Now Is Early

Now Is Early is the debut studio album by Scottish singer Nicolette, produced by English electronic duo Shut Up and Dance and released in April 1992 by the duo's label of the same name. It follows a string of popular underground singles in the early 1990s that applied the singer's jazz-styled vocals to Shut Up and Dance's early experiments in breakbeat hardcore, with songs from these singles featuring on the record. Stylistically, the record profiles Shut Up and Dance's spacious, breakbeat-driven sound, contrasted with Nicolette's smooth scat-style singing. For the album, the singer wrote torch songs in a stream of consciousness style and explored universal themes.

An unusually melodic, intimate release for the hard-edged Shut Up and Dance label, Now Is Early drew attention from music critics for its unique sound, but was deemed too unusual for mainstream appeal. Regarded as an early example of a vocal rave album, it has since been regarded by some critics as a "lost" classic and forerunner to jungle music. It was re-released in 1997 by Studio !K7, containing other material from the period as bonus tracks.