Reggie Watts is a comedian and musician from Stuttgart, United States, who is based in Brooklyn, New York. His work combines improvisational stand-up, shifting comic personae and loop pedal-based a cappella music, and he performs regularly on television, radio and in live theatre. He is associated with electronic, neo soul, soul and trip hop, and is also tagged with beatbox, funk, soul, electronic and hip-hop.

Performance style

Watts’ live shows are largely improvised. He blends stream-of-consciousness comedy with beatbox-led musical sections and looped vocal arrangements, moving between spoken material and constructed songs. His comic approach also carries into his written music and other performance work.

Career development

Watts’ solo work begins to take shape in 2002. Before that, while touring with the Wayne Horvitz 4+1 Ensemble, he switches from a Roland Space Echo tape delay to a smaller Line 6 DL4 delay modeler so that he can travel more easily. He later uses the Line 6 in performances with Maktub to recreate layered harmonies from recorded material, then starts to use it for improvised solo songs at small Seattle venues and artist bungalows.

Influenced by The State and Wet Hot American Summer, he begins mixing spontaneous comedy with beatbox-driven compositions. In 2004 he moves to the Lower East Side in New York City to focus on solo comedic performance.

Web and screen work

Watts makes comedic web shorts for Superdeluxe, Vimeo and CollegeHumor. One of these, “What About Blowjobs?”, becomes a viral hit. He also develops theatrical work with playwright Tommy Smith and collaborates with online entrepreneur Jakob Lodwick on web-based philosophy and content, recording the EP Pot Cookies with him.

After moving to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2006, he expands into television and film while continuing to work on live performance and new performance technologies.

Groups and collaborations

Watts is a member of Maktub, Antibabel, Chef Salad & The Crew Tones, and Heather Duby & Elemental. He also works in collaboration with Wayne Horvitz, Tommy Smith and Jakob Lodwick at different points in his career.