Search - Nightmares on Wax :: In a Space Outta Sound

VICTORIA MOREHEAD's igloomag.com REVIEW ::

Pietro Da Sacco | 03/28/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Outta Ideas

Mark Eremite | Seoul, South Korea | 04/02/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Good, but not stellar

C. ELLIS | Indianapolis, IN | 03/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Better than "Mind Elevation", but not nearly at the level of "Carboot Soul". Don't get me wrong, it's still an amazing CD and better than just about any other artist in this genre of music, but it's hard to compete with one of the truly great CDs of this whole DJ/Jazz/Downtempo thang ("Carboot Soul").



If you like Nightmares, also check out Bonobo, Skalpel, and Four Tet (slightly more electronic than the rest).



Happy Listening"