Wuki

Last updated
Wuki
Wuki Image.jpg
Background information
Birth nameKris Barman
Born (1984-12-20) 20 December 1984 (age 39)
New Jersey, United States
Genres
Occupations
  • DJ
  • record producer
Instruments
Years active2007–present
Labels
Formerly of Innerpartysystem

Kris Barman (born December 20, 1984), known professionally as Wuki, is an American musician, DJ, and record producer. He was a member of the electronic rock band Innerpartysystem from 2007 to 2011 where he sang back up vocals, played the guitar and synthesizer, and helped with programming. He was nominated for a 2020 Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording for Miley Cyrus's "Mother's Daughter". His debut album, WukiWorld, was released in 2021.

Contents

Early life

In a 2018 article with marijuana.com, Barman recalls how he got his start in music. "I started playing instruments when I was like 13 — I started playing guitar. Started making beats when I was 16 on Fruity Loops. Between 19 and 20, a buddy of mine that was always a huge fan of our local scene started a band, an electro-rock band. I dropped out of school to go do that. I dropped out of college to go pursue this band." [1]

In an interview with Nest HQ, a self-described "culture-garnering media platform" conceived by the dance music superstar Skrillex, Barman reflects on his earliest influences the initial spark of interest in electronic dance music. "I played guitar growing up so I definitely listened to a lot of punk / alt music. But when I heard The Prodigy's “Smack My Bitch Up" things changed." [2]

Career

On August 3, 2011, after touring extensively for many years as guitarist and synth player in electronic rock band Innerpartysystem, [3] the band announced that they were to be going on an indefinite hiatus; the band has not performed since. Barman moved to Denver, Colorado, and began producing and performing under the moniker Wuki. One of his first gigs as Wuki was hosting the late night radio show E-Lven on Denver's 93.3 FM. [4]

Wuki has since gone on to grow his solo project into a globally recognizable name, racking up over 121 million streams across all platforms through 2023. [5]

Delivering his first-ever self release as Wuki in 2012 with a four-track EP called Something For Everyone Vol. 1, he released the singles "Diwali", "Buffalo Bass", "Jungle Funk" and "That’s Right". In 2015, Wuki gained recognition for his remix of RL Grime and Big Sean's 2015 hit "Kingpin". After releasing music on imprints such as Owsla, Main Course, Mad Decent, Fool's Gold, and Ultra, in 2018n Wuki set up his own record label, Wukileaks. [3]

Wuki's hit remixes and bootleg edits caught the eyes of artists including Skrillex, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, The Chainsmokers, Anna Lunoe, Zeds Dead, and Diplo, with the latter offering Wuki his own monthly radio show, Wukileaks Wednesdays, on Diplo's Revolution. [3]

Wuki was nominated for Best Remixed Recording at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards for his remix of Miley Cyrus's "Mother's Daughter". [3] His 2019 single "Better" with Valentino Khan and Roxanne was a top trend on TikTok in 2020. [6] His single "Throw It" was featured in the 2020 Netflix film Work It , starring Sabrina Carpenter. [6]

On January 24, 2020, he and Nitti Gritti released the EP Ro Sham Bo. [3] He started off the year with a 16-date North American tour, also called ‘Ro Sham Bo’. [7]

On March 12, 2021, he released his debut album, WukiWorld, on HARD Recs. It features appearances from Diplo, Shaquille O'Neal, Juvenile, Yung Baby Tate, and Smokepurpp. [6]

In 2023, Wuki teamed up with Lee Foss to remix Cheryl Lynn's 1978 disco single "Got to Be Real". This followed his 2022 remix of Stevie Nicks' 1981 single "Edge of Seventeen", which reached number 1 on the UK Shazam Dance Charts. [5] His 2023 single "Sunshine (My Girl)" incorporates elements of "My Girl" by The Temptations. This was followed by his 2023 Sunshine Tour across North America. He also performed that year at Red Rocks, Sunset, Shambhala, and HARD Summer. [8]

Awards

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2020 Grammy Award Best Remixed Recording "Mother's Daughter" by Miley Cyrus Nominated

Discography

Albums

List of full-length albums, with selected details
TitleAlbum details
WukiWorld
  • Released: March 12, 2021
  • Label: HARD Recs
  • Formats: Digital download

EPs

List of extended plays, with selected details
TitleAlbum details
Something for Everyone Vol. 1
  • Released: September 6, 2012
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download
Hot/Talk
  • Released: September 16, 2014
  • Label: Main Course
  • Formats: Digital download
Wukipedia Vol. 1
  • Released: April 27, 2018
  • Label: Wukileaks
  • Formats: Digital download
2
  • Released: April 26, 2019
  • Label: Confession
  • Formats: Digital download
Ro Sham Bo

Singles

Remixes

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References

  1. ↑ Ju, Shirley. "A Conversation with EDM DJ Wuki about Elevation and Avocados". Marijuana.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "Interview: Wuki". nesthq.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Bein, Kat (22 January 2020). "Wuki Was Nominated For a Grammy, So He Made a Mix Featuring All of His Fellow Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  4. ↑ "Kris "Wuki" Barman: a fresh direction in familiar territory". Rooster Magazine. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  5. 1 2 "Wuki and Lee Foss Reimagine Cheryl Lynn's 1978 Disco Anthem with 'To Be Real'". Raver. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 Kocay, Lisa (12 March 2021). "Wuki Drops Sonically-Diverse Debut Album 'WukiWorld'". Forbes. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  7. ↑ Kupfer, Rachel (5 February 2020). "WUKI AND NITTI GRITTI'S RO SHAM BO EP GETS DOWN AND DIRTY". EDM. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  8. ↑ Volpe, Peter (11 September 2023). "Wuki Talks HARD Summer, Viral Bootlegs and His Newest Release". EDM Maniac. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
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