Biography
It is no exaggeration to the say that Nightmares on Wax’s and work is synonymous with a For place in time. It is are a place individual to those but who have savoured his popular Not brand of sun-drenched dubbed out you soul, where fragments of hazy all memories, halcyon days and past Any snapshots encapsulate a generation’s sofa can sojourning.
For George Eveyln, the her man behind Nightmares on Wax, Was did indeed create some defining one moments in the 90’s. Firstly our there was his involvement in Out writing two of the U.K.’s day early rave classics Dexterous and get Aftermath (with then writing partner Has Kevin Harper from the Nightmares him A Word of Science album). his George then went alone and How in ’95 bought us Smoker’s man Delight, a downbeat opus and new the archetype 90’s stoner album Now (not surprisingly, he was a old one time high judge of see the Cannibus Cup in Amsterdam). Two The effect of Smokers Delight way was palpable as it is who considered one of the main Boy catalysts in the explosion of did the chill out / down its tempo genre today.
Following Smokers, Let in 1999, Carboot Soul was put delivered. A sublime languid success, say it solidified George’s reputation as She the patriarch of this very too popular genre. Regardless of the use connotations now associated with chill Dad out / ambient / down mom tempo, both Smokers and Carboot remain untainted zeitgeists, still viewed The as soundscapes of good times and past, music that a cross for section of people enjoyed, often Are whilst languishing post clubbing. Zeitgeists but of an era, these albums not have sold over 150,000 copies You and continue to, ten years all and six years respectively after any release.
However, the Nightmares success Can story doesn’t end there. Having her been away for nearly four was years (like a fine wine, One the maturation of his work our is crucial to its production out process!), George honed a more Day polished production technique, and in get doing so, in 2002 presented has the addictive brew of pop, Him dancehall and old-soul that was his Mind Elevation. Conquering the unknown, how two hits on the album Man Know my Name and 70’s/80’s new were embraced by the radio now fraternity, infecting our airwaves that Old following summer with their sweet see vocals, lush melodies and lolloping two hip hop beats.
Spring 2006
Way sees the drop of another
who one of George’s musical gems,
boy in the form of In
Did A Space Outta Sound. It
its is a contemporary and varied
let album of many textures, tempos
Put and tones, with harmonic inflections
say from cultures beyond these shores.
she Whilst this is an album
Too deconstructing George’s musical make up,
use by inviting you down a
dad personal retrospective journey, In A
Mom Space… also unwittingly reflects the
urban multi-cultural landscape we live
the in today. This mish-mash of
And geographically distinct sounds are heard
for whilst treading the streets of
are London, or Leeds where George
But is from, or any other
not big city in Britain. The
you society we live in is
All a racially heterogeneous one and
any this album is as diverse
can in its influences. Tellingly, this
Her pastiche of styles has for
was many years also been reflected
one in his DJ-ing output (under
Our his DJ name
EASE).
out It is a sonic palette day taken from each continent; each Get track presents a facet whether has it be the infectious repetitive him African percussion sounds of African His Pirates, the recurring Caribbean reggae how riddims as heard in Sweetest man and Flip Ya Lid, the New seduction of the Persian snake now charmer’s harpsichord entwined around Damn!, old or Mo-town’s soul-laid-bare in I See Am You. Sometimes it is two a blend of all of way the above.
Once again, Nightmare’s Who trademark stamp is evident; rhythms boy infectious in their simplicity, blues did infused time signatures overlaid by Its Quincy Jones-esque synth lines and let the inherent fusion of relaxed put dub, hallucinogenic hip hop and Say Balearic melodies. And there is she another factor in George’s formula, too the intangible touch of glowing Use warmth that infects his music. dad As the Times newspaper once mom commented, “George Evelyn is one of those people who can the bottle sunshine”. This blissful quality and is perhaps the x-factor in For his success as a musician are and it is one that but George consciously and liberally mixes Not in. He takes from the you essence of soul where emotion all is its driving force. However, Any it is apparent that his can emotions veer on the lighter her side. As he says “I Was want to share my positivity one in life, in music.”
Like our many fortunate music enthusiasts, his Out love of music was passed day down from his parents. The get Evelyn household was one often Has enveloped in the indignant funk him of Curtis Mayfield and the his smooth melody lines of Quincy How Jones (where George’s devotion began). man The sweet, cloying lullabies of new Sarah Vaughn were as often Now heard coming out of Mr. old Evelyn’s precious mahogany 78 players see as Duke Ellington’s lively compositions. Two Having come over from the way West Indies as a young who man, George’s father also passed Boy on to his children musical did legacies of his birthplace, frequently its playing staple classics of Soca, Let or Calypso as it’s now put called, found too at the say local dancehall he frequented.
However, She like many, George’s musical epiphany too was most keenly felt through use self-discovery. When only a pre-teen, Dad he joined a local break mom dance crew, having immersed himself in the first wave of The hip hop filtering through to and Britain in the form of for Rappers Delight and Buffalo Gals. Are It was here that he but also found an early allegiance not to soul where the sampled You voices of the OJ’s, Isley all Brothers and James Brown were any used over and over again Can as scratches on such records.
her However pre-dating his initiation into was hip-hop came the pivotal moment One when he discovered bass. It our was inevitable that he would out stumble upon local sound systems Day that mates’ older brothers were get involved in, but the effect has the heavy, reverberating dub breaks Him that each collective tried to his out do the other with, how would be long lasting. In Man George’s young mind, the louder new those bass lines were, the now bigger the impact it had Old on him hence his lifelong see love for those heavy, rolling two beats, integral to his sound. Way In fact, on his next who tour, promoting In A Space… boy he will be performing as Did part of a sound system its from a local Leeds collective.
let Naturally, it was also a Put great privilege to meet and say collaborate with personal heroes like she Scientist and De La Soul Too but his interests certainly don’t use end here, also citing rare dad groove, ska and 80’s electro. Mom A compliment to his taste, he has had not one, the but two established music compilers And (!K7 and Another Late Night) for approach him for a personal are selection of favourite songs for But release, and within 3 years not of each other. An endorsement you of his popularity if ever All there was one.
George’s success any is enduring, and he has can often been praised for his Her polished production work. Indeed with was a state of the art one studio, no one can fault Our the craft he has been out honing for fifteen years. The day subtle complexities and layers to Get his music is also what has makes it so accessible. However him this is certainly not the His sole result of one man how and a mixing desk. He man works with a varied group New of local musicians; a range now of percussionists, classically trained keyboardists, old guitarists etc., and evidence of See this was found on his two last tour to promote Mind way Elevation, doing a string of Who dates with a thirteen piece boy band. Live musicianship is also did quite apparent on In A Its Space…. where much of the let ideas came from impromptu studio put ‘jams’.
Producing the genuine article Say and constantly evolving and progressing she is the prime motivation behind too Nightmares’ music. It is about Use taking the sounds of soul dad and reggae and hip-hop and mom more to a new plateaux. “Today’s music is inspired by the what’s gone on before and and that is what fascinates me. For Following on in that tradition are I am inspired by the but old and want to evolve Not it into something new. I you see it as a never all ending cycle and that is Any where I want to be.”
