Release date: 29-08-2002

2002 UK limited edition 12-track 2-LP vinyl set - When Nightmares On Wax first emerged into Sheffield's early nineties bleep and bass scene with the rave classics Dextrous and Aftermath few would have predicted that over a decade later they would still be going strong, but on Mind Elevation, their fourth album we find NOW in rude health. Presented in a gatefold picture sleeve.

Tracks:
A1   Mind Eye
A2   Say Say
B1   Date With Destiny
B2   Bleu My Mind
B3   Environment
B4   Soul Ho
C1   Humble
C2   70's 80's
C3   Know My Name
D1   BBH (Kongo Brk Heaven)
D2   Mirrorball
D3   Thoughts

George Evelyn, the Nightmares on Wax producer who provided the template for 2000-2001's downbeat movement almost a decade before it became the bane of mix album fans, returned just in time with another LP of supremely chilled beats. Unfortunately, though, Mind Elevation isn't the unqualified triumph of Carboot Soul or Smoker's Delight, with Evelyn substituting a couple of vocal tracks for the trance-state trip-hop of his previous work. Admittedly, the acid jazz groover "Date with Destiny" and the breezy dub track "70s 80s" prove that Evelyn is surprisingly proficient at crafting a good production for use under a vocal, combining a bare few elements (like the good acid house producer he is) yet weaving them together well. And he can still stop time merely by repeating the right sample and manipulating the bass (as he does perfectly on "Humble" and "Say-Say"). Still, the NoW blueprint of skeletal productions and a clever eye to detail appears to fail him in several places. The faux classical "Bleu My Mind" doesn't even rise to the level of Classical Chillout, and far too many tracks don't even rise above the quality of fair to middling downbeat. Ironically, the fact that there are so many vocals really saves Mind Elevation from being the first bland record by Nightmares on Wax; as it is, there's something to focus on for those few tracks where the old production genius just doesn't seem to be there anymore. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide