The Importance of Being...Nightmares on Wax

Just push play here and start reading. Don't worry, there's no video, its just a track, so you won't miss any visuals. Just enjoy the music.

A lot of groups have included rolling papers with their albums, but when Nightmares On Wax did it with their most recent album, it made perfect sense.

The pairing of weed and this music was perfect...its like if Sunn0))) included bumps of Special K with their albums (all of which should be called 'Theme from the K Hole').

Their second album "Smoker's Delight" made it clear they were after the red-eyed set, but even stone sober, at work, or driving in the rain, NOW have put together some of the best instrumental music this side of your own brain. They started off buried in the Warp Records catalog, staying obscure early until they put out 'Aftermath', a track that still rocked a familiar, early 90's "Cornwall is awesome!!!" English thump, but the vocal SAMPLES, and the LOW END of the track gave a pretty good idea of where they were headed.

"Fire in the Middle" from their first album, Carboot Soul

Now, on Carboot Soul, their first proper album, they are only a few steps away from hip-hop. In fact they could easily lend their beats to an MC to tear up. They probably have, but as someone who has dug deep into their collection, I cant remember anything with a rapper that stands out. Maybe NOW decided the framework of the hip hop instrumental provided a lot of room for creativity...or maybe we aren't supposed to worry about it...I mean, have you been listening? Are you worried? About anything?

Then there was Smoker's Delight, I'm not posting anything from it, because you need to have the entire thing, 3 blunts (approximately) and an entire Saturday. It's called "Smoker's Delight", not "Guy at Work Ordering a Turkey Wrap's Delight"...show some respect...jeez.

Ok, then came the rolling papers and the soundsystem from up there in 2006. In a Space Outta Sound is a monster. After following their fairly-singular dream in a fairly-singular format, NOW put together the end all be all. Its not the endgame for instrumental music as a whole...ah fuck it, yes it is. I've never gotten more satisfaction out of instrumental music like I do on this record.

"Flip Ya Lid" from In a Space Outta Sound

Are you listening to this? That's right its fuckin' Saturday now. Don't stop to ask how this time-warp happened man, just go buy 3 Dutches and get to work.

Love,
Don Dokken