DJ Serious is a mainstay on the TO hip-hop scene. His Serious Revue's are always great events, where true heads can come together and enjoy nothing but the finest in our music, whether new or old. He has also been producing extensively, and on his debut album, Dim Sum, he brings together some of TO's finest.

Serious' production style varies from relaxed and laid back to intense and high energy. The common denominator is the musicality and relative simplicity. His beats sound quite a bit like an early Pete Rock with a T-dot twist. Even the humourous interludes are reminiscent of the Chocolate Boy Wonder. One could be compared to a lot worse on their first album outing.

Guest lyricists of the caliber of Brass Munk, longtime collaborators like D-Sisive and Unknown Misery, Arcee, Clas and Monolith's Nish Rawks provide their finest for the album. He also enlists DJ Grouch and L'il Jaz, two of the finest area DJs to provide scratches for the tracks.

The one problem with this album is it's lack of general cohesiveness. The tracks don't seem to follow any plan, and it sounds like (a pretty damned good) compilation album. Then again, most producers' albums tend to come out sounding this way.

While many heads will have heard "Popped" before, it remains hot. "Unknown Misery" features the abstract, super-lyrical stylings of this highly underrated MC. Arcee comes through blazing mics as usual on "You Know Me" while D-Sisive continues his provocative antics on "Critics." "Childhood's End" is another of those tracks that's older, but has aged very well. Finally, don't sleep on Nish Rawks and "The Enlightening."

Serious has provided us with another solid TO offering. This sample is an excellent introduction to one of the area's big producers as well as several of the more gifted MCs, many of whom don't get much shine. To those who don't know a lot about TO hip-hop, have a listen and be impressed. To TO veterans, this is your chance to grab a lot of those tunes you heard at Serious Revues but couldn't find anywhere.