Serart
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Serart is a colloboration between Arto Tunkboyaciyan, a renowned folk artist from Turkey, and L.A heavy metal star Serj Tankian, lead singer of System of a Down and activist in human rights, particularly in the recognition of the Armenian genocide. The music off the self titled album is not easy to categorize; indeed one could argue that the tracks are a fusion of many different beats, rhythms and riffs from several types of music and several different countries. The track "Cinema" contains a jazzy base line with scat vocals, but switches suddenly to an oriental beat and then to a rock sound. "Love is the Peace" starts off with the sounds of guns being fired and explosions, realistically portraying the sounds of war, which than follows with Arto's powerful chant.
Serart is not only siginificant for progressive and awe-inspiring music, which offers a fresh and different music from mainstream acts, but also it is the first release on Tankian's own label, Serjical Strike Records.
SERART finds these two, seemingly disparate, creative artists joining for a new vision. The two met following Arto's performance at the 2000 Armenian Music Awards. A friendship grew when Arto appeared on Toxicity (he performed on an outro track) and later blossomed into a musical partnership and the desire to expand their respective musical vocabularies, blending cultures and defying genres. Sessions for the album took a spontaneous approach in a free form atmosphere akin to expressionistic painting on a sonic canvas. The cross-pollination of rhythms and alternating tones and scales in the album present a diversity that reflects our own globe. "For me, it was seeing that love has no nationality because to be a human being is more important. It includes everybody," Arto says. "Nationality and religion is just seasoning of the human taste." In the vibrant opening track, "Cinema," drum and bass beats get comfortable with scat vocals and jazzy interludes. "Love is the Peace" mixes the sounds of war (guns and bombs) with Arto's haunting voice. The melancholy ballad, "Leave Melody Counting Fear" which mixes acoustic guitar with a Chinese string instrument called a guchin, is a haunting centerpiece of tragic beauty. You'll find a dance club swirl on "Save the Blonde" and Serj's signature socially conscious spoken word over a tropical rain forest feeling track on "Claustrophobia." Another highlight track on the album is "Narina" which features the vocals of singer Jenna Ross. Nothing is predictable as a sense of discovery pervades every element of the album. "Music is the sound of my life. I don't pretend to lead anyone. I leave it up to one's imagination," Arto says. "What I try to express is love, respect and the truth."