- It was just over a year ago that Caleb Waterman, AKA Juk Juk, debuted on Four Tet's Text Records, and since then the London producer has already put out three more 12-inches on his own vinyl-only Nommos label. All of these have shown a similar balance of melancholy and dance floor functionality. Usually with the aid of sampled vocals, Waterman's tracks are often dense and up-tempo, and he hasn't been shy to disrupt rhythms with unconventional breakdowns or pauses in percussion.
Waterman's latest effort, Wars / When I Feel, sticks to the tropes he seems so fond of. The Four Tet-inspired A-side unfortunately falls a little flat, its ambitious sampling and layered melodies failing to deliver the kind of groove or feeling he seems to have had in mind. The housier B-side is the one to reach for. Unashamedly emotional, "When I Feel" is minimal and punchy, with a looped vocal as its only constant. What sets this apart from the standard after-hours burner is the way Waterman treats rhythm and flow. Virtually ignoring any accepted structural guidelines, the kick drum drops out numerous times, without so much as slightly disrupting the hypnotic effects of the bass, melody and vocal combination.
TracklistA Wars
B When I Feel