Inside by Miniman: A Dub Odyssey That’ll Mess With Your Head (In a Good Way)
Let’s get one thing straight—Miniman isn’t here to hold your hand and sing you lullabies. Nope. This French maestro, backed by the label Original Dub Gathering, dropped Inside in 2016, and it’s a genre-bending rollercoaster of reggae vibes and electronic wizardry. The style? Pure dub magic. If you’re into music that feels like it was cooked up in a spaceship powered by bongos and synthesizers, this album is for you.
Now, I’ve listened to plenty of dub albums before, but Inside sticks out because it doesn’t just sit there being all "chill." It grabs you by the brainstem and says, “Yo, pay attention!” Two tracks, in particular, have burrowed into my skull like musical earworms on steroids.
First up: "Warrior Dub." This track is like if a samurai sword had a soundtrack. It starts off slow, with these deep, echoing basslines that feel like they’re coming from the bowels of the Earth itself. Then BAM—layers of glitchy synths and percussion kick in, and suddenly you’re not just listening; you’re living inside some cyberpunk fever dream where everyone wears neon dreadlocks. The rhythm builds and drops so smoothly it’s almost hypnotic. Like, I forgot I was late for work because I got lost in its groove. Oops.
Then there’s "Meditation," which sounds like what would happen if Bob Marley and Daft Punk collaborated after smoking way too much herbal refreshment. The track floats along on this cloud of reverb-soaked melodies, and just when you think it can’t get any more chill, it throws in these little electronic blips that sound like space whales singing in the distance. Honestly, I could listen to this while staring at a wall and still feel enlightened. Not that I did that… okay, maybe I did.
The rest of the album keeps the energy flowing, with gems like "Choc Of The Elements" and "Dub For The King" keeping things fresh. Tracks like "Different Way" remind you why dub is such a vibe—it’s experimental but never loses its soul. And let’s not forget "Let Them Free," which somehow manages to be both haunting and uplifting at the same time. It’s like hearing freedom distilled into sound waves.
What makes Inside stand out isn’t just its technical brilliance or genre mashup—it’s the fact that it feels alive. You can tell Miniman wasn’t just ticking boxes; he was vibing hard in his studio somewhere in France, letting the music guide him rather than the other way around.
So yeah, give Inside a spin if you want something that’s equal parts head-nodding beats and mind-expanding weirdness. Just don’t blame me if you end up zoning out during an important meeting. Oh, and fun fact: Listening to this album might make you consider becoming a professional daydreamer. True story.
