“I feel like I’ve been set free of something and I am now becoming who I really am.” As Nightmares on Wax has for the last 30 years, as Warp’s longest-serving signing – been consistently at the forefront of contemporary music, creating a unique blend of electronica, jazz, hip-hop, dub, funk, soul and techno.
Review: Veteran British downtempo producer George Evelyn aka Nightmares On Wax presents his ninth studio album on the esteemed Warp Records. Featuring 15 new tracks, on Shout Out! To Freedom...' Evelyn encouraged all the guest artists to 'make music inspired by what freedom means to them'. Some of the highlights include the evocative Balearic beats of "3D Warrior" (feat Shabaka Hutchings & Haile Supreme & Wolfgang Haffner), the dope urban swagger of "Wikid Satellites" featuring neo-soul artist Greentea Peng, and the jazzy sunset feels of "Isolated" (feat Pip Millett & Sabrina Mahfouz).
Review: An album that's as ubiquitous in people's record shelves as Anthony Kiedis' Scar Tissue biography is for people bookshelves, Smoker's Delight has been the definitive Nightmares On Wax record since its original release 25 years ago. Regarded as one of the finest trip-hop albums of all time, this 20-track anniversary edition sees the inclusion of new and largely unheard material in the jazzy beatdown vibes of "Aquaself", and dubbed out piano loops of "Ascend". Extra bonus material includes a funk version of lounge time hit "Dreaddoverboard", and a live recording of Nightmares On Wax's all time classic "Night's Introlude". Take another hit.
Review: Famously, George Evelyn's Nightmares on Wax project is the only surviving link to Warp's early days as a bastion of Yorkshire house and techno. Of course, the Leeds native left that style behind years ago - though, interestingly, two tracks on this belated seventh album ("Eye (Can See)" and "Tapestry") touch on soul-sampling house - instead turning his attention to slinky downtempo grooves. For the most part, Feelin' Good sticks to the plan, offering up slow, laidback, summery fusions of soul, dub, funk, instrumental hip-hop and string-drenched Balearic moods. It's something of a return to form after a string of so-so sets, recalling Evelyn's two greatest moments, 1990s' downtempo classics Smokers Delight and Carboot Soul.
Review: Leeds legend Nightmares On Wax has long been affiliated with UK electronica giants Warp since the very beginning. 'Shape The Future' will mark his eighth LP for the label and that's not forgetting a couple of dozen EPs he's done for them over the years too. Put simply, George Evelyn is one of the most respected producers in UK electronica and we're sure excited whenever he puts out new music. Mixing hip-hop, dub, soul and gospel sounds, the album features guest artists such as Kuahitl Vasquez, Jordan Rakei and Sadie Walker. Evelyn has explained that the album was a journey 'both inwardly and outwardly all over the world, and both physically and emotionally'. Highlights include the dope yet soulful beats of "Tell My Vision" featuring the fine vocal talents of the aforementioned Ashong, the wicked dub / Afrobeat crossover of "Tomorrow" featuring LSK and of course the super soulful lead single "Citizen Kane" featuring Mozez.
Review: It would be fair to say that Studio K7 has pulled off something of a coup in getting Kenny Dixon Jr. to agree to compile and mix the latest installment in the long-running DJ Kicks series. It is, somewhat remarkably, the legendary Detroiter's first commercially available mix set. This triple-vinyl edition features a whopping 19 cuts - all in unmixed form - from the 30 track mix. Musically, it's a blazed, jazzy, soulful and groovy as you'd expect, and contains a mixture of downtempo beats, nu-jazz and hazy house cuts from the likes of Flying Lotus, Dopehead, Peter Digital Orchestra, Nightmares On Wax, Soulful Session and Lady Alma.
Review: Amazingly, it's 25 years since George 'E.A.S.E' Evelyn and then production partner Kevin 'Boy Wonder' Harper sat down and recorded "Dextrous", their monstrous, bleep-era classic on Warp. A quarter of a century later, Evelyn is still going strong, though the grooves have mellowed a lot in that time. Here, Warp celebrate the producer's epic career with a much-deserved retrospective. All the familiar favourites are present, from the rush-inducing thrill of early dancefloor smashers "I'm For Real" and "Aftermath", to the sinewy downtempo goodness of the decidedly Balearic "Les Nuits", the blazed hip-hop dub of "195 Llbs" and stoner soul of "70s 80s". This version also includes a number of exclusive remixes, with names like JD Twitch, Special Request, LFO, Morgan Geist and Loco Dice putting their own spin on this classic material.
Review: Amazingly, it's 25 years since George 'E.A.S.E' Evelyn and then production partner Kevin 'Boy Wonder' Harper sat down and recorded "Dextrous", their monstrous, bleep-era classic on Warp. A quarter of a century later, Evelyn is still going strong, though the grooves have mellowed a lot in that time. Here, Warp celebrate the producer's epic career with a much-deserved retrospective. All the familiar favourites are present, from the rush-inducing thrill of early dancefloor smashers "I'm For Real" and "Aftermath", to the sinewy downtempo goodness of the decidedly Balearic "Les Nuits", the blazed hip-hop dub of "195 Llbs" and stoner soul of "70s 80s".
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