The New Cue #548 November 17: George Evelyn of Nightmares On Wax
"Happiness is an inside job."
Good morning,
You join us today for an enriching Life & Times chat with George Evelyn, aka the Leeds-born DJ and producer behind Nightmares On Wax. George is the longest-serving artist on Warp Records, every release going back to his 1991 debut A Word On Science put out on the label. On Friday, one of his most ambitious projects arrived in the form of Echo45 Sound System.
A homage to the sound clash and sound system culture of his youth, it’s a hypnotic and warming blend of soul, funk, hip hop, dub and more that features Yasiin Bey, Liam Bailey, Greentea Peng and Gilles Peterson amongst its many guests.
George jumped on a Zoom call with me, Niall, from his home in Ibiza last week to take on our Life & Times interview. It was absolutely pissing down here at the time and George promised to send some Balearic rays of sunshine our way. I’m not sure they come across in the written word below but I highly suggest sticking on the continuous mix of the record whilst you read, it will bring some radiance to your morning:
Enjoy the edition, and remember that this one is free for all to read but if you’d like to support us in the form of a paid subscription for £5 a month, then that would be lovely.
Ted and Niall
The Life & Times Of… George Evelyn
What was the first record you loved?
Cool Meditation by Third World. I don’t know what it was about that record. It was the first record I bought, I was seven years old. I remember hearing it on Top Of The Pops and I just loved it. We always had a bit of reggae in the house growing up, there was just something about that record. When it’s my birthday, I listen to it.
And what about the last?
Market by Chronixx.
What’s your earliest memory?
Playing on my street in Hyde Park, Leeds, LS6, in muddy puddles and there being a load of old beds and old furniture piled up for bonfire night.
What’s your daily domestic routine?
Brushing my teeth, having a shower, doing my affirmations of the morning, taking my vitamins, taking my CBD, taking my Lion’s Mane and starting the day. The most part of having a routine would be that. Right now, I’m in promo mode so my days are very different at the moment. I’ve not been like that for a while because for the last year I’ve been writing music and not been on the road so I’ve definitely had more of an easier way of getting into my day. But every day is a different, there’s no day that’s the same.
What’s your worst habit?
I don’t think I have one. I don’t think there’s anything that I think is bad. If I was going to get picky, it’d be ‘I like chocolate’ or something like that.
What was your first job?
Working for my brother as a labourer, which I absolutely hated. Working for your brother is not a good move, especially when you’re 16 and don’t like being told what to do by your brother.
Tell us the story of your new project.
It started quite a while ago but it came to realisation about two years ago. People talk about going into ‘album mode’ but I’m always writing music. My last project was Shout Out! To Freedom and I kind of initially thought, ‘Maybe I’ll do a Shout Out! To Freedom Part 2’ and then as the time passed, I was chatting with Kazim, my manager, and saying, ‘I’ve got all this music but it’s not an album’. Normally my albums have one general message or the music comes out of the message and Kazim was like, ‘Well, why don’t you just do a mixtape?’. I marinated on that for a little bit and then I started thinking about mixtapes and thinking about the history of mixtapes, about how I used to make mixtapes when I was younger and it took me back to the sound clash time and sound system time and then I started thinking about my upbringing. I thought, ‘What would be really cool is if you could do a mixtape that sounded like a pirate radio show combined with a sound clash’.
That idea started to grow and I thought, ‘It’d be great if I could have someone like Liam Bailey come in and that was the present voice all the way through the continuous mix’, then thinking about my upbringing and I started remembering all this stuff. The music basically revealed this story that I’d forgotten about, about this speaker box that I received. Upon remembering this speaker box and it being my first sound system when I was 13, I remembered all the drama around it and how it changed my life and how I ended up not being with this crew that I’d been with since I was 6 years old, being with a new crew, and I started realising, ‘Wow, if it weren’t for this speaker, my life would be completely different now’. It’s a sliding doors sort of moment, so that’s where the name Echo45 comes from and I thought, ‘I need to share this story, it’s such an important story’. I think you should always pay attention to what the music is telling you and if it wasn’t for going down that mixtape story, I wouldn’t have got to this place.
Has anyone you’ve ever met made you feel starstruck?
In hindsight, yeah, when I look back it was the recording session I was in with De La Soul. When I look at that younger version of me now and I think about it, how I approach recording sessions now is so different because I’ve got this experience. That younger version of me, I think I was 26 or 27, I look back and I was definitely starstruck.
What was the home you grew up in like?
Our home was very active. It’s funny because growing up for us, it was all about being outside, being on the street. The only time you were home was to get something to eat. Where I lived, it was a terraced street but there were 12 houses on this street with a massive wall at the end of it that led into a Hindu temple. Everybody knew everybody on that street, everybody were out, playing cricket on the street, doing whatever. When I think about growing up in that house, my memories are about being on the street. My dad would be at work and the time we’d come together was when we ate. My memory of the house is the street.
