Like other DJ composers, Nightmares on Wax mentalist George "Herbs" Evelyn has stopped flea-market shopping for vinyl records out of car trunks (boots, if you're English) and started rummaging around in his own mind. The g... more »orgeous retro soul strings, vocal choruses, and chill-out trip-hop he finds rolling easy up there in his fog bank are a definite maturation of the Philly-soul redub and bass-boss Barry White attitude that was pioneered on 1995's Smoker's Delight. Since then, though, Evelyn has scratched a ton of vinyl to get to the truth: nothing is warmer than live bodies. This album was still made with a drum machine and just enough wax to keep it in the boot, but bass, keys, guitar, and vocals are live. The real secret to this soft summer vibe is that Evelyn doesn't simply hand over the vocals and let the pieces become wannabe soul singles. Instead, these cuts maintain a jazz attitude recalling George Benson's Breezin'--not his most technically challenging playing, but a laid-back, perfectly executed distillation offered up like a gift. Unwrap the fragile jazz riff of "Fire in the Middle" or the upbeat, Fifth Dimension-like background vocal and hip-hop scratch of "Ethnic Majority" and the bad-ass horn funk of "Ease Jimi." Beware of a short little strings-and-bass dub called "Jorge": If this one gets in your ears once, you'll be humming the one-word chorus all summer. --Dean Kuipers« less
Like other DJ composers, Nightmares on Wax mentalist George "Herbs" Evelyn has stopped flea-market shopping for vinyl records out of car trunks (boots, if you're English) and started rummaging around in his own mind. The gorgeous retro soul strings, vocal choruses, and chill-out trip-hop he finds rolling easy up there in his fog bank are a definite maturation of the Philly-soul redub and bass-boss Barry White attitude that was pioneered on 1995's Smoker's Delight. Since then, though, Evelyn has scratched a ton of vinyl to get to the truth: nothing is warmer than live bodies. This album was still made with a drum machine and just enough wax to keep it in the boot, but bass, keys, guitar, and vocals are live. The real secret to this soft summer vibe is that Evelyn doesn't simply hand over the vocals and let the pieces become wannabe soul singles. Instead, these cuts maintain a jazz attitude recalling George Benson's Breezin'--not his most technically challenging playing, but a laid-back, perfectly executed distillation offered up like a gift. Unwrap the fragile jazz riff of "Fire in the Middle" or the upbeat, Fifth Dimension-like background vocal and hip-hop scratch of "Ethnic Majority" and the bad-ass horn funk of "Ease Jimi." Beware of a short little strings-and-bass dub called "Jorge": If this one gets in your ears once, you'll be humming the one-word chorus all summer. --Dean Kuipers
"Literally everyone who has heard this CD wants to buy it or get a copy of it. Gave it to my girlfriend to listen to at work - now the whole office loves it and tells her to turn it up and asks where to buy. Her mother listend to it - now shes getting both "Nightmares on Wax" for christmas. Friends want me to burn them copies. People aske me to borrow it. Receptionist at work bought it. Simply great music that everyone can enjoy. It is DEFINATELY WORTH THE MONEY. I GUARANTEE IT."
Sweet soul music
Burke M. Gallagher | Haddonfield, NJ | 12/20/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Carboot Soul is aptly decribes this disc; bleeding with the influence of the Philly sound and James Brown, this disc has yet to leave my car's changer.Evelyn creates a blend of downbeat techno a breed apart, in fact I cringe from the term which would lump NoW in with K&D. His beats are mainly of the soul and hip hop variety with no four-on-the-floor stuff. The samples are tasteful, and there are some transcendent live elements to the tracks. I find it hard to compare this album to any in the sonic wallpaper business. I love the genre (I have about 40 discs which apply), and yet this disc is singular in its listenability: without dissent, every one of my friends for whom I have played it has loved it, even card-carrying technophobes.Variety exists in a structure which nevertheless carries a thread. Soulful bass and delicate instrumentation manifest themselves throughout, sprouting as everything from a Delfonics sound ('Morse' and 'Capumcap')to tracks which Jurassic 5 would love to get their hands on ('Ethnic Majority'). 'Ease Jimi' is reminiscent of JB's funk.Top to bottom, this album is tight and takes its place on the mantle next to Thievery Corporation and Kruder & Dorfmeister for great cruising/ lounging/ afternoon music, though it resembles them only in its application. If repetition has previously driven you away from this type of music, download "Morse," "Ethnic Majority," and "Ease Jimi" as testers, then give this album a try."
A disappointingly un-original remake
John Dennett | Longmont, CO USA | 12/02/1999
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I have to disagree with brir@erols.com on this one. Having listened to -- and loved -- NOW's previous CD "Smoker's Delight", all I can say is they must've been too delighted with the smoke to create a new album this time around. Rather than expanding on the brilliantly mellow direction of the previous release, it seems like the guys in the band were in creative suspended animation for the intervening years: The whole thing is literally variations on the tracks from "...Delight" -- and not even interesting variations! At the very least Warp could've promoted this as variations on previous material rather than passing it off as an original release...I guess it sounds really good if you don't know that they're stealing their own work. Buy the 5-star "Smoker's Delight" disc instead!"
An outstanding CD...
Robby Raeford | 08/03/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I buy at least 100 cd's per year, across many generes.Nightmares on Wax's Carboot Soul is definitely in my top 5 for 1999, and probably through the millenium.It is a soothing, trippy soundtrack of life recording that has a place in my cd player morning, noon and night.If you buy only one "electronica" cd this year (and that term does not adequately define their sound) make Carboot Soul the one."
Nightmares On Wax develops a smoother sound...
Robby Raeford | Greensboro, NC United States | 05/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first heard N.O.W. on Smoker's Delight, and fell in love with it immeadiatly. People who think that Smoker's Delight was too light and boring will probably like this one a lot more. The basslines are much more rich and will fill up your ear with some mellow tunes. The rythms will keep your head bumping through the late hours of the night.The sound remains smooth and relaxing, but it will keep your attention beter than Smoker's Delight.Everyone talks about Les Nuits and being the best song, but really it is just a good remix of Nights Introlude from Smoker's Delight. I accually prefer the original Nights Introlude to Les Nuits, but it is still a good mix. Morse is a great standout track with one of the greatest basslines that I have ever heard in a song - it is so rich and smooth. Ethnic Majority is quite possibly the coolest song EVER. The drumbeat and bassline is so funky that you just can't help bouncing to it. When the horns and little vocal chants come in, this song really gets going.Finer is another standout track that received a lot of praise. It is well deserved. Finer is a very beautiful song with some great female vocals. I love the entire CD, although it is considerably shorter than Smoker's Delight (only 50 minutes long).Carboot Soul is great for relaxing to while at home, but I find it most interesting to listen to while driving. It seems to be the greatest cruising album that I have ever heard. One thing that I have to recommend is not listening to this CD the same way all the time. If you listen to it on headphones at your computer all of the time, try listening to it on a home stereo, or in your car. You will get more from this CD the more different places you listen to it, I promise.Also, if you like this CD, and you don't have Smokers Delight, definatly pick that one up too."