Comedian and LA DJ Collaborate: Reggie Watts & John Tejada Create "Wajatta"

The established comedian Reggie Watts has merged last names with the respected LA producer John Tejada to create the electronic music duo, "Wajatta".

You might know Reggie Watts as the comedian of innumerable accents who integrates a keyboard and looping machine in his surreal, improvised stand up routine. The self-described "disinformationist" has a knack for inviting audiences to take a seat into his comedy house, only for them to realize they've stepped into a piece by MC Escher

Reggie Watts has racked up a resume in the music business on his own. He's injected some soulful vocals into a couple collaborations with Flight Facilities that you can find here and here. He's played at a bunch of festivals but in 2016 he had a prime time slot in the popular Southern California music festival Dirtybird Campout, put on by the renowned house music label Dirtybird. I was at that festival/his set and I thought it was weird for Dirtybird to put him in their primetime Saturday slot, everyone was on drugs and looking for dirty house music which Reggie doesn't make. When you put him in the right circumstances he really commands an audience, Dirtybird should've had him play early in the day or right before it got dark.

John Tejada has been making music since the 90's with releases on labels such as Kompakt, Defected, Pokerflat, and his own label Palatte Recordings. He's a force in the dance music world and knows how to make a killer track. I was really impressed when I heard this while browsing Spotify and it gave me slight Aphex Twin vibes. I was planning on seeing him at a nightclub on New Years Eve but I got wasted a little too early and had the navigation skills of a toddler, so I couldn't find his stage! Sadly I gave up and went back to find my friends, but I still need to catch a set of his.

They released their first single at the end of 2017 titled "Runnin'" which you can find below. Reggie Watts improvised almost all of his vocals and John Tejada feeds off the improvisational energy with his veteran producing, crafting a track that has elements of Chicago House and a little Detroit Techno tied in with flamboyant soulful vocals from Reggie. The song is released through Comedy Dynamics, which is a comedy label, so they're both hesitant about releasing an album of straight music through them, but I sincerely hope they find a way to make more for us.

Wajatta - Runnin'