Nightmares On Wax – Carboot Soul (2LP)

There was a soulful classicism that remained in the Nightmares on Wax sound, extending its life beyond the decline of the genre it helped establish. Following his second album, Smokers Delight, Evelyn had been inspired to incorporate more live instrumentation into their music, building from an initial keys and beats base towards something that resembled a small symphony of both sampled and performed sound. Robin Taylor-Frith’s dexterous performances are again used throughout the album, notably on tracks such as the opener ‘Les Nuits’, in which his staccato keyboard is offset by a velveteen bed of cinematic strings. The album’s cast of musicians also included Chris Dawkins on guitar, Hamlet Luton on bass, and soul singer Sara Winton, whilst orchestral arrangements were handled by the Pure Strings Orchestra.
Four years on from Smoker’s Delight and, fortunately, little has changed for George Evelyn’s Nightmares on Wax project. While he could’ve easily been forgiven for following the nu-beat crowd and inserting a few prescient big beats into the blunted trip-hop formula, it’s all clear from the opener, “Les Nuits” (a NoW theme of sorts, repeated from Smoker’s Delight), that at hand is a return to form, not a turn away from the trip-hop style that took such a beating during the late ’90s. The lazy-day soul samples driving tracks like “Morse” and “Finer” are perfect examples that instrumental hip-hop doesn’t have to resort to the usual producer’s bag of tricks to make for music leagues beyond the average. There’s also a focus here lacking from previous material; fewer interludes make for a more concentrated listening experience. All in all, Carboot Soul is one of the best arguments yet for the continuing development of trip-hop beyond mere coffee table fare.