Nightmares On Wax - Late Night Tales (2LP)

This ain't no normal nightmare, kid. This is Nightmares On Wax, aka DJ Ease, aka George Evelyn. Born under a bad sign, with lino in hand, Mr. Evelyn went forth into the world and breakdanced (brokedance?). It's what you did in the 80s when you were young, loved hip hop and couldn't rap for toffee. When house arrived they turned their clever hands to it. Bleeps and beats is what it was.

That's what everyone said. But there was always a bit more than a bunch of bleeps to what Nightmares On Wax did. The north never really took the name very seriously (Sweet Exorcist even named their album Clonk as a pisstake). Then George flipped the script and went and did Smokers Delight, the beats not so much seminal as semolina: gloopy and slow and sweet and lovely.

And now we have this: a 2024 reissue of his seminal Late Night Tales compilation. Tom Scott's 'Sneakin' In The Back' — one of the most sampled beats in hip hop — makes an appearance in its full glory, while Quincy Jones, the inspiration for NOW's 'Nights Interlude', backs up the classics with ‘Listen (What It Is)’. 

Evelyn's hip hop sensibility is to the fore throughout and nowhere is this more evident than on ‘Intergalactic Throwdown' by former Freestylers' DJ, Mad Doctor X. And can we forget the sublime version of the Classic IV's 'Spooky' by darling Dusty? No, we can't. Finally — oh, finally! — there is the now-traditional cover version, with George serving up a soupy version of 'Brothers On The Slide' that gives a nod of respect to the original British funk soul brothers, Cymande. This ain't no nightmare at all: it's Nightmares On Wax.

1. Joe Dukie & DJ Fitchie - Midnight Marauders
2. Ian Brown - The Gravy Train (N.O.W. Mix) 
3. Tony Allen ft Damon Albarn - Every Season 
4. The Rootsman - Show Some Love
5. King Kooba - California Suite (Vagabond Mix)
6. Quincy Jones - Listen (What It Is) 
7. Cortex - La Rue
8. Tom Scott and The L.A. Express - Sneakin’ In The Back 
9. Search - Action Tape 1 (Madscope Mix) 
10. Large Professor - 'Bout That Time 
11. Tranquility Bass - Cantamilla 
12. Mad Doctor X - Intergalactic Throwdown 6:04 
13. Dusty Springfield - Spooky 
14. Focus - Having Your Fun 
15. Nightmares on Wax - Brothers On The Slide Dub (Exclusive Cover Version) 
16. Brian Blessed - The White City Part 1 (Exclusive Spoken Word)