Description
A group turned solo outlet for founding memberGeorge Evelyn, Nightmares on Wax were one of the brightest spots on the post-rave British techno map before they developed into one of the land’s premier and longest-running sources of downtempo electronica rooted in dub reggae and hip-hop. NoW’s debut album,A Word of Science(1991), was a crucial bridge between the competing influences of New York house and electro, Detroit techno and soul, London rave and acid, and the burgeoning eclecticism of the years to come. Producer and DJEvelynhas steered the Warp act through three decades of activity, adding to the lengthy NoW discography with touchstonesSmokers Delight(1995) andCarboot Soul(1999), followed by an increasingly organic series of statements that includesIn a Space Outta Sound(2006),Feelin’ Good(2013), and the liberation-orientedShout Out! To Freedom…(2021).
One year following the entry of “Aftermath” into the British charts, Nightmares on Wax released a first full-length that rivalled any other techno debuts of the time, excepting only its immediate predecessor in the Warp catalog —LFO‘sFrequencies. The “Aftermath” blueprint (skeletal bleep techno with the dark undercurrents cropping up in much post-rave techno) is in full force on several tracks, like the follow-up club hit “Dextrous” and the depth-plumbing bass of “A Case of Funk.” Elsewhere, though, NoW expand the sound of bleep in several intriguing directions: “Coming Down” represents with paranoid breakbeats wrapped around a minimalist framework; “Playtime” sounds reminiscent ofSoul II Soul; “How Ya Doin’” is a great old-school shout-out track; and “Mega Donutz” brings a British spin to playful American hip-hop likeDe La Soul. Unjustly relegated to the history bins (and even more of a relic because of its radical differences from the later NoW catalog), A Word of Science is much more than just the other great early Warp LP. (via AllMusic)
Label: Warp Records
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Reissued: 2014 / Original Release: 1991
Genre: Electronic
Style: Breaks, Dub, Hip-hop, Trip-hop
File under: Downtempo
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