So what exactly happens on stage with the NoW Soundsystem, George? We’re touring with China B, who has been with us for the last two albums, and another female vocalist. Then we have Ricky Rankin, the MC from Flip Ya Lid. And I have a scratch DJ with me, Wayne Seely, and myself, your spiritual conductor Mr DJ Ease. I think it’s been four years since we visited Australia, which was the first time we went there, and I’m totally looking forward to coming that way again. Last time we were completely taken aback by the response we had because we didn’t even realise that we had fans out there.
Will you be playing tunes from all your albums or primarily the last couple? We definitely pull stuff out of the Smoker’s and Carboot catalogues. We’ve always been about the journey, and we put the journey into the show as well.
Tell me about your latest release, Inna Space Outta Sound… It’s more about me going deeper musically on the album and really tapping into the music, hence the soundsystem approach, which is the reggae influence I had as a kid growing up. It also shows a maturity that has been with and grown with Nightmares on Wax.
You also have the My Definition compilation out on Apace now too, what’s that about? I was approached two years ago to do it and they’ve basically given me free reign to drop a little bit of an inspiration of my definition of what pushes buttons for me in music, whether it’s past, present or future. I mixed an array of reggae, hip-hop, soul, funk and a little bit of jazz. It’s a nice little journey, a nice little mix, and I’m really happy with it. I’ve taken it back to that head-nodding shit that we were doing in the early ’90s.
Have you been writing for a sixth album? In the middle of touring last year I moved to Spain (in May), then I moved my studio over in September. So instead of putting my studio into a removal truck and expecting it to turn up, which I didn’t want to do, I decided to bring it over myself. That led onto the idea that, if I’m going to be with all my studio gear, I could be doing something. So I set up all of my studio up on a camper van and travelled 10 days from Leeds, England through France, the Pyrenees, the Sierra Nevada, all the way to Ibiza recording and writing the next album. It was an incredible experience. So the next album is written, I’m just arranging the mix at the moment.
So what’s the new material like? It’s very funky; it’s very soulful and deep. There was so much that happened on that road trip that was non-musical that inspired the music at the same time. It’s a very spiritual album. Arranging the tracks is giving me flashbacks to what was happening when I was writing the tracks. We would be coming down the Pyrenees and it would be cloudy and rainy and the track came alive and the clouds opened up and the sun shined. There was mad synchronicity going on. Some of those things, you can’t show that on record. – In a Space Outta Sound is out now on Warp. My Definition is out now on Apace. Good Vibrations happens every year Visit http://www.goodvibrationsfestival.com.au for details.
