Recommended if you wish to complete your N.O.W. collection, but also if you’re looking for soulful hip-hop to kick back to.
George Evelyn, or Nightmares on Wax as most people know him by, is regarded by many as one of UK hip-hop’s most influential artists of all time. At the dawn of the nineties, his experimental and very soulful productions saw him becoming one of the first artists to sign to Warp Records, a label that was still in its infancy at the time. Now, 25 years later, that same label pays homage to the man’s incredible discography in the form of N.O.W Is The Time a 2xCD-package containing the producer’s best work.
Even though it’s firmly rooted in laid-back hip-hop, N.O.W Is The Time is first and foremost a melting pot of genres: elements of dub, funk, triphop, soul and early house are present in every track, with things being topped by George’s hazy sound signature. The first disc is a very relaxed affair in which we come across a variety of tracks powered by a very basic old-school beatbox groove while mixture of instruments such as guitars, bass and strings form a very chilled ensemble. In between the hip-hop-colored cuts, tracks such as “Dreddoverboard” and “Thinking of Omara” explore the realms of trip-hop and dub, adding a great deal of diversity to the overall. In other words, this first disc is one to kick back and chill to, and it’s good to hear that the far majority of the tracks haven’t lost any of their shine.
Disc 2 is a slightly heavier and experimental affair, with dark and brooding reggae and dub fx gently being fused with hip-hop. This side of the package is the trippier one, with exotic vocals and rough beat patterns delivering a very intriguing blend of genres. In other words, a brilliant counterpart to the calm first half.
N.O.W Is The Time is a very decent overview from a legendary producer that’s worth every penny. Recommended if you wish to complete your N.O.W. collection, but also if you’re looking for soulful hip-hop to kick back to.
N.O.W. Is The Time is available on Warp. [Resident Advisor Stream]
Written by Youri Jozee of electronic music blog BeatsandBeyond.com.
