Artist Close-Up: Nightmares On Wax Shapes The Future In Sound
If shaping the future sounded EXACTLY as Nightmares on Wax’s album then I would have more hope. (lol!) His Shape The Future record blends futurism with tribalism to serve you the most sonic embodiment of humanism. Let us be frank; now more than ever humanity’s penchant for communal division and harmony is on display, and Nightmares On Wax is creating dance music for it.
“Citizen Kane (feat. Mozez & Allan Kingdom)”, “The Othership”, and “Tomorrow (feat. LSK)” show Nightmares on Wax’s ability to turn baselines into chains or chariots. It is clear he wants to give a sonic dilemma: is humanity going to rise or sink? Yet, the intention of his “tension” pops through subtle notes like in, “Deep Shadows (feat. Sadie Walker)” and “Tell My Vision (feat. Andrew Ashong)”. Again, this album is trying to build a world that is solely in your imagination, but is up to you in how it manifests. This could be why there is a virtual undercurrent to his sound because, again, we are relying on vision to see if we have virtue.
From “Back to Nature (feat. Kuauhtli Vasquez, Wixarika Tribe)” to “Typical (feat. Jordan Rakei)”, Nightmares on Wax sonically thrives when you hear the richness of his soundscapes pour into a treasure chest of prime singers. He transforms singer’s features into guest narrations like, you are listening to the best sci-fi audiobook on a future dystopia trying to regain its sense of “dazzle”. In essence, what we, humanity, are trying to do right now. Yet, kudos must be lauded to Nightmares on Wax’s capacity to match desolated synth-waves into sparkling analogs. The result is a music that leaves you walking through a sonic city sanded by time but still dancing to the future. For More Information On Nightmares On Wax Click Here. Check Out Either His Bowery Ballroom Show on March 24 or His March 15 show as Music Hall of Williamsburg.
