From a Grammy-winning songwriter to a spiritually reborn artist chasing his own sound, Chris Kramer opens up about becoming Son Tensei. He walks us through his Japanese roots, his genre-blending approach to music, and what pushed him to leave the Kramer name behind.
Read on to get the full story straight from him!
1. So Chris, first things first. Let’s talk about the name change. What made you become Son Tensei? A simple creative reset, or is there something deeper going on?
Son Tensei was a name I came up with when I started FF14 ARR. It was inspired by a combination of a band named TENSEI I was in at the time with Roderick Jackson in Chicago, and also the Son was originally inspired by Son Goku, but since in the game you can resurrect several times, I chose the Kanji for Reborn/resurrect, since when you fail you just pop up.
(Son) 天星 (Ten) (Sei) Also, just to set the record straight, some people think tensei backwards is satan, but that is an illegitimate, ignorant way of thinking about it because it’s based on Chinese/Japanese and not Latin.
2. Part of this reinvention involves what you’ve described as a spiritual rebirth. Does that mean listeners can expect every future track to carry that sacred undertone?
I think part of my transition to becoming an artist and using my voice more is learning to trust my instincts and let go. It would be very difficult if I didn’t believe in powers stronger than mankind and the source. So, at one point I realized that our voices are sacred since ancient times and have been a source of good vibes for a very long time, which runs parallel to the nature of mankind.
3. A few years back, you picked up a Grammy for your songwriting and production chops on a big collaboration. Is working with other artists still on the table, or is that something this new phase of your career has moved away from?
It was actually for composing and producing a track for an artist named J Ivy. You can see details on my website.
4. Do you remember how your interest in Japanese culture first started? What do you love most about the country?
It started when I met my wife. I became bilingual to speak with her family after we had our son and got my vocabulary up to a higher level by working as a salaryman for over 20 years. My favorite part of the culture is the traditional spiritualism, high level of basic human empathy, and the games.
5. With this new artistic evolution as Son Tensei, will you keep producing Rap and Hip-Hop, or are you branching out into new sounds?
It’s sort of a hybrid. To be honest, I prefer to sing over rapping, but when I make a track, I look at it as a painting and any sound is my paint on the canvas. Style-wise, it doesn’t matter because I’ve been making what I consider modern fusion for a while now with Midas Wells as well as Pimpernel Jones of Herma Puma.
6. What musical style influenced the production of your latest single “Sayonara,” and what exactly are the lyrics about?
A producer challenged me to make a dance track, so I had to put myself in the mindset of fishing in the pond.
7. Your top YouTube video, “Shitappa Life,” marks your first time singing in Japanese. How hard was it to nail the pronunciation, and did you have any help with the songwriting? What inspired this tune?
“Shitappa Life” was inspired by Japanese working culture. A long time ago, a shitappa was a low-ranking member of a clan, but nowadays many office workers use the word to depict their status in a company.
Regarding pronunciation, I learned that back in 2000-2001, even today I learn minor nuances for intonation, but overall that’s how I discovered my “True Tone” or “perfect pitch” latent talent.
Regarding songwriting, I wrote