What do you wish the 18-year-old you knew?
I feel the tools I have now, I kind of had that then because of the naivety. When I think about the moves I made, I never doubted them. I don’t know where that came from. It’s almost like that naivety was a power. But I think probably I’d say to the 18-year-old me, ‘Invest, even if it’s 20 pence a week, 30 pence a week, invest, put something away for when you get to 40’. That’s what I’d say.
Do you mind getting older?
No, I love telling people how old I am, because I think it’s a success. A lot of people didn’t make it to this age, and I’m healthy. I’m not shy of my age whatsoever, I’m proud of my age. When I turned 50 in 2020, I definitely felt the change. I know a lot of people fear turning 50 for whatever reason but to me it was an achievement. Also, I did notice the difference and that difference was that I slowed down and time speeded up.
When were you at your most creatively satisfied?
Now. Definitely now. I can look back at my twenties and go, ‘I was on fire’ but you’re writing from a different space, which is great, and you don’t look left or right for some reason, you just keep going. Right now I feel so immersed in my creativity and my craft and my relationship to music that it’s something completely different. When you’re younger, you have this healthy competitive edge to you and you’re watching what other people are doing and you want to do better, that’s definitely come from sound system, it’s come from being a b-boy, that healthy bravado part of it. But as you get deeper into your creativity, it’s not about out there, it’s about in here. That’s the best place, the most peaceful place.
Who or what is the greatest influence on your work?
My wife. Without her, I wouldn’t have this much peace. But also life in general. There was a point where I felt like I wore different hats at different times, ‘I’m a dad’, ‘I’m a DJ’, ‘I’m a DIY man’ and at some point I realised it’s all part of the same thing. It all exists within my life. I’ve found I can be in the local supermarket and get inspiration and an idea, I don’t have to be listening to music, something can just come to me. Or I could be back in England or walking round Leeds and I get an idea, or go and see my mum or go and see old friends and I’ll get inspiration. I realised, it’s my life, that’s where the inspiration comes from, it’s what exists within my life.
Tell us about current home. What’s the vibe in your house?
Peace! I like solitude, I like peace, it’s where you get to know yourself. A lot of people think, ‘You moved to Ibiza for the clubs and the parties’ but that is not it. The decision to move, which was a long time ago, we lived in a great house in Leeds, set up my first proper studio there, but it was like, ‘This is just bricks, do we really want to bring our daughter up here?’ and it was, ‘No’. We said, ‘Where do we love? We love Ibiza, shall we go there?’ and 18 months later we were there. It was of a life-changing thing. And also, it was like, if it doesn’t work there, we’ll just go somewhere else. Getting there was like going home. It really gave us a blank canvas. I was pretty burnt out at that time and what it did is it gave us a blank canvas to be like, we can do anything.
Some people call Ibiza six months of Saturdays and six months of Sundays, the winter and the summer, especially in the winter because it’s so quiet, so you’ve got work to do, you’ve got to live with yourself. There’s a perception of Ibiza that’s very famous and I always say that that’s 10% of the island. The other 90% is absolutely incredible, even though that 10% has amazing things in it. We live in the countryside, in the middle of nowhere, so it’s a completely different Ibiza than what is known. It’s a very special place, Ibiza, it’s got a very special energy.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Happiness is an inside job. My wife said that.
Can you cook? If so, what’s your signature dish?
Yeah, I’m a bad-ass cook actually. I’m a bit of a grill master, I have an Asado and I’m big into it. I love the art-form of doing that. But my daughter would probably say one of the specialities would be what she calls a fish pot, which is a big one-pot I do with filleted fish with leeks, courgettes, coriander, potatoes, carrots and it’s cooked super slow. It’s a proper comfort dish.
What’s your favourite film and why?
Probably Magnolia, because it’s these four worlds that all come together and there’s this thread of love and heartache but also it’s so left-of-centre, the way that it all comes together is incredible.
Do you have a temper? How does it manifest?
I think I’d probably change that terminology to triggers than tempers. If anything triggers me, it’s rudeness and people being rude. I don’t think there’s ever any excuse to be rude, ever. I think that comes from my dad. My dad was really strict and as a kid I hated him for it but I’m so grateful for it now because it taught me respect.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I think being a singer, because I’ve done vocals and stuff but I wouldn’t class myself as a singer. When you’re a singer, the only instrument is you, you’re not behind an instrument, there’s nowhere to hide or escape to. There’s something weird about being a singer, especially a performer, because you’re going to make all these noises, beautiful or not, come out of your mouth whilst people watch and listen to you… it’s a bit weird.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Family, my daughter.