1. WARP RECORDS
George Evelyn (also known as Nightmares on Wax or DJ EASE),
is a DJ and electronic music composer from Leeds, England. His
music is released on Warp Records and was one of the first
releases on the label.
Evelyn got his start in the music industry through an interest in hip
hop and on joining a local break dancing crew. He met Kevin
Harper and together they released their first album in 1991, a
techno-edged record entitled "A Word Of Science: The First And
Final Chapter". This was the beginning of Nightmares on Wax's
career. Today, Harper is a solo DJ and Evelyn is accompanied by
Robin Taylor-Firth
2. Evelyn's father and sister introduced him to
the soul music of Quincy Jones and Curtis
Mayfield. Later, as rap music became more
popular, he was fascinated by the likes of
Rappers Delight and Buffalo Gals. In 1988
he joined a break dance crew where he
befriended Kevin Harper, and the two later
formed Nightmares on Wax. Their music
fell into a category of artists including The
Forge masters, LFO, and Unique 3.
Commenting on their style, he has said
"We wanted to do tracks that had hip hop
beats but experimented with ideas
3. After A Word of Science, Nightmares on Wax disappeared from the music scene for four-years.
Evelyn went on to run The Headz Club in Leeds and developed their record label, Poverty Records.
He returned to music making with a track on the Mo' Wax Headz compilation. The next Nightmares
on Wax album release was Smokers Delight in 1995, by which time Harper had left to pursue a
career in DJing. Evelyn was joined on keyboards and programming by Robin Taylor-Firth. He
brought in a variety of musicians, writers, vocalists, and rappers, allowing him to tour. This album
also marked his entrance into the American market.
Carboot Soul was the first album to be domestically distributed through the US label, Matador
Records. The album featured soul singer Sara Winton, Hamlet Luton on Bass, Chris Dawkins on
guitar, and Robin Taylor-Firth on keyboards with the Pure Strings Orchestra on strings.
This was a change for Nightmares on Wax, as they began as a DJ-based group. Their newfound
contribution of live musicians allowed for the group to operate more like a band than a studio act.
However, the drum machine was not replaced with a live musician, remaining true to the band's
original technology-based tracks. No longer in partnership with Kevin Harper, Evelyn had the
opportunity to expand what he and Kevin Harper started. He explains that "Doing the live side
proves there is more to the music. People have something more tangible to relate the music to and
it gives us the chance to connect with the audience. Also I've always had this idea of creating a big
band – which is what we call our sound. The main priority for Now is to prove that we can perform
music. But we're not ignoring the fact that we come from a studio, technical background. We just
want to mix the old with the new. That's why, at the moment, I don't have a live drummer. The
sound of the beats is what makes Nightmares."
4. Birth name
George Evelyn
Also known as
Nightmares on wax or DJ
EASE
Origin
Yorkshire, England
Genres
Electronic, acid house, trip
hop, downtempo, chill-out
music
Occupations
Musician
Years active
1988–present
Labels
Warp Records, WAX ON
Records
Website
www.nightmaresonwax.com
Members
George Evelyn, Robin
Taylor-Firth, Chris Dawkins
Past members
Kevin Harper