Of all of Warp Records' veteran acts, it's Nightmares On Wax world Health Organization seem to spark the least democratic acclaim, their smoky, slo-mo grooves inspiring neither the rabid fanboy enthusiasm of Aphex Twin or the more intellectual respect of Sheffield number-crunchers Autechre. That's not to say, though, that there's not much to advocate the latest instalment from Leeds native George Evelyn's long-running downtempo project.
Much has changed in cool it since Evelyn dropped what's come to be considered his chef-d'oeuvre, 1995's capably titled Smoker�s Delight, the genre expanding out into a catchall term that encompasses everything from Balearic dance to sleepy folktronica. And Nightmares On Wax have changed too, although you're leftfield with the feeling that Evelyn is exploring his own interior rhythm rather than marching to the beat of another's drum.
Mostly written on the road as he made his way from Leeds to his new home in Ibiza, Thought So strips chill-out right down to the basic principle, a blissful, unhurried coast of clacking hip-hop breaks, sparse guitar and shimmering synthesiser grounded in Evelyn's main musical passions, vintage soul, jazz, and the late-night gravy of the dub soundsystem. A fistful of invitee vocalists - Ricky Ranking, Chyna Brown and Ella May � add colour, if non any tangible narrative. And while thither is a distant echo of Nightmares On Wax's early beep beginnings in Be There, you pull up stakes feeling that Evelyn is more than satisfied with his current pace of life: sluggish, steady, hopped-up. That popular acclaim will surely continue to elude Nightmares On Wax, then, but in a musical style of cynical, blanded-out temper muzak, Thought So soundless feels like a treat, generously packed and tightly rolled, a treat for the discerning.
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