Nightmares on Wax

I'm sorry but I need to show N.O.W. some love. This album is rather dope. 195lbs reggae cut transcends the terminology 'dope'. This whole album indeed is very dope sounding with very funky fresh magical beats. Need I say more? Without a doubt I give this record 5 stars......shame on anyone that says otherwise. Shame on all of you. 5 big phat stars. Get the greenery out or better yet put your stash away and listen to this album......you don't need it.....the sound already instills it in you.

Much has changed in chill-out since Evelyn dropped what's come to be considered his masterpiece, 1995's aptly titled Smoker's Delight, the genre expanding out into a catch-all term that encompasses everything from Balearic dance to sleepy folktronica. And Nightmares On Wax have changed too, although you're left with the feeling that Evelyn is exploring his own internal rhythm rather than marching to the beat of another's drum.
During his relocation from Leeds to his new home and studio in Ibiza, Nightmares On Wax leader/producer opted to travel in a convoy of camper-vans carrying his equipment, sound engineer, band and singers, the caravan making stops to take in the sights and evoke moods and landscapes through impromptu recordings. "Thought So" strips chill-out right down to the basics, a blissful, unhurried coast of clacking hip-hop breaks, sparse guitar and shimmering synthesizer grounded in Evelyn's main musical passions, vintage soul, jazz, and the late-night boom of the dub soundsystem. A handful of guest vocalists - Ricky Ranking, Chyna Brown and Ella May - add color, if not any real narrative. And while there is a distant echo of Nightmares On Wax's early bleep beginnings in Be There, you leave feeling that Evelyn is more than satisfied with his current pace of life: slow, steady, stoned. That popular acclaim will surely continue to elude Nightmares On Wax, then, but in a genre of cynical, blanded-out mood muzak, Thought So still feels like a treat, generously packed and tightly rolled, a treat for the discerning.

I find N.O.W. records to always contain some stellar tracks and some I can't sit through. This is no different. The 3 tracks that lose me are
Be There, Hey Ego and Moretime. The rest is fantastic. Love the reggae!
I've got no trouble recommending this one.

Three of my favorite albumes (all time high) are Carboot Soul, Mind Elevation and Smokers Delight. I hoped that Mr.Wax would be in the same street as these albums, but I find this album a bit messy, not so laid back, the beats are not the same.

Its okay, but Mr.Wax could do it so much better.

I'm a hip hop fan first, so I found this when I was looking for good beats from the likes of Pete Rock and DJ Shadow. This CD blew me away. It has a very gentle sound that underwhelmed me at first, but then punched me in the face with its absolute beauty.

The first track Les Nuits is very cool, with a very serious bassline moving the listener in and out of a building symphonic string melody that sounds like the soundtrack of a very profound movie. Morse follows, another standout track which breaks into the fun side of Nightmares on Wax. The bass is very upbeat, and synthesizers complement this perfectly until you reach the female vocals, which brings the song to a whole new level of sound. Now you are ready for what's coming.

Ease Jimi is the next standout, and with its infectious horn play this might very well be your favorite. A feel good track that manages to be fast paced and chilled out at the same time. Next is Argha Noah, with another great muted bassline taking us in and out of one bar-guitar riffs and synth effects all swirling around each other, very cool.

Now comes Fire in the Middle. This song took me completely by surprise, and floored me with its simple beauty. An intricate acoustic guitar lick runs under the perfect synth riff. It has a sense of absolute vulnerability about it, because it's the best mellow instrumental track ever made, and it knows this, because it just puts it all out there, with no extra frills.

Capumcap's good too, but I can't be bothered to write about it, I just put on this CD and I need to just vibe for awhile. If you are a human being and you have ears, you will love it. Buy it immediately.

slick, chilled out funky beats seamlessly crafted at high sound quality. for fans of kid loco, herbaliser and thievery corporation.

