- A piece of Shed wax is always easier to identify by the music in the grooves than the name on the sleeve. Evil Fred is a new alias that hasn't been officially identified as René Pawlowitz yet, but the music is unmistakably his. The (obvious) secret lies in the drums—big, lumbering things that have all the agility of a suit of armour.
Evil Fred bears most resemblance to Head High, the project where Pawlowitz produces straight-to-the-point piano house, including some real humdinger melodies. Evil Fred has no such sense of humour. All the same elements are present, but on "Get On" they're taut, with a fat snare stamping out any funk along with carefully controlled scatting vocals. The centerpiece is a single chord that comes out in spurts and gasps, but Pawlowitz gets emotion out of it that wouldn't come so easily to other producers. "Back Out" is athletic techno spiced up with some piano, but its rigidity means it's more like techy Ibiza Shed than the Chicago Shed we saw on Head High. For anyone who enjoyed the latter project (or Shed in general), Evil Fred is a solid addition to an always-expanding catalogue.
TracklistA Get On
B Back Out