributed imprint Power House and the name of the label gives you a very good idea of what to expect. Classics like 'Rave' (Dirt Mix) and his unrelenting, club-focused album 'Megatrap' as Head High are geared for the floor and they aren't tracks that trickle into focus, they come thrashing in like a derailed steam train. In a sense, they are perfect tracks that cater for a crowd that want it tough and want it immediately.

As Wax, he's experimented with the dubbier side of house, with basslines that bubble and intricate percussion that's masterfully subdued yet completely on-point. It's testament to Pawlowitz as a producer that he can roll out a track like 'No. 30003 (B)' under his Wax alias, amass over two million plays on YouTube and the majority of the listeners are none the wiser about the producer responsible, instead they argue about what genre in falls into.

That's kind of the point as well. Pawlowitz is one of the most versatile and talented artists in electronic music and with so many aliases and so many sounds, it seems like it's not something he's doing for fame or fortune, he's doing it because he's fucking good at it and whether he knew from the start this was his destiny or not, he was born to do it.

As Shed, though, his unparalleled techno compositions have lit up the rave in a different, more articulate way and this is where most will be accustomed with his craft. After trying his hand at several different occupations including painting houses and serving with the army, it was around 2004 that Shed started working at Hardwax and releasing music via several esteemed imprints.

To start with, stables like Delsin and Solocaction acted as a homebase for his productions but his turning point musically was when he showcased his debut album via Ostgut Ton, a techno institution that was in its early stages alongside Pawlowitz. The album was called 'Shedding The Past' and it was an apt title for a producer who wasn't born straight into this world.

From there, he became fully affiliated with the imprint and club, releasing there regularly and playing in both Berghain and Panoramabar. His immersive, industrial sounds became synonymous with the highly celebrated German scene but they always came loaded with a melodic, serene and controlled sense of euphoria. Tracks like 'Boose Sweep' from his first album and the breakbeat masterpiece 'Leave Things' from his second Ostgut offering 'The Traveller' both hit hard. They rely on a strict melee of kick drums, but the underlying sense of light breaking through is what makes his music stand out.

Aside from Ostgut Ton, Pawlowitz found an affinity with 50 Weapons and Monkeytown and his new album 'The Final Experiment', which arrived via the latter last month, is some of his most assured and thought-provoking material to date. As is common with such a multi-faceted artist like Shed, you never really know what to expect and that, of course, is the beauty of it.

For his In Session debut, though, he's gone techno and he's meant it. It's a definitive rollercoaster of his sounds with broken beats, hardcore kick snare combos, quintessential ambience and a devilish sense of dread that drives everything forward. One of the best In Sessions of the year and one we'll be playing for a long time to come.

Funster is Mixmag's Deputy Digital Editor, follow him on Twitter