2021 reissue, originally released in 2009 - If you have never heard the name of this 28-year-old London composer before, prepare to see Jon Hopkins popping up everywhere you turn from this point on. Brian Eno caught wind of him some time ago; he was so impressed that he brought Hopkins along to co-produce Coldplay's Viva La Vida. In turn, Coldplay was moved to the point of reinterpreting an Insides track called "Light Through Veins" for said record, and went one further by inviting him along to be a pre-show deejay and opening act for their 2008 world tour. Outside of that, Hopkins has worked with the likes of Massive Attack, Herbie Hancock, David Holmes, Chris Coco, King Creosote, Imogen Heap, and many others.
On the whole, Hopkins has an incredible knack for creating tension with his moments of glitch at key melodic intervals. Unlike the Justices and Fatboy Slims of the world, he doesn't merely mess with sounds to fuck with high people and grandstand live. His sense of timing, the clarity of his production, and the variety of effects he employs draw you into the story that each instrumental tells. Jon Hopkins is not a button-pushing man of presets; he is a bona fide composer and a trained pianist. Craftsmanship sets him apart, and allows Insides to be as incredibly moving as it is and always will be. It will easily be one of the best electronic albums of 2009.
| A1 | The Wider Sun |
| A2 | Vessel |
| A3 | Insides |
| B1 | Wire |
| B2 | Colour Eye |
| C1 | Light Through The Veins |
| C2 | The Low Places |
| D1 | Small Memory |
| D2 | A Drifting Up |
| D3 | Autumn Hill |
