Flevans aka Nigel Evans is a multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer based in Brighton, UK, with an eclectic yet accessible style that straddles the genres of funk, breaks, soul and electronica. Known to all the big guns in funk and soul circles, Flevans is a specialist at expertly fusing an encyclopaedic knowledge of samples and breaks with a natural talent for playing multiple instruments, resulting in killer musical concoctions that make you want to move.

Flevans‘ early work showcased a love of classic funk and soul, contemporary beats and an ear for sunny, uplifting samples. The young Flevans rolled into Brighton in the early noughties with nothing to his name but a crudely produced demo tape, lovingly assembled on a battered four-track while he should have been attending lectures at veterinary college. This tape made its way to Rob Luis who immediately signed the project up to the renowned Tru Thoughts imprint for a string of EPs. Settling in alongside label mates Bonobo and Quantic, our young Flevans found his feet quickly with his first three 12” releases on the label selling out in record time. Collecting the standout tracks of these EPs into one glorious studio album, his first LP “Make New Friends” debuted on the Brighton imprint to critical acclaim in 2004.

Flevans rode the momentum into a globe-straddling maelstrom of DJing that took him to Australia, the USA, the Cannes film festival and too many sweaty basements full of wig-flipping funk’n’breaks cognoscenti to accurately remember. The learnings and yearnings of those adventures were poured into “Unfabulous”, his 2007 release on London’s Jack to Phono label. Keeping the same focus on clever use of samples, the album demonstrated a more diverse mix of styles and started incorporating more of Flevans‘ musicianship, giving the record a more live and polished sound.

Taking a break from production duties, Flevans picked up his bass guitar and joined the Steve Lamacq-championed downtempo band Backini for a whirlwind few months of touring. Chalking up gigs at high profile venues and festivals he played Glastonbury and The Big Chill as well as recorded live sessions at Abbey Road and Maida Vale. This further encouraged a shift towards a more organic, song-based dynamic in his own work and led to Flevans’ third studio album “27 Devils” being his first totally sample-free LP. Here Flevans plays keys, bass, guitars, percussion and even lent a few vocal snippets and it’s also his first work collaborating with vocalists Sarah Scott and Shona Foster. The album was quickly snapped up by Tru Thoughts who soon after released an accompanying remix LP which featured reworks from the likes of Lack Of Afro and Regal.

2016 saw the release of “A Distant View” on LOA Records, a return to the uplifting funk and soul rhythms and hooks that made Flevans’ name. It shares a heartfelt and uninhibited approach with his earliest releases but struts and swings with a compositional and multi-instrumental confidence that has been honed over many years. Featuring contributions from keys specialist and regular Lack Of Afro collaborator George Cooper and the lithe bass playing of Greg Houghton, the new LP offers up a crisp warm sound and production finesse sharpened to a gleam by recent genre-wanderings and mastering work.

Long considered a member of the extended family, 2018 saw Flevans arrive at his spiritual home of Jalapeno Records, where he releases his 5th album “Part-Time Millionaire“. This release sees him furthering his trajectory of song-led compositions, including more collaborations than ever with the talented Elliott Cole, Laura Vane, Sarah Scott and Izo FitzRoy all lending their vocals to the record.

With 5 studio albums under his belt, countless tours throughout the world as a DJ and music placements in high profile adverts for the likes of Nokia, BSkyB & ESPN, it’s safe to say Flevans is no tenderfoot. And you can hear all his experience distilled into a finely blended brew of funk-inspired tunes on his 6th full-length “Accumulate” out May 1st 2020 on Jalapeno Records…

 

For more:
Flevans’ website
Flevans on facebook
Flevans on twitter
Flevans on bandcamp

Releases