Flying Vipers: World Inversion

Finally one again Dub-Album in the classic sense, namely as an instrumental mix based on a vocal album.World Inversion“(Easy Star Records) by the Flying Vipers is the Dub-Version of "Off World," that beautifully soulful album from April of this year. While "Off World" unfolded a rather expansive panorama with Kellee Webb's vocals, social commentary, rare covers, and jazzy guest moments, World Inversion retreats into the engine room of the sound—to where rhythms are deconstructed, melodies emerge and disappear, and the world behind the mix suddenly seems larger than the one before it. The Vipers reconstruct their material from "Off World" in a charmingly quirky way: sometimes almost faithfully to the original, sometimes completely turned off-kilter. It sounds as if they've sent the songs through a mirror that shifts the proportions but preserves the essence. The grooves are deep, the spaces open, the echoes expansive. It embodies the ideal form of classic Dubs – all the way to a completely analog sound aesthetic.
The guest appearances are like little shooting stars in the mix: Earl Sixteen, whose voice every Dub gilded; Roger Miller of Mission of Burma, who briefly opens the door to a completely unique parallel world with guitars and cornet; and of course, Brandee Younger again on the harp, who already contributed that elusive, ethereal element on "Off World." Here, she acts like a light shining through heavy Dub-Fog is penetrating.
What I particularly appreciate is that World Inversion doesn't try to appear modern or progressive. It prides itself on being... Dub to be – in the classic sense. Bass and drums at the center, the effects as a compass, the melodies as fleeting shadows. It glides without rushing. It grooves without being overdriven. It's psychedelic, but never kitschy. For me, that's exactly the kind. Dub, which can be both listened to attentively and felt at the same time.
The production – mixed by John “JBo” Beaudette – is another reason why the album works so well. The sound is warm, rich, earthy, but with enough space between the layers for each echo to follow its own path. An album that feels like a loving embrace, one that doesn't glitter, but shines.