Willow - 'Workshop 23' - 2010s Retrospective

In the last 100 days before 2020, I'll be counting down by doing a retrospective of some of the classic releases/EPs of this decade, and maybe a few lesser known gems. Expect broken beats, some leftfield electronics and the odd cheesy banger :) 

(2016, Workshop)

Prolific though she is as a DJ, Manchester’s Willow has been quiet on the production front since 2016. While her only solo EP – Workshop 23 – didn’t go without praise and attention at the time, it’d be a shame if the lack of a follow up led audiences to neglect her work, because it’s some of the more interesting house music that’s been made recently. 

Her breakthrough song ‘Feel Me’ had a singular atmosphere that was both soulful and a little eerie – from a distance, Workshop 23 seems to continue in the same vein, but as well as refining the sound she’s established for herself, it brims with varied ideas. With an effective half time groove and buoyant bass, ‘Untitled A2’ feels every bit as influenced by dubstep as it does by house. ‘Untitled B1’ stays interesting without using much more than a repeated harp sample, and an eventual sawtooth bassline. It’d be reminiscent of Four Tet, if there wasn’t a stuttering quality to the swung harps, a fragility to the pads and a slight harshness to the bassline. 

Both ‘Untitled A1’ and ‘Untitled B2’ are in house territory, though they both come with her unique spin on the genre – beatless moments add dynamism to what drums there are, while choice vocal samples add both brightness and mystery. It may seem like they’re variations of the same idea, but the effect is markedly different on each; ‘Untitled B2’ is lush and enticing, while ‘Untitled A1’ feels a little paranoid.

On repeat listens, even Willow’s house tunes have more of a UK influence than is initially apparent – combination of skeletal beats and murky sub bass has hints of the more minimal strain of post-dubstep, occupied by producers such as Parris (or even early James Blake). To dwell on its influences would be missing the point though, as Workshop 23 first and foremost sounds like itself. If we don’t hear any more from her as a producer, at least the music Willow did share was completely fully formed.