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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.
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