Nightmares on Wax
| Nightmares on Wax | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | George Evelyn |
| Also known as | DJ EASE |
| Origin | Leeds, West Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | Electronica, hip hop, acid house, trip hop, downtempo |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Warp Records, WAX ON Records |
| Website | www.nightmaresonwax.com |
| Members |
George Evelyn Robin Taylor-Firth |
| Past members | Kevin Harper |
George Evelyn (also known as Nightmares on Wax or DJ EASE), is a DJ and electronic music composer from Leeds, England. His music is released on Warp Records and was one of the first releases on the label.
Evelyn got his start in the music industry through an interest in hip hop and on joining a local breakdancing crew. He met Kevin Harper and together they released their first album in 1991, a techno-edged record entitled "A Word Of Science: The First And Final Chapter". This was the beginning of Nightmares on Wax's career. Today, Harper is a solo DJ and Evelyn is accompanied by Robin Taylor-Firth.
Early career
Evelyn's father and sister introduced him to the soul music of Quincy Jones and Curtis Mayfield. Later, as rap music became more popular, he was fascinated by the likes of Rappers Delight and Buffalo Gals. In 1988 he joined a breakdance crew where he befriended Kevin Harper, and the two later formed Nightmares on Wax. Their music fell into a category of artists including The Forgemasters, LFO, and Unique 3. Commenting on their style, he has said "We wanted to do tracks that had hip hop beats but experimented with ideas."[1]
In 1991, Nightmares on Wax released A Word Of Science: The First And Final Chapter.
A change in direction
After A Word of Science, Nightmares on Wax disappeared from the music scene for four years. Evelyn went on to run The Headz Club in Leeds and developed their record label, Poverty Records.
He returned to music making with a track on the Mo' Wax Headz compilation.[2] The next Nightmares on Wax album release was Smokers Delight in 1995, by which time Harper had left to pursue a career in DJing. Evelyn was joined on keyboards and programming by Robin Taylor-Firth. He brought in a variety of musicians, writers, vocalists, and rappers, allowing him to tour. This album also marked his entrance into the American market.
Carboot Soul was the first album to be domestically distributed through the US label, Matador Records.[2] The album featured soul singer Sara Winton, Hamlet Luton on Bass, Chris Dawkins on guitar, and Robin Taylor-Firth on keyboards with the Pure Strings Orchestra on strings.
This was a change for Nightmares on Wax, as they began as a DJ-based group. Their newfound contribution of live musicians allowed for the group to operate more like a band than a studio act. However, the drum machine was not replaced with a live musician, remaining true to the band's original technology-based tracks. No longer in partnership with Kevin Harper, Evelyn had the opportunity to expand what he and Kevin Harper started. He explains that "Doing the live side proves there is more to the music. People have something more tangible to relate the music to and it gives us the chance to connect with the audience. Also I've always had this idea of creating a big band – which is what we call our sound. The main priority for NoW is to prove that we can perform music. But we're not ignoring the fact that we come from a studio, technical background. We just want to mix the old with the new. That's why, at the moment, I don't have a live drummer. The sound of the beats is what makes Nightmares."[3]
Music business
After Carboot Soul, NoW did not release another album until 2002. In the meantime, Evelyn concentrated on establishing himself as a producer and musical consultant.
In 2000, Evelyn worked with hip-hop trio De La Soul, when they appeared on the EP The Sound of N.O.W.. That same year, he produced a Studio: K7 mixtape called DJ Kicks.
In 2005, Evelyn started his own independent record label, WAX ON Records. Taylor-Firth also started his own label named BlancoMusic.
Return to music composition and mixing
In 2002, Evelyn released his fourth LP under Warp Records, Mind Elevation. He continued to further develop his new label and build a network of artists.
Four years later in March 2006, Nightmares on Wax released their fifth LP, In a Space Outta Sound on Warp Records.[2] In 2008, they released the LP thought so... also on Warp, and in 2009 Coming Home was released on WAX ON Records.
Discography
- A Word of Science: The First and Final Chapter (September 16, 1991)
- Smokers Delight (September 25, 1995) #84 UK
- Carboot Soul (December 4, 1999) #71 UK
- DJ-Kicks: Nightmares on Wax (October 2, 2000) (DJ mix album)
- Mind Elevation (September 2, 2002) #47 UK
- Late Night Tales: Nightmares on Wax (May 12, 2003) (DJ mix album)
- In a Space Outta Sound (March 7, 2006) #93 UK
- thought so... Ricky Ranking and Ella May, Chyna Brown. (August 25, 2008) UK #135[4]
- Coming Home (2009)
- Feelin' Good (September 16, 2013)
- N.O.W IS THE TIME (June 16, 2014)
References
- ↑ "Nightmares On Wax". Redeye Distribution. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cooper, Sean. "Nightmares on Wax - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
- ↑ "Nightmares on Wax Biography". Archived from the original on January 15, 2013.
- ↑ "The Official UK Albums Chart for the week ending 6 September 2008". ChartsPlus (Milton Keynes: IQ Ware Ltd) (367): 5–8.
External links
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