wuk - Somewhat Shui

WUK

​Somewhat Shui
self-released; 2017

​3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

WUK is young producer from New Zealand who is just getting his start with the release of Somewhat Shui. He makes music that is in line with producers like Four Tet and Prefuse 73.

His songs at this point stick with one groove that he rarely deviates from in any significant way. The songs sounded like the kernels of songs that weren’t fully explored. He opens with “XIAOJIE” which combines a basic hip-hop beat and a lot of atmospheric noises which come from guitars and indistinguishable vocal snippets. The song is chill and overall felt like an ambient track.

Up next is “Tu meek” where he establishes a beat and flow. The elements that change are the ghostly vocals but it's barely enough to feel like the song is moving out of its comfort zone. ”Django” is little more than an atmosphere and a beat while “Something read” is more upbeat and jazzy.

The next couple of years will determine if WUX is a producer who can rise above the rest. Trust me there are a lot of people making similar types of beats. The thing is that production is easier than ever with programs like Ableton live and the ability the purchase samples. Producers like Jlin and Flying Lotus are examples of artists pushing boundaries. That's really where you need to be at in order to get some attention these days.

WUK definitely has good ideas and the mixes are solid. In the future I’d like the artist to explore where the songs can go in a more dynamic fashion. Experimentation with changing time signatures, BPM and changing key are things that can take production into unique areas. 

Overall, this EP was short and enjoyable while displaying a good amount of potential.

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