Album Review: Nightmares On Wax - Shape The Future

A profoundly horizontal funkateer, George "Nightmares On Wax" Evelyn may not be as sleeplessly prolific as some of his other Warp labelmates, but he's as consistent as they come.

Although he's invited more collaborators than usual here, he's not the sort to dial up big names or charismatic marquee-fillers; just low-key performers who fit the grooves to a T, plus a few oddball surprises. The expansive opener Back To Nature is assisted by human rights activist Kuauhtli Vasquez, who chips in with a spoken-word sermon cum lecture. An exquisitely arranged piece, it amounts to one of the clearest visions in Evelyn's catalogue. 

While the second half doesn't keep up with the glorious first, there are still plenty of smoking, late-night jams littered throughout. On It Maestro is beguiling from nose to tail, with a penetrating piano lick and orchestral sweeps in just the right places, while the bare-bones backing of Deep Shadows is all that's needed to dress Sadie Walker's falsetto flutter.

It's been four-and-a-half years since his last full-length effort but, given Evelyn's current form, the future of Nightmares On Wax looks as rosy as ever.