Nightmares on Wax Finds His Dream Sound

3 December 2025

Emerging supplies the key elements to improve monitoring accuracy

The 19^th of April 2024 celebrated the 25^th anniversary of a seminal album; “Carboot Soul”. The performance by Nightmares on Wax with the Outlook Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall might have seemed an unlikely setting for an artist who began as a DJ steeped in reggae and hip-hop. Yet over the years, George Evelyn (aka Nightmares on Wax) has folded electronica, jazz, techno, funk, and soul into his distinctive blend. This show was one of two planned in the UK in early 2024, the other in his former home city of Leeds. Now based in Ibiza, where he has lived since 2006, George remains a dedicated traveller. February saw him take his “Club EASE” tour across several major U.S. cities before heading to Milan for another gig.

Nightmares on Wax began with a young boy’s fascination with technology. Across the road from his school, his best friend’s older brother built reggae sound systems, and watching speakers being constructed and tested sparked George’s interest in electronics and sound reproduction. Bass quickly became an obsession, shaped by early exposure to dub albums, and in 1982 he discovered hip-hop. The idea that a DJ could manipulate sound was instantly compelling, and he started experimenting with “pause-button recording” to sample tracks and create new sequences.

The first person George met with two turntables was John Halnon, who also had a vast and eclectic record collection. Together, they began piecing tracks into mixes. About two years later, John moved on, and Kevin “Boywonder” Harper became the other half of the duo. A government grant enabled them to record a megamix and make a test pressing an experience that convinced them they were on the right path. They spent the next two years saving for more gear and building a strong club following before pursuing a record deal.

Rejections were frequent, but during their search they met a New Yorker who invited them to stay with him if they ever visited. Six months later the two 19-year-olds were on a plane, returning wiser but still contract-less. On the flight home, they decided to release the record themselves. Poverty Records was born, though they had no idea that mastering was required until their tape was turned away by the pressing plant. They booked a session at Abbey Road without realising its significance, where a rather unimpressed engineer nonetheless completed the job, despite constant requests for “more bass.”

Two thousand copies were pressed, and after a two-week tour of Yorkshire record shops they were all gone. During that journey they met Steve Beckett of Warp Records at FON Records. Impressed, he told them Warp was starting a label and invited them to sign. Their debut single sold 30,000 copies, and in 1991 they released their first album, A Word of Science. Two years later Kevin moved on. The next album, Smokers Delight, marked a pivotal moment. Forming a live band for the tour proved transformative for George, kicking off a long line of acclaimed albums, EPs and singles up to the present day.

Relocating to Ibiza

The Evelyn family had taken a decision to move to Ibiza as 36 years in Leeds and extensive travel had taught them that there were attractive and warmer alternatives. Faced with the dilemma of how to transport his studio contents to Ibiza, the idea to install it in a camper van was mooted. Steve enthusiastically endorsed it and they set off with the idea to fly guest musicians in to record on the way there. This worked very well and after eventually arriving in Ibiza, the reality of setting up life in a completely new environment, plus reassembling a working studio meant that it took two years for “Thought So” to be finished. The process of relocating had the added benefit of reconnecting George with his music and created a blank canvas for the future.

Convinced that Ibiza was where they wanted to be, the family moved to a second house and the studio was installed there. Its location right in the middle of the house was not without some problems. Whereas the first studio had a big window looking out to the pool as a distraction, with the sound heavily compromised by a complete glass wall, the second studio had no natural light and was too involved with what was happening in the rest of the house. Determined to get it right the third time in the new house, the latest studio is in a room that was an empty concrete space and separate from the rest of the living space. We are now in 2021 when travel was not happening because of Covid, so it gave an opportunity to re-examine what gear was actually being used and what new technology was available, rather than just re-install all the gear from the previous studio. Some of the items were 15 years old and during that time there had been dramatic improvements in software and plug-ins, so it was a time to question whether items like mixers were really needed. The exercise became an upgrading but also a downsizing process. It was also a chance to look at the acoustics and ergonomics which was easier to do with a fresh design. 

Discovering Trinnov

Mala (Digital Mystikz), the renowned dubstep artist, asked whether George had explored the “secret sauce.” When it turned out to be Trinnov Audio’s room-correction system, George contacted Emerging, the UK distributor. After several Zoom calls, an ST2 Pro (predecessor to the Nova) unit was shipped to Ibiza on a sale-or-return basis – but it never returned. The improvement was immediate and dramatic.

George was impressed not just by the technology but by the meticulous support from Paul Mortimer, Managing Director of Emerging. Once calibrated, the ST2 Pro revealed that the room was far from ideal, and the correction transformed the stereo image, depth, and low-end accuracy.

Problems he once chased endlessly, like mixes not translating to the car, multiple revisions, doubt about EQ or reverb choices all suddenly evaporated.

“I find there are a lot of things I no longer need to do,” he explains. “It’s all simpler now. I can trust what I’m hearing.”

A New Monitoring System

With confidence restored and productivity rising, George began exploring additional speaker options and needed the ability to switch between three pairs. Because the ST2 Pro supports only four channels, he upgraded to a Trinnov D-MON for its expanded capacity.
Soon after, one of his ageing speakers failed catastrophically and couldn’t be repaired. Paul suggested that if George was considering replacements, PSI Audio might be worth serious attention.
George intended to visit the UK in the New Year to audition PSI speakers, but with his old monitors already dead, the decision was accelerated. After discussing it with his wife whose pragmatic approval (“If they help your craft, why wouldn’t you get them?”) sealed the deal, he ordered a pair of PSI A25 three-way monitors and an A225 sub on trust, based on his experience with the Trinnov and the relationship with Paul. Brexit complications caused the shipment to bounce between Ibiza and the UK before finally arriving, testing everyone’s patience.
After eight months with the new system, vindication is clear.
“I’ve never had sound like this,” George says. “I can zone in on things I never could before. The stereo field is so precise. I can trust the EQ. I’m more productive because there’s no procrastination and when I listen the next day, it still sounds right. There’s a place for everything now. Mixing has become simpler.”

A Transformational Partnership

Trust was central to his experience with Emerging and our products.
“There was no sales pressure,” he noted. “I trusted what I was told, and it has made such a difference. I feel there’s so much more to discover. I’m learning more about mixing. It’s not about volume. I can push sounds in the mix and they never get harsh. We’re on the cusp of getting back to that warmer analogue feel, even though it’s digital. It sounds more organic, and I can grow with it.”
Either product alone, the Trinnov and the PSI speakers, made a huge improvement. Together, George says, “it’s a revelation.”