Skip to main content

Ambient/Experimental: Bleu System - Serotones (2023)

72 / 100
Serotones works better as a mood piece than as a fully realized experimental statement.
Bleu System is an ambient/experimental project by Sevon Brown from Sacramento, California. On December 1, 2023, he released his debut album titled Serotones, which so far remains his only release. This package contains six tracks under the Umé Records label and is available for free download on Bandcamp.

Despite labeling himself as experimental, the output presented here is fairly well-structured and still enjoyable in a conventional, soundtrack-like manner. For instance, the opening track “Cathartic Sound Environments (Morning)” begins the album with the sound of rain and fantasy-like atmospheres. It then introduces a traditional style reminiscent of bamboo percussion used as a substitute for chimes, followed by modern synths in a psytrance/prog house vein within a single track, “Serene Waters.” It is only during the interlude that I truly feel a more distinctive form of experimentation, namely through manipulated human voices that resemble the bleating of a goat.

“Cathartic Sound Environments (Night)” takes over as the second part, delivering what is actually a rather winning performance, though the electric synth waves in the middle give it a nightmarish touch. This is followed by magical synth textures, xylophone dances, and cymbal hits in “Glow-Fi,” which effectively support yet another strange dream. “WAV’s” closes the session with fairly pleasant vaporwave pad sounds accompanied by ring cymbal strikes, evoking the freshness of a morning after a long sleep.

For that reason, I think I will only take the opening and closing tracks. For those who enjoy electronic ambient/soundtrack music in the vein of certain releases by Futuregrapher and Steve Roach, or simply want background music for rainy moments and relaxation, Serotones is also worth trying.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Terima kasih telah berkomentar. Usahakan untuk menjaga sopan santun.

Popular posts from this blog

Breakcore: Subheroine - End. (2025)

77 / 100 End. is Subheroine ’s most immersive and emotionally textured work yet ... Is being a week late enough to make a new release feel cold and stale? Maybe it’s the effect of our fast-paced modern world and the FOMO trend. Who knows. Whatever. Alright then, let’s welcome a new breakcore/drum & bass album (though it runs under 30 minutes) from Subheroine : End. ! End. by SUBHEROINE Released just on November 7 via Japan’s veteran breakcore label, Lost Frog Productions , End . delivers a noticeably more atmospheric vibe this time. So, tagging it as atmospheric drum & bass makes perfect sense, while the “depressive” tag seems to apply only to the cover art. But is that really the case? As always, there are surprises when reviewing music—those unexpected moments that make certain tracks sound more intriguing than expected. The most prominent depressive elements appear in the sampled voice of an anime girl sounding shocked or weakened in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Soundtrack: Dragica Kahlina - Ava Chapter 1 OST (2022)

78 / 100 A compelling dark ambient soundtrack , best enjoyed by fans of atmospheric and cosmic soundscapes rather than traditional game OST seekers. Ava is a mobile puzzle game inspired by tarot cards , developed by Stardust LLC . It was released in four chapters, rolled out periodically between February 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. While there’s a claim that the game won an award, it was never explained exactly where or what it won. For the soundtrack of Chapter 1, Stardust LLC collaborated with local, Zurich-based artist Dragica Kahlina . Ava Chapter 1 OST by Dragica Kahlina Although the game came out in 2020, Kahlina only uploaded the OST two years later on Bandcamp , using cover art from Level 11: The Crown that features Ava herself. The atmosphere of darkness and cosmic vastness is strongly felt throughout the eleven tracks, built primarily on dark ambient foundations and layered with various sounds: echoing stick-like noises...
Post a Comment
Read more

Electronica/IDM: 4T Thieves - Humanoid (2018)

70 / 100 Humanoid is a compact and tastefully crafted slice of IDM-leaning electronica that blends futuristic elements without overwhelming the listener. I opened my December with an electronica release by 4T Thieves , an EP titled Humanoid , which came out back in February 2018. A brief profile and the project’s track record can be found on RYM or Last.fm , and it’s clear that this act has been active since the 90s, although only arriving on Bandcamp around 2018. Humanoid by 4T Thieves As the name suggests, Humanoid presents a modern environment tinged with a futuristic sci-fi atmosphere, supported by drum work leaning toward IDM and prominent synth/bass that paints the image of a future city gate on “ Elemental .” This is followed by “ Codex ,” which is given a special dose of classic IDM-style glitch effects , and the rest continues into “ The Looking Glass ,” which gives off a nighttime-shadow feel through its slightly dark synth melodies. “Band...
Post a Comment
Read more