Nightmares on Wax

Nightmares on Wax

Nightmares on Wax is the long-running project of George Herbert Evelyn, an English DJ and record producer from Leeds who also records as DJ E.A.S.E. The act begins in 1988 as a collaborative project and starts out as a group, first with John Halnon and later with Kevin Harper. Evelyn is introduced to soul music by his father and sister, with Quincy Jones and Curtis Mayfield among the artists he hears early on, and he also develops an interest in early hip hop such as “Rapper’s Delight” and “Buffalo Gals”.

Recordings and style

Nightmares on Wax releases most of its music on Warp Records. The debut album, A Word of Science: The First and Final Chapter, appears in 1991. After that release, Harper leaves to concentrate on DJing, while Robin Taylor-Firth becomes a regular collaborator with Evelyn. The second Warp album, Smokers Delight (1995), later ranks number 15 on Fact magazine’s list of the 50 best trip-hop albums of all time.

Later studio albums include Carboot Soul (1999), Mind Elevation (2002), In a Space Outta Sound (2006), Thought So (2008), Feelin' Good (2013), Shape the Future (2018), and Shout Out! To Freedom... (2021). The project is associated with trip-hop, chillout, downtempo, electronic and lounge music.

Label and base

In 2005, Evelyn founds his own label, Wax On. He is based in Ibiza.