IF YOU LOVE HIP HOP FLAVORED INSTRUMENTALS WITH THAT DEEP LOW BASS,THEN THIS IS THE ONE YOU MAY WANT IN ROTATION,BEEN A FAN OF THIS OUTFIT FOR A MINUTE NOW, AND THEY NEVER CEASE TO DELIVER......

Very few albums are perfect or close to it. This album is complete perfection. The beats are mellow yet hip and the bass is just cool. I had no idea what I had been missing musically until I heard this album. What's not to love? This album flows soooooooo well! A must own!

.........or, as Merriam-Webster would define it, "a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement".

Seriously, this recording is perfection from beginning to end. An absolute favorite of mine.

I wish budz didn't make me paranoid; so I could listen & enjoy this Album to it's full potential.

CLASSIC.

Well I can't believe this has no reviews? Way way better than Carboot Soul, I have had this album for at least 10 years, it never dates, it's one of my all-time favorite trip-hop chillout albums, just buy it...

Just like Carboot Soul, this album is perfection. I can listen to this everyday. I wish I knew about NOW sooner! But better late than never.

I don't care how good this cd is... 90 bucks? Surely you can find 8 cds that that would equal the quality of this ONE cd. Whatever.

I will never forget the first time I heard this album (which, by the way, was nearly nine years after it was released). It started with a simple 'Who is this?' followed by a 'wow..' and later a 'holy @#$%'. The powerful baselines and smooth beats can lull me into a trance. I try to sing along even though it sounds rediculous.

When I have any songs from this album playing at my house, people generally inquire about it. It is so far outside the realm of what most people normally hear, I think it is a shock to their system.

I have witnessed this album appeal to people with a wide variety of musical tastes. The entire album is in my top 25 most played songs in iTunes. It really is that good.

Outta Sound is an upgrade of the older stuff. It is more edgy and loud, more interesting. The past few albums are similar, yes, but with less tenacity. Those of you wanting the old NOW stick to the old NOW. This cosmopolitan revolution of George's music is catchy and could become more mainstream, which may be why those of you who have rated it low don't like it. It isn't what we are used to, but it's good to open one's mind and embrace change within ourselves and the music that catalyzes it. Give it another listen.

To many musical artists, the idea of "impressive ambience" or "notable chill" is a contradiction in terms. If the music is meant to be little more than the decor for dreams, if it is designed as a batten for the back wall, then what's the point in giving it indelibility? Thankfully, many artists (Kruder and Dorfmeister, Ulrich Schnauss, et. al.) are capable of creating atmospheres that are both evocative and unobtrusive. It's a delicate kind of chemistry, but it can be done.

Nightmares on Wax aims for ambient funk and hits the target, but almost too well. The music on "In A Space Outta Sound" is so laid-back, it limbos right under the rader. It would provide the steady and subliminal pulse for any number of quiet nights or get-togethers, but it's unlikely anyone would take notice and ask the host, "What's this you've got playing?"

Okay, maybe some of their numbers would pique interest. I'm thinking of the quirky conga coolness of "Deepdown," or the ghostly lounge sensibilities of "Passion," or the classic rock shadows interlaced throughout "You Wish." There are, really, no bad songs on this album; they all play soft shoe with equally soft music, and they know the moves by heart. But it's a dance you'll forget as soon as the stereo has been turned off, and it's even likely you'll forget that you forgot.

Ambience is good, and chill is great, but truly relaxing music stays in the air, lingers in the heart, and saturates the soul long after the notes have ceased to sound. Give me barbs, give me hooks, give me risks; the rest may be good, but it's also nothing else at all.

One of my favourite albums in my library is "Smoker's Delight". Just having my first listen to In a Space... and I'm definitely having fun listening to this. As button mentioned, it is a good compliment to the other NOW albums. I've the idea that this one's gonna get a good deal of playtime on my iPod...

