Infinite Sounds UK: Album Review: Mirtazapine Dreams by Dotz & DJ Goblin

Mirtazapine Dreams

Dotz and DJ Goblin

It was in 2016 that I first got my taste of Dotz with the release of his Bring The Soul Back EP which featured Blak Twang, Tony D, Wordshiff Flip, Blizzard, Skrabl, Peterz and Jabbathakut, which I managed to grab a signed copy of at the time. But he has been active on the UK scene since 2012, releasing a number of solo and group projects which includes the Phili’N’Dotz album alongside Si Phili of Phi Life Cypher. Alongside tours of the UK and Europe and collabs with the likes of Chester P and Klashnekoff, he is also a seasoned veteran of rap battles and a freestyle champion.

Following a few years away from the scene, Dotz returned at the end of 2022 releasing a string of singles and two solo albums. Mirtazapine Dream is his second release of 2024.

There are a couple of versions of this album and the one I’ll be reviewing here is the Deluxe Edition, this has an extra six tracks over the standard version which give you all the tracks originally recorded for the album. The concept behind the album is that one of the side effects of the drug Mirtazapine is that it can give you very vivid and intense dark dreams; it was through his own personal experience of this that Dotz got the idea for album, that and the beats provided by Goblin which also served to further reflect the vibe of those dreams.

Now you have some idea of what to expect, let me walk you through the album from top to bottom…

It all begins with Information For The User where percussion, keys and xylophone notes come together to create this sense of being in a half awake and drowsy mind state. As you are carried along on this mind-numbing ride you are treated to the information about the drug Mirtazapine, its uses and side effects but, the vocals are also given this twisted sound that matches that drowsy, drug induced state of mind. We join our protagonist staring at The Ceiling, as the drug begins to take a hold on his reality. The beat is heavy but doesn’t have blistering pace, while the ticking cymbals tweak your nerves and everything else seems to lose cohesion as does the mind. There is no sugar coating the facts here as the daydreams haunt his every waking moment and he seeks to separate himself from the world around, where possible, as he clings to every aspect of the real world. The beat switches up bringing a straight up banger on Charlie Sheen. The xylophone and guitar notes add an extra edge which seems to bring a moment of clarity from the haze of the drug. Here find Dotz going all in and pulling no punches as he details the struggles with drugs and getting clean, just like the actor Charlie Sheen.

A pounding beat and eerie background notes that seems to include wooden xylophone, once more grabs your awareness and twists it for the Twelve Steps. This one continues the struggles of going through rehab and the realisations that come with that as you look back at your past and the person you once were, and now struggle to keep from your door. Ten Four hits with another heavy drumbeat, pounding your awareness while background vocal samples and percussion begin to stretch your understanding of reality. Here we take a look at the protagonist from the outside as he tries to claw his way back from the brink, all the while he wonders if his calls for help are falling on deaf ears, as he wonders if it is all really worth it. Everything in Sight hits with a heavy sound of drums, keys, vocal samples and more, making you feel like your brain is about to explode from your skull. As the world around him closes in the protagonist relapses in extreme style, seeking to burn down all that is around him as he tries to shut out the noise.

Guitars and proper heavy beat combine to raise your adrenaline levels on Red Rooms. This one takes you deep into the murky world of the dark web. Here we find ourselves immersed in a places where anything that is illegal takes place as the norm, where anything can be brought or sold and nothing is off the table. The pounding drums fall slightly to the back as heavy eerie piano vibes take the forefront. This brings the kinda sound that has you looking over your shoulder, constantly with Haunted. Here we find the protagonist struggling with all he has done, haunted by the ghosts of those he has crossed paths with and the situations he has found himself in but, can he truly trust all that he sees and feels? Souvenirs brings another look from the outside in with a sound that is a mix of drums, keys and bass vibes with little accents that tease your mind. Here we follow a serial killer, his acts and the souvenirs he gathers as a result. Is this person out protagonist or is this just another disturbing dream?

The Dark Passenger (Interlude) brings us a short musing over an electronic sounding vibe that carries us along as we listen to the words through what appears to be a drug fuelled haze. Those words seem to have a deep impact as you feel for him and wonder just where this is heading. But those thoughts are blasted from your mind as the pounding drums, keys and strings of Raise Your Guns burst forth. This is a no holds barred look at what is going on around the world as wars ravage the innocent as those in a place a power seeks to stir up hatred and take land from others. Land they say is theirs, when in truth, it belongs to no one, and one day the innocent will raise up and say no more. Walk The Plank is the first track to feature DJ TMB on the cut and brings us a solid beat that is joined by these sounds that twist your mind this way and that. Our protagonist’s mind is seemingly spinning out of control as his grip on reality appears to further slip away but, as we already know, the drug creates these strange dreams and this is just one of them, right?

I Don’t Wanna Talk About It brings more nerve-jangling electronic elements to proceedings over the drumbeat. This gives you the vibe that something is being help back, almost like there is this uncomfortable feeling about certain things. As you listen you get the feeling this is another moment of clarity, to a point but, here there is a realisation of not being comfortable in his own body, and with that comes a desire to not open up and not be completely honest because it’s too painful. The beat hits hard on When It Rains It Pours, with guitar vibes, this one has a more thoughtful or reflective edge to it. Here you get the sense that the clarity continues as Dotz muses over recovery and building up all that the hard time tore down, while recognising that there is still a voice that craves the solace of the drugs but, here and now the strength to rebuild is stronger. DJ TMB features once more on Otis Driftwood. The sound here has that proper drumbeat mixed with piano notes and other elements creating a sound that anchors you back in reality. Well, at least that’s how it seams at first. The track features elements from The Devils Rejects etc, where the character of Otis comes from, this gives the track takes us back to the disturbing dream aspect of mirtazapine once more as it interacts with the reality of life.

