Nightmares On Wax - Shape The Future - Import CD

Credits:

Nightmares On Wax

Description:

2017 saw a string of new releases and comebacks from heavyweights and veterans of the UK club scene, including UNKLE, Coldcut, Tricky, Goldie, Diego & Kaidi, and Irresistible Force (Mixmaster Morris). And in 2018, Nightmares on Wax (NOW) made a comeback. George Evelyn, known as NOW and hailing from Leeds, UK, has been a pillar of the legendary label Warp since its early days. From his 1989 debut through the early 1990s, he was deeply immersed in bleep house, but from the mid-1990s onward, he helped spearhead the trip-hop movement. Centered on downtempo music influenced by soul, jazz, hip-hop, reggae, and dub, he excels at everything from breakbeats brimming with good vibes to laid-back, dubby chill-out tracks, and since moving to Ibiza in 2006, he has further refined his Balearic sound. NOW has always marched to the beat of his own drum; after 2013’s *Feelin’ Good*, he had stayed away from releasing albums, but in 2018, he finally completed *Shape The Future*, his eighth studio album and his first in five years. Like all of NOW’s previous work, *Shape The Future* features dub and reggae flavors, along with breakbeats that span hip-hop, house, and disco—but this time, the soul influence is particularly strong. While NOW’s 1999 masterpiece *Carboot Soul* was an album steeped in soul, *Shape The Future* can be seen as its 2018 counterpart—an upgraded version featuring contemporary twists and arrangements. As George puts it, it’s an album that represents “a new journey, both physically and mentally.” These new creative endeavors are also reflected in the lineup of contributing artists. In addition to familiar faces like Moses, LDK, Chris Dawkins, JD73, and Shovel, the album features a new generation of singer-songwriters such as Jordan Lakai and Andrew Ashong. The single version of “CitizenKane,” included as a bonus track, features up-and-coming rapper Alan Kingdom, known for his collaborations with Kanye West and Flume. While “Tomorrow” is a quintessential NOW-style track blending soul and dub, the bluesy “Typical,” sung by Rakai, has a D’Angelo-esque vibe. “DeepShadow” is a cover of an old 1960s Detroit soul track, while “CitizenKane” and the title track feature gospel-style backing vocals. The dub-poet-style “BackToNature” skillfully blends Quincy Jones-style soul-jazz keyboards—a trademark of NOW. Backed by jazz musicians including Sebastian Studnitzky, who also performs with Jazzanova, and Wolfgang Hafner—who has also performed with Pat Metheny and the Brecker Brothers—this album showcases elements of the current jazzy neo-soul epitomized by artists like Jordan Rakai and Hiatus Kaiyote, and future soul—as exemplified by Jordan Rakai and Hiatus Kaiyote—and presents a new “NOW” sound.

Tracklisting:

1.Back To Nature feat Kuauhtli Vasquez & Wixarika Tribe
2.Tell My Vision feat Andrew Ashong
3.Shape The Future
4.On It Maestro
5.Tomorrow feat LSK
6.Typical feat Jordan Rakei
7.Tenor Fly
8.Citizen Kane feat Mozez
9.Deep Shadows feat Sadie Walker
10.Gotta Smile
11.The Othership