DJ Serious

With Dim Sum, DJ Serious makes a successful logical progression into album territory after building his name on the Toronto underground for the past few years. As the title suggests, Serious serves up a variety of dishes for many of Toronto's next crop of about-to-blow MCs to digest. A laid-back and unhurried demeanour informs the intricately concocted beats and when Serious is solely in the spotlight, he prefers to lay down smooth interludes derived from obscure sources, rather than force-feed his presence. Generously, Serious allows plenty of room for the MCs to breathe. On "You Know Me," Arcee dispenses a methodical quicksilver flow over chunky guitars, while esteemed Turnstylez member Lil' Jas expertly dices up the chorus each time with subtle variations. Nish Rawks, from Monolith, furiously rips through a blues-y riff on "The Enlightening" and D-Sisive, who is seemingly inescapable here, drops some wittily merciless lyrics, taking on the entire teen pop genre on "Popped" and stepping to those comparing him to a certain blond-haired MC on "Critics." DJ Serious keeps the filler to a minimum and his low-key approach ensures an even flow to Dim Sum that will have something tasty to appeal to every head.