Nothin’ Here’s Free brings a more boom bap feel to the proceedings but still has an eerie electronic vibe to it too, making you wonder what reality you are currently in. This one is a gritty look at the fact that as we go through life, the one thing we can’t escape from is the fact that nothing is truly free, Beit our existence or our survival, the only time we will be truly free is in death. A sobering thought that stays will you until Subplots bursts into your ears, with its pounding beat, electronic elements and DJ TMB’s razor sharp cuts. as you nod your head to this Dotz assaults your ears with the realisation that everything is not what it seems? Just when you think you have nailed what this is all about there are more subplots to that you in another direction as he constantly keeps you guessing from line to line and bar to bar. Nerve jangling piano draws you in before the heavy beats drops for Screaming In My Sleep. This one is deeply personal expose of what this mirtazapine dreams can do as Dotz opens up on some of the things that he sees beyond the veil of sleep while his wife tells him that her reality is to hear him screaming in his sleep…

A pounding drum beat with double bass and a nerve tweaking electronic note repeating is the basis for Bon Nuit (French for Good Night). This sound makes you wonder what the connection is with a good night sleep. The more you listen, you realise that mirtazapine dreaming rarely gives a good night’s sleep. It’s almost like, saying those words elicits a fear response because you don’t know what the night will bring when you close your eyes. The pounding beat of Straight Down Hill is backed by more of these nerve and mind twisting elements that can’t help but, draw you through the track. This one is a no nonsense at the how the standard healthcare model is to use drugs to control and suppress the struggles that so many of us face day to day. It is worth more than investigating the root cause because big pharma makes those drugs a big investment for GP’s etc, where as counselling does not make money but drains it. So, it is easier to get you to pop another pill. We move into the penultimate track of the album with The Chase. The head nod drumbeat is flanked by bass and nervous keys which create this sound that gets your head nodding while systematically shredding your nerves, to a point. This one mixes the dark dreams with thoughts on his music, where you begin to wonder where the line is between the two. Here though, its all about the chase, whether it comes within the dream or back in reality, chasing your dreams and reaching the top. The final track of this mammoth Deluxe Edition is Mr Misfit and Dotz and DJ Goblin go out on a high with this upbeat sound that mixes a dope beat with piano elements and more creating an infectious sound you want more of. The upbeat nature of the sound appears to be in contrast to Dotz Lyrics which see his dreams trying to seep into real life like some nightmare on elm street type thing. Its all no punches pulled and in your face style but, remember its all just a mirtazapine dreaming story, right…

What becomes apparent after listening to this album is that this is one hell of a rollercoaster ride through a reality that encapsulates many strange and deeply disturbing experiences that seem to be uncontrollable once your eyes are shut. But also, there are times when that sense of a distorted reality drifts into the real world, which must be troubling, in itself. But what better way to express what that is like than by bringing those lived experiences into musical form, thus expressing the true nature of what it is like to experience Mirtazapine Dreams. I can imagine this being quite a cathartic thing to do, and something that must help release the troubling nature of experiencing these dreams night after night.

All that aside, one thing that Mirtazapine Dreams does do is to perfectly display the quality of what Dotz and DJ Goblin are capable of together. There are no guest artists on the album, except for DJ TMB on the cut, and no guest production either. This is simply one emcee and one producer doing their thing and doing it superbly well I might add.

Dotz brings his years of experience to bear on this one, and not just his years of musical experience either. He brings first hand knowledge of what it is to experience and live with this and this adds authenticity to the whole project. His wordplay is inventive and crafted in such a way as to keep everything flowing. His delivery on this one has a raw edge that is tinged, at times, with displays of a wide range of emotions, something you can only get when you have truly lived through something.

Alongside Dotz, DJ Goblin brings production that perfectly mirrors the essence of what it must be to experience these Mirtazapine Dreams. The sound is rooted in that Boom Bap Hip Hop sound but, there is this dark element that reflects the way dreams can be experienced what that does to that person on a physical and emotional level. I mean, what else do you need to say here.

Overall, this is an album that may not appeal to everyone due to its stark reality and the fact that there are only the briefest of glimpses at any kind of solace. But this is an album that is aimed at bringing a focus and shining a light on what it is to experience the side effects of a drug that is administered to combat the effects of such things as depression. Yes, this is an enjoyable album and one that you really need to listen to but, more than that this is a reality that many people experience on a daily basis as they try deal with their own mental health. I understand this as I spent many years on different anti-depressants with different levels of side effects. So, I commend Dotz for having the strength to use his own lived experience to bring this into the light.

The Deluxe Edition of Mirtazapine Dreams is available now on streaming and there are also physical copies of Mirtazapine Dreams available too.

Think I need a break after that,

I’ll see ya next time.

Peace,

Steve.

LINKS

Grab your copy from Bandcamp Here:

https://dotzilla.bandcamp.com/album/mirtazapine-dreams-deluxe-edition

Your one link for Dotz Music:

https://linktr.ee/officialdotz

Dotz Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/officialdotz/