Better Days Are Coming

Nightmares On Wax released In A Space Outta Sound in 2006, the fifth album by George Evelyn. The sound was a trippy blend of soul, reggae and electronics, a late night album for heads, lots of detail in the sounds. Flip Ya Lid has some cheerful whistling and a clanking machine rhythm and then a lovely warm reggae bassline. 

Flip Ya Lid

Soul Purpose is electronic soul, lo fi and scratchy like an old 7" playing with a new vocal sung alongside it. It's entrancing and not a little beautiful. 

Soul Purpose

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of In A Space Outta Sound Warp have released a box set which includes a set of  Adrian Sherwood versions, eight new dubbed out remixes that make a companion version, another side of the album. Sherwood's reconstructions head into dub space, that particular place and channel he operates in. He's been on a roll in recent years with solo releases, compilations and Dub Syndicate reissues. His album The Collapse Of Everything was a 2025 highlight. His work on In A Space Outta Dub is more of the same, the usual brilliance with Doug Wimbish playing new bass. 

On You Bliss Sherwood blurs horns, guitar lines and bass, all surrounded by echo and space. On Purpose starts out spindly and brittle but then the vocal kicks in, 'better days are coming you see', and we're into dub/ Lover's Rock territory. Flippin 'Eck has Flip Ya Lid's whistling and an entirely new rhythm, a Space Invaders sound. Final track, Nyabinghi Dub, is seriously good, a filmic piece of music with a 50s feel. You can listen to the whole album below or go to Bandcamp and get it there.

Sabres

Tonight The Sabres Of Paradise play live at Fabric in London, the first time the band have played since a handful dates in Japan in 1995. The live band line up of Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns, guitarist Phil Mossman, bassist Nick Abnett and drummer Rich Thair are one man down- Andrew Weatherall is absent for obvious reasons- but Jagz and co. have decided to revive the band, do some gigs and finish the job, put Sabres out there and then put Sabres to bed. There may/ will be some further announcements about Sabres activity to follow- in fact, I think there may be some today and then more in a few weeks. 

After the gig at Fabric Sabres fly to Australia to play at Sydney Opera House and then they return to Europe to play Primavera and Dekmantel. I'm going down to London today to see them. I missed Sabres play live back in the 90s and wasn't going to miss out twice. Also, The Flightpath Estate are partly responsible for the reformation happening. In 2023 Martin from The Flightpath Estate approached Jagz about marking the 30th anniversary of the release of Sabresonic and suggested a Q&A at The Golden Lion in Todmorden with a Jagz DJ set. Jagz was up for it and I agreed to be the host of the Q&A, asking the questions and trying to maintain a semblance of order. Jagz brought Gary along, two Sabres for the price of one and both were great fun, answered all the questions and entertained us with stories and tales of their lives and adventures with Andrew Weather al, making records in the mid- 90s. 

We had a live recording of Sabres Of Paradise playing at Manchester's Herbal Tea Party, recorded back in 1994 provided by Rob Fletcher, and in between the Q&A and Jagz's DJ set we played it through the pub's PA. Jagz stood by a speaker listening intently and said to us at one point, 'You know, we sounded pretty good back then...'. 

The live recording is at Mixcloud, Andrew on the decks for the first half hour and then Sabres playing Bubble And Slide II, Tow Truck, Theme and Smokebelch.

Bubble And Slide (Nightmares On Wax Remix)

Cogs started turning in Jagz's head and once he got agreement from the other five Sabres live players, wheels were set in motion. There have been some rehearsal footage clips on social media this week, Jagz and Gary at the keys and synths, Rich standing at the drums and percussion and Nick rocking a low slung bass guitar, Phil front and centre with his Les Paul. There are a few photos from that time of the group on stage- this one is from Sugar Sweet in Belfast...

At the Sabresonic 30th Q&A we discussed where Andrew got the name Sabres Of Paradise from. The NME at the time suggested excitedly it was a play on Sex Pistols but there are two more plausible  and possible sources. One is a 1960 novel by Lesley Blanch, a tale of pre- revolutionary Russia, cossacks and the Caucuses. The other is a 1983 Haysi Fantayzee B-side, a six minute dubby/ synth excursion by Jeremy Healy and Kate Garner (produced by Tony Visconti) with rambling, spoken word vocals. No one seemed entirely sure which  one was the source, and equally, it could be both. 

The Sabres Of Paradise

There are still a few tickets available for the Fabric gig tonight. David Holmes is playing a supporting DJ set and the place is sure to be filled with friendly faces. It's not too late... 

Night Dubbin

I missed this at the end of last year and have become somewhat addicted to it over the last few days. Nightmares On Wax have released 8 albums and various singles since 1989 (mostly on Warp). In A Space Outta Sound from 2006 was the last one I got, an album of laid back, downtempo reggae inspired grooves but somehow still seeming to be in a straight line from the bleep 'n' bass releases in 1989. There's a new one called Shape The Future out now. Back in December this came out as part of a remix 12" of the track Citizen Kane. The original is gospel-hip hop-soul. For this 10 minute excursion Ron Trent sets the vocal (by Mozez) to a skippy, propulsive Chicago house beat and allows the groove to whisk us away to a future where the machines have made gospel their own.

Flipping Heck

Bleepy, dubby, low-key, electronica from Nightmares On Wax (Warp Records, 2006's In A Space Outta Sound). Nightmares On Wax is Leeds DJ and producer George Evelyn, who as well as making top records has a good line in hats.

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