Not NOW, Sorry

As critics our daily routines of judging and critiquing require us to remain distant and observant, but when a critique becomes personal—it’s easy to be at a loss for words. SFCritic likes Nightmares on Wax (NOW). George Evelyn, DJ and musician, and the face of NOW, creates down-tempo house fused with hip hop, reggae and funk. Whenever I am driving or sitting around having a brewski, NOW is a perfect compliment with its groovy rhythms, eclectic styles, and unobtrusive sounds. Calling it “background music,” is overly simplistic, but the music doesn’t demand your attention; which was probably the reason I left mid-performance.

As a DJ, and not a turntablist, it’s difficult to entertain, or reproduce one’s music live. Ramble Krohn, better known as RJD2, a DJ and a hip hop producer, was recently on tour and his performance consisted of him playing several instruments including the cello, guitar, and violin. However, NOW’s performance was a DJ and two vocalists. While most of NOW’s music lacks lyrics, some songs have vocal loops. These loops performed live were monotonous. To add salt to a wound, both vocalists were decent singers, but nothing special. The performance lacked focus, with the vocalists sharing the limelight, Evelyn, though the man behind the original music, was overshadowed. I wouldn’t suggest seeing NOW, now—or anytime.