Just one year ago, Wuki was prepping for the 2020 Grammy Awards, for which his flip of Miley Cyrus‘ “Mother’s Daughter” earned a nomination for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical. The most pressing matter on his mind was picking out a suit. “I’m living it up right now,” he told EDM.com last January.
That reality now feels miles away, but the pandemic hasn’t kept Wuki from staying sharp in the studio. March 12th saw the official release of his debut album, WukiWorld, via HARD Recs.
In fact, the pre-pandemic vision for the release was built around an IRL WukiWorld, which Wuki described as “part rave, part circus, part amusement park, and part art installation,” to EDM.com. “Upon entering, you would be forced to let go of any negative energy from your body and enjoy the experiences around you.”
But with its ever-evolving sound and high-octane fusion of dubstep and booty bass, WukiWorld manages to stand on its own, overshadowing the novelty of a themed event. “Love 2.0” opens the album with a hefty dose of skittering bass beats and drum breaks. Meanwhile, appearances from hip-hop and rap heavyweights JUVENILE, Yung Baby Tate and Smokepurpp add flavor and originality.
Shaquille O’Neal—more affectionately known in the electronic music community as DJ Diesel—contributes to the fun on “SHUTUP” with Scrilla King, and “I’m High” is a smoky, percussion-driven ode to marijuana. Finally, taking an unprecedented turn into melodic bass, “Tell The World About Me” with Sebastian Reynoso caps off the record on a high note.
“The story of the album is kind of the story of me,” Wuki said. “‘Tell The World About Me’ specifically is an ode to my late mother. She was always so supportive of my music and it only felt right to make a ballad for her on my debut album.”
Of the unique genre-fusion and production style of WukiWorld, Wuki added, “I realized a few years back that I was never going to be the greatest engineer or sound designer in the world, so I needed to hone in on my sound and make something unique to who I am as a person. The only way for me to do that was to bring it out in my personality. I’m always joking around and I love bouncy, fun music. It just made sense to make this my trademark sound and I’m happy that I’m able to express that same joy in my music.”
To celebrate, Wuki will be hosting a livestreamed release party tonight, Friday, March 12th via Insomniac TV. It will also feature Softest Hard, who was tapped for WukiWorld cut “Family,” and a “special secret guest,” the artist wrote on social media. You can tune in from 10PM to 12:30AM PT.
FOLLOW WUKI:
Facebook: facebook.com/iamwuki
Twitter: twitter.com/wuki
Instagram: instagram.com/wuki
Spotify: spoti.fi/2NbYZrg
