“The Serin Effect” has a few programming problems, but it is well produced, and its forward thinking vibe makes it well-worth a good listen. I may or may not use it in a set one night, but I do recommend that fans of dark breakbeat give it a chance.

The Vitals:

Label: Devout Artists
Genre: Progressive / New school Breakbeat
Number of Tracks: 1
How you can obtain a copy: This is available for a free, web-exclusive download at www.devout-artists.com.

Factor Scores:

• Production: 7.5
• Programming & Arrangement: 6.5
• Entertainment Quality: 6.5
• Total: 6.8 - Above Average

Summary:

Dark and edgy tweaks rule the day with Indikator’s latest breakbeat offering, The Serin Effect. The track opens with a short burst of progressive styled breakbeat loops and foreboding nu-school sweeps, then begins a relentless assault of abrasive synths that continue (in one form or another) for the remainder of the song. It certainly has a unique groove and plenty of energy, but its ability to really move you is partially hindered because there is too much emphasis on the ear candy, rather than the beats. It is well produced, and there are some great hooks, but it is too full of well-programmed effects for its own good.

Factor Scores:

Production quality: 7.5

Every part used in this song is solidly produced. The vocals sound great, the beats are lush, and the levels are mixed adequately. The Indikator boys obviously have a good grip on what they are trying to do. The only thing that’s missing from a production standpoint is a more aggressive use of stereo effects. Some rapid panning in the buildups would really add something for the listener and accentuate the song’s peaks.

Programming & Arrangement: 6.5

This track has it all and then some: Scorching lead-lines, apocalyptic vocals, pounding peaks, even some BT styled tweaks. I like the majority of it, but there is too much going on throughout most of the song. The track would be very, very good if it were scaled down just a bit, with more emphasis placed on the nice breakbeat loops that churn throughout the track. Unfortunately they seem to be more of an afterthought.

Entertainment quality: 6.5

This song is danceable, energetic, and funky while still remaining true to its dark theme. The barrage of effects lower the score a little here, but I definitely anticipate this track finding a grateful audience among those who appreciate the music of drum & bass dj Dara or trance/breaks duo Deepsky. The aforementioned problems may limit the song’s versatility for djs, but nu-school breaks jocks should still value find some value in it as a peak time selection.

Total: 6.8

This song definitely stands out from the pack, but I’m not quite ready to add it to my crate.

Bill’s take:

“The Serin Effect” has a few programming problems, but it is well produced, and its forward thinking vibe makes it well-worth a good listen. I may or may not use it in a set one night, but I do recommend that fans of dark breakbeat give it a chance.