This latest effort from Nightmares On Wax continues in the spirit of his previous work, smoked out mellow downtempo with elements of funk, soul/r&b, jazz, underground hip-hop and more. Like other reviewers have mentioned In A Space Outta Sound is a little weaker and less inventive than some of the earlier albums, but it is still a decent chill-out disc. It must be said though that the production on some of the tracks is a little sub-par IMO (at least for an established artist like NOW) and some of the sample choices are a bit obvious and overused. However, there are some quality tracks on here and the album as a whole works rather well so if you're just looking for some mellow tunes to chill out to then this cd might just be for you, but if you don't own any of the earlier albums you should probably pick up one of those instead.

VICTORIA MOREHEAD's igloomag.com REVIEW ::
(03.28.06) Nightmares on Wax put out their first album with Warp Records, Dextrous, in the late 80s, a combined effort of George Evelyn and Kevin Harper. Soon after, Harper left to pursue other routes, and Evelyn took a break, coming back with Smoker's Delight in 1995. Since then, Evelyn has continued to mix up and put out a consistent brand of downtempo music, releasing many additional albums including the most recent, In a Space Outta Sound.

In a Space... isn't new territory for Evelyn. It's full of soul, groove, funk, jazz, reggae and sweet vocals. But that could be the issue holding NOW back from ever growing beyond the category of "music that's good to chill to."

Taking the flavors of other music and amalgamating them into a funktronic sound has become de rigueur of downtempo electronic music. It's the background music in trendy clothing stores and the soundtrack in commercials for German cars. Evelyn's talent is obvious, but if he would just break out of that sterile, perfectly synchronized world of downtempo layers, he might surprise himself. Perhaps it's just a matter of keeping it a little rough around the edges. Maybe if Evelyn let in a little more of the blues raunch and the soul of-well, soul-he could take it to the next level.

This is not to say that In a Space... doesn't have it's respected place. It's just a place that seems to be getting overcrowded with other musicians doing exactly the same thing. Why have five albums from the same artist if they all sound exactly alike? We're looking for evolution, experimentation-something surprising. Maybe NOW's next album will let that funk stay funky, rip the edges and keep 'em raw, and show us some soul that's not so shiny and new.

....to enjoy this compilation - you gotta be a fan of hip hop, otherwise - it's just not going to work out.

Compared to other NOW releases - this definitely has the heaviest hip hop influences, so Dont buy this album expecting a similar sound to his other stuff -

that said, i really do enjoy this album - it gets a little drawn out in hte middle. but overall - a tripped out dubbb with some sweet rhymes and great jazz influences.

I don't know what's not to like about this mix since it contains some hard to find classics. DJ Premier's DITC, Kenny "dope" Gonzales, OC with NOW, Carrena with Jimi Ease. Yes there is some cheese, one tune which doesn't ruin the listening expierence at all. I will say that some of this music is old school and I was surprised to hear some of it again, but that was one of the nice surprises on this very underated dj mix, from NOW.

The British DJ / Producer George Evelyn, aka DJ Ease, aka NIGHTMARES ON WAX, despite his relative lack of years, has for more than a decade already numbered among the most visionary musicians on the island. He has never left his hometown of Leeds since he was born, but his sound is nonetheless universal and his recordings for the English label Warp have frequently set new trends. Even his first single, "Dextrous", found its way into the English Top 75 and his subsequent releases are still today regarded as prototypes for the downbeat genre. The following album, "Word of Science", with its combination of soulful bleeps and clonks, underscored his creative potential, but even so it was a full 6 years before he released his classic, "Smoker's Delight" (1995), one of the milestone records of the nineties.

Opening with his trademark song, "Nights Interlude", this record has played itself into innumerable hearts, record collections and annual charts, has been a dope beat classic ever since its release and has yet to lose any of its allure. His album, "Carboot Soul" (1999), as well as his collaborations with De La Soul, O.C. and Corinna Joseph, seamlessly picked up where the success of their predecessor left off and charted all over Europe. The album "Mind Elevation" 2002 release is the fourth album, is another welcome hit of chilled beats, entrancing melodies and soothing soul-drenched vocals. While persevering with the use of live instrumentation, Evelyn--a one-time judge of Amsterdam's High Times Cannabis Cup--has fortunately not sacrificed any of the dreamy ambience and looped samples that made 1995's Smokers Delight such essential post-club listening. He has though finally abandoned "Nights Interlude", an interpretation of Quincy Jones' "Summer In The City", that traditionally opened all prior Nightmares on Wax (NOW) albums. In its place lies "Mind Eye", a languorous spiralling instrumental groove that sets the pace way down low and stirs an entrancing breezy summer vibe that drifts throughout the album. Alongside the cool mix of mellow hip-hop, soulful r'n'b, and ambling ambient effects, comes the lilting if occasionally overstretched vocal talents of Chyne B. "Got To Know My Name", the most upbeat NOW track to date, sees her joyously waxing lyrical over an impossibly funky, retro-soul melody. Sadly her other contributions such as the r'n'b-lite "Date with Destiny" prove disappointing. But with the majority of the album bringing the feel of a joyous sun-drenched afternoon to your speakers, you can sit back and rest assured that Mind Elevation really does do what it says on the tin.

Excellent live shows translated into an exultant progression across Europe and NIGHTMARES ON WAX can today enjoy a substantial worldwide fan base.

His record collection might soon be almost equally broad, the foundation stone for which was laid with the acquisition of two dub 7-inches when he was eight years old (!) and which to this day serve as a source of inspiration (and samples). The idea of making a mix CD with NIGHTMARES ON WAX came about (and was carried out) as early as 1995, but the project was also subject to George Evelyn's "leisurely" working practices - all good things take time. Now he sends us, just a little later than expected, shooting into his beat orbit. He has put together an excellent selection of hip hop and downbeat tunes for his "DJ-Kicks" set and has found the perfect blend of the old and the new, UK and USA as well as vocal and instrumental tracks. Tunes from A Tribe Called Quest, Kenny Dope, Aim, Blackalicious, Freddy Fresh, Jerry Beeks and DJ Trax amongst others, as well as some of his own tracks of course, come together in a phat set with plenty of funk!

In a sense, comparing any of the DJ Kicks releases to another in the series is like, you guessed it, apples and oranges. Perhaps not as "fluid" as some in the series (a la K&D) the NOW set does a great job at setting a goal and getting there in style.

A good mix of instrumental hip-hop, with a few choice MC tracks blended in, DJ Ease creates a streetwise blend that's great for chilling, driving, partying, styling, mackin', whatever. It also has a legit raw feel that's not too over-produced.

DJ Kicks: For spectacular trip-hop choose K&D. For lounge choose Thievery (despite a lack of mixing talent). For funky British underground, choose Stereo MCs (again, poor mixing). For funky, trippy hip-hop, this is it.

Just what I needed when I got it.

The "DJ Kicks" compilation series has had some realy, really great CDs come out of it, most notably the mixes by Giles Peterson and Kemistry & Storm. They've been stylistically very unique and wide, with really good songs strung together regardless of the style. This one by N.O.W. isn't one of the best ones, but it's not bad. It's a great hip-hop disc minus the rapping, so if you're looking for hip-hop mood music sans vocals (for the MOST part), this is it. I thought it might be a little more moody - more in the vein of say, early DJ Cam - but it's beats are very traditional hip-hop.

The soundtrack for bombing subway cars and school buildings with spray paint, but not as underground in parts as you may like if you're a hip-hop head.

Nightmares on Wax the best, always the best.... Hello From France guy !

I was incredibly excited when I heard that N.O.W. was releaseing a new EP. I rushed out and got it, hoping to once again fill up my house with the smooth, rich, soul filled, style of N.O.W. that I have grown to love.

What I got was a mediocre EP at best. The new song, with De La Soul is pretty good, for a rap song. Much of the sound that Nightmares On Wax is famous for is lost underneath the rap. It is a good song, though, and you shouldn't have trouble jumping right in a bouncing your head.

The remix of Finer really isn't that great at all. It takes some of the finest points, like the great bassline, and scraps them. If I love a song, I usually don't dig remixes of it, and the same is true in this case.

As far as I can tell, Morse is the exact same version that is found on Carboot Soul. Morse is a very smooth song, and is one of my favorites. If you have Carboot Soul, there is no reason for this song to be on here - I would have accually prefered a remix to be in its place, because at least it would be something new.

The mix of What I'm Feeling takes the original song, and mixes it up so much that it essentially becomes a new song. You can only hear faint traces of the original song in this mix, which might be a good or bad thing, depending on whether or not you liked the original. It isn't a bad remix, but most of the Nightmares On Wax sound that you were looking for isn't anywhere to be found in this mix.

The remix of Dreddoverboard is pretty good, accually. It keeps a lot of the song, but mixes it up and makes it more interesting than the album version.

While this EP has some poor remixes on it, the new track with De La Soul is the obvious reason for purchasing it, but beware, it doesn't sound like anything you have heard before.

I love for groups to take new steps muscially, so I am very pleased with this true hip-hop song that was created. Nightmares On Wax kept becoming more and more hip-hoppish with each release, and they take it to a new level here.

The remix of Finer alone is worth the price of admision. Fans of Smoker's Delight will appreciate the new versions of What I'm Feelin and Dreddover Boards, while "real" fans will find another Mega Donutz in Keep On. If you even think that you MIGHT be even REMOTELY interested in hip-hop, do yourself a favor and get a copy.

A purchase based on the 'Nightmares' excellent last two albums...what a disappointment.

I can't compare this album to previous Nightmares on Wax efforts, but it is clearly evident that fans of old were not too thrilled with this one. This was a complete random buy for me that turned out. It is not an amazing album but I like most tracks with the exception of "Environment" which is lame. A couple of noteable mentions are the opener, "Mind Eye" and "Thinking of Omara" (both without vocals). An always popular album to play in the background while entertaining guests at my place.

4/5 stars.

Nightmares on Wax mingles chillout and funk in "Mind Elevation" the fourth official album by this one-man electronic band. As expected, it's blissed and tripped out, with plenty of inventive little flourishes to keep things interesting. The only problem is that it seems to be working too hard to please.

It opens with the terminally mellow "Mind's Eye," a smoothly sweet instrumental that might make you want to make daisy chains and smoke weed. Yep, it really is that chilled-out, even as chillout electronica goes. It's followed by a string of tripped-out, funk-edged songs, which are as sunny and meandering as a summer day.

Things take a sharp turn on "Date With Destiny," where the melody is reined into a more typical pop song, as Chyne B sings about how "time's on your side." She appears on a couple of other songs, the hip-hop "Environment" and the bassline-heavy "Know My Name." She sounds great in the first song, but after awhile her voice grows grating, and the "un-chill" music is alienating.

Fortunately, in the cuts between these songs, Nightmares on Wax (aka George Evelyn) sticks to what it does best: liquid, sunshiny electronic-funk. In these, Evelyn sounds right in his element, whether blending R&B beats with ambient sounds in "Humble," or the chillout techno of "Bleu My Mind." Basically, whenever the music and not the voice is the focus, things go well.

Nightmares on Wax first debuted as a duo, and then shrank to a one-man band, as it incorporated jazz, hip-hop and trip-hop into its sound. And "Mind Elevation" pretty much gives the people what they want and expect: Funky downtempo. This particular one goes a bit more on the side of funk and R&B, while still keeping a foot in the ethereal chillout.

The flaw of "Mind Elevation"? Trying to do too much. It strives to include a stronger dose of soul-funk, while adding in dub, downtempo, stoner electronica, R&B, and a handful of other influences. As a result, it feels like "Mind Elevation" lacks a central "sound," and is trying to cover all the bases and make everyone satisfied. Taken on a song-by-song basis, it fortunately manages to still be pretty strong.

Despite that lack of internal cohesion., the scattered "Mind Elevation" is still an enchanting mixture of beautiful downtempo and funk-R&B beats. A must-listen for fans of inventive chillout.

I love Nightmares on Wax... always some amazing stuff. Only problem is this CD has some really good stuff and some OK stuff... the begining of the CD seems weak and too mellow... it's only until you get halfway through when tracks like 70's 80's get's things flowing. Worth a buy to have in your chill collection but don't expect 100% out of this album... suprising since their other albums are pretty much at 100%.

Mind Elevation is my first taste of NOW, and it was definitely enough to make me want all their stuff. It's a great chill out album, though it has a little more R&B sound on some tracks than i'd prefer, but still that's only 2 or 3 outta 20. Easily worth the 18 bucks.

okay, so YES! the first single "KNOW MY NAME" is arguably the worst song on the album....but, reviewers come on, did you really give this album a chance at all? i can't get enough of this album and play it constantly. "DATE WITH DESTINY" may just be N.O.W.'s greatest song ever!!! everyone that pooped on this incredible talent and album with a lame review should go get their hearing and brains checked! listen to tracks like "SAY SAY" & "THINKING OF OMARA" these songs are nothing but brilliant and instant N.O.W. classics. who cares if every song isn't a diamond with a few priceless gems on each album!!!!!! take a couple more listens, if you are a REAL fan, and behold the incredible talent. finally, "DATE WITH DESTINY" gets my vote for best pop song of 2002, hands down. and don't forget to wear your GREEN SWEATERS when you listen to this band because it's good for you silly.
!!!

Nightmares on Wax outdoes himself (itself?) on his entry to the Late Night Tales series. This entire series is well done, but this album is the best of the best. Check it out, check it out now, this is some of the best laid back beats period.

This complete compilation of changing beats can defiantly create temperamental grooves on a late night. It's a must have!

I'm a huge fan of D.J. Ease & his N.O.W. creation. The guy has mad skills. I cant say one bad thing about the music he produces yet I'm always skeptical when it comes time to a mix disk. Those that bought the European edition on the last N.O.W. release received the bonus mix disk which was just average until now. This "Late Night Tales" is nonstop funkiness ranging from jazz, lounge, dub, soul, to hip hop. These are my key favorites:

4. Show Me Some Love - The Rootsman (nice track also check out The Rootsman on the new BUG disk, amazing)

6. Listen - Quincy Jones (Quincy is the man, enough said)

8. Sneakin In The Back - Tom Scott (this track breathes JAZZ, its on my answering machine right now)

13. Spooky - Dusty Springfield(what a sweet classic to use, EASE must of been thinking about Viscous Pink on this one)

A must have for your collection!

This CD is amazing! the mix between new tracks and old ones is unique and... just try it!

This is a really choice selection of tracks. It is blissfull as it seamlessly transitions from on great track to the next. All tastey flavors of music make the cut. It is really a journey through sonic masterpieces. I highly recommend it. I was a bit cautious about this after having enjoyed the earlier Nightmares On Wax releases but not really getting into the DJ Kicks release. This disc picks up and pushes the standards even higher. I only have this Another Late Night release as well as Fila Brazilia, which is a favorite of mine that i still enjoy listening to after having bought it when it was first released about three years ago, so if you dont have that one you might want to get it as well. Get this disc and get ready to enjoy.

Vinyl is good to have. Harddrive Recorder: Good to have. Analog playing devices: Good to have. (Anything hidden in the digits not in the grooves? Or, vise versa?) Add to your mix. 5 Stars.