Fat Freddy's Drop and Nightmares On Wax

A cool combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz and rhythm and blues, the band has a very chilled out style that is addictive as it is compelling. The band originated merely as an excuse for the members to jam together whilst working in other bands. However, in 1999 the band became each member’s sole focus as they realised the enormous potential of the band. Chris Faiumu can be cited as being the founder of the band and is a remaining member today, along with musicians Dallas Tamaira, Toby Laing, Scott Towers, Tehimana Kerr, Iain Gordon and Joe Lindsay.

The band’s most famous single is ‘Midnight Marauders’ which was released in 2002, earned them international recognition and was their real rising point in the industry. Enormously successful in New Zealand, the band has released three studio albums, two live albums and several singles as of 2014. Their second album ‘Based on a True Story’ is arguably their most successful and garnered them several awards and nominations including Album of the Year and Highest Selling NZ Album at the RIANZ New Zeakand Music Awards. Their third album, ‘Dr Boondigga and the Big BW’ also won them Album of the Year at the award show in 2009.

Evelyn is known for delving into a number of genres with his music and is never afraid to try something completely bizarre. Although starting off with hip hop as their main genre, Evelyn (with the help of former partner Kevin Harper) began to expand their audience with the incorporation of many different elements, from more dance-esque music to the introduction of live musicians to create tunes with a jazz vibe, evident in the 2006 album “In A Space Outta Sound”.

In his extended career of over 20 years, Evelyn has produced 11 albums/LPs, most of which have made an impact in both the UK and the U.S. Earlier releases such as “Smokers Delight” and “Carboot Soul” achieved popularity in Britain, charting at #84 and #71 respectively. However, it was the album “Mind Elevation”, released in September 2002, that saw him reach his highest position in the charts at #47.

Evelyn's music could be categorized into many different genres due to the amount of different instruments and elements each one uses. Although not known for possessing a stereotypical club sound, Evelyn has been performing for many years at Las Dalias, one of Ibiza's most famous nightclubs. During his set “Wax Da Jam” (evolving from his “Wax Da Beach” parties that were held on San Antonio Bay) he promotes his relaxed and feel good vibe to the party goers. Nightmares On Wax said himself that “Everyone turns up as individuals but everybody leaves as one”.

Nightmares on Wax has been associated with some of the biggest names in music, including De La Soul and Roots Manuva, and regularly performs with live musicians whilst on set. His most latest album is entitled “N.O.W Is The Time”, released to commemorate his career (which has now spanned a quarter of a century) and the fact he is the longest serving artist at Warp Records.