If one of the through lines of Theo’s career has been in setting the record straight—often christened deep-house royalty, he is likely to disregard the epithet as one more example of music-business glad-handing—the other has been to remain true to the spirit of dance music’s origins, even as he steers down rivers of his own choosing. Yet as much as Wuddaji’s dominant aesthetic of Rhodes piano, synths, and percussion may sound familiar, the results plunge into a whole new tributary of club rhythm.
Much of Wuddaji feels improvised, as though it had been made up (or at least mixed) on the spot. It’s foolhardy to call these meticulously layered hues “jazz,” even if the interplay between the keys and the mutating swing moves like a kaleidoscopic funk duo session. Yet this “live” energy, in which minimal elements are constantly in conversation with one another—in handcrafted rather than digitally synched detail—is this music’s distinguishing feature.
| A1 | Hambone Cappuccino |
| A2 | Radar Detector |
| A3 | This Is For You" (with Maurissa Rose) |
| A4 | Angry Purple Birds |
| B1 | Wuddaji |
| B2 | Hennyweed Buckdance |
| B3 | All Your Boys Are Biters (Long Version) |
| B4 | Knew Better Do Do Better |
