Blending Soul and Trip-Hop

Nightmares On Wax is not a rookie in the electronic music industry, and his veteran experience is on full display on his latest release Shape the Future. Since his debut release in 1991, Nightmares On Wax has continued to stand out with his forward-thinking releases, quality work as a producer and starting up his own record label. He is also known for having a deep affinity for hip-hop and soul influences compared to some of the other influences in his projects, and Shape the Future remains true this idea.

Shape the Future is primarily a trip-hop album that blends together soulful instrumentation, hip-hop beats and downtempo electronica. The album also has several appearances from other artists featured on the album such as Sadie Walker, Mozez and Allan Kingdom. One other standout feature of Shape the Future is Nightmares on Wax’s masterful use of samples and loops that help to give the album its trippy vibe.

Nightmares On Wax jumps straight to the trip-hop essence of the album on the opening track “Tomorrow.” The song aggressively sets the tone for the rest of the album and contains many of the more traditional elements that listeners hear in trip-hop such as downtempo electronic melody loops over hip-hop infused beats. This same kind of conventional trip-hop resurfaces later during album on the song “Deep Shadows” which also features vocals from Sadie Walker.

Nightmares On Wax takes this trip-hop feel that is established on this album and masterfully fuses it with a lot more soulful jazz influences — this is most apparent on the fourth track entitled “Citizen Kane.” The track features vocals from Mozez which contributes greatly to the soulful vibe on the album. The song also has a choir sample which adds to the songs its trippy feel. “Tell My Vision” is another strong example of the soul influences on the project and this is also largely due to the vocal of featured artist Andrew Ashong. “Tell My Vision” is also a bit slower in tempo than “Citizen Kane” lending it a slightly different feel.

The ability that Nightmares On Wax showcases mixing loops and samples is on full display on the track “Deep Shadows.” The song beautifully intertwines various loops and samples that was popularized primarily hip-hop music. The samples are largely based on the vocals of Sadie Walker, a featured artist on the track. The light and airy vocals on this track are some of the more beautiful ones on the album and go well with the instrumentation.

Along with some of the other influences on the album, Nightmares On Wax also incorporates more blues elements on the track, “Typical.” The song features vocals Jordan Rakei and has a very blues-y feel to it. This song also probably diverges most on the album, but it is not so divergent that it feels out of place.

Nightmares on Wax sets out to do exactly what the album promises in that he attempts to “shape the future” of music. There is an incorporation of numerous influences condensed into one amazing album. Nightmares on Wax creates a nice blend of trip-hop with elements of soul and blues that truly stands out. Shape the Future is definitely worth a listen for those looking a fresh blend of soul and trip-hop.