Doctor Wind by Dub Garden: A Chaotic, Genre-Bending Trip That Sticks
Alright, let’s get this straight—Dub Garden’s Doctor Wind isn’t your average cookie-cutter album. Released in 2017 outta Greece, this thing is a wild mashup of Pop, Reggae, Electronic, and Easy Listening vibes with a heavy dose of Trip Hop and Dub thrown into the mix. It’s like someone took all these genres, threw ‘em in a blender, and hit “puree.” The result? Messy as hell but weirdly addictive.
First off, props to whoever decided to slap two versions of "Eye Origins" and "Doctor Wind" on here—it’s not lazy; it’s bold. Like, yeah, we noticed you didn’t bother renaming them, but somehow it works. Maybe it’s intentional? Who knows. But what I do know is that this record has moments where it just grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go.
Take “Try More”, for example. This track slaps harder than most things labeled “Easy Listening.” It’s got this hypnotic beat that sneaks up on you, paired with glitchy synths and vocals so smooth they feel like liquid velvet. You can practically hear the smoke machines firing up in the background while some dude in shades nods his head approvingly. And yet, there’s an edge to it—a rawness that keeps it from being too polished or safe. I kept coming back to this one because it felt like the soundtrack to both chilling out AND losing your mind at the same time. Weird combo, right? But it works.
Then there’s “Late Station,” which shows up twice (again, bold move). The first version feels like stepping off a train in the middle of nowhere at 3 AM. There’s this eerie vibe, like the music itself is waiting for something—or someone—to show up. By the second take, though, it transforms. It’s darker, heavier, almost like the station got haunted between listens. It’s unsettling but in the best way possible. If horror movies had soundtracks made entirely of chill beats, this would be it.
The rest of the tracks are solid, even if some blur together after a few spins. Tracks like “Free” and “Colors” bring the laid-back reggae-electronic fusion vibes, perfect for zoning out or pretending you’re on a beach somewhere far away from real life. Meanwhile, cuts like “Talkin” and “Open Book” lean more experimental, dabbling in spoken word and atmospheric layers that might leave you scratching your head—but hey, isn’t that part of the fun?
What really sticks about Doctor Wind is how unapologetically chaotic it feels. Some albums try too hard to be cohesive, but Dub Garden seems content letting the chaos reign. Sure, it’s messy, but it’s also alive in a way a lot of overproduced records aren’t. It’s like listening to a conversation between five different people who don’t speak the same language—it shouldn’t work, but somehow it does.
And honestly? That’s kinda beautiful. In a world full of algorithm-friendly playlists and carbon-copy hits, Doctor Wind reminds us that music doesn’t always have to make sense to mean something.
So yeah, give it a spin. Just don’t expect perfection—expect personality. Oh, and maybe turn down the volume when your neighbors start wondering why dubstep-y reggae keeps blasting at midnight. Trust me, they won’t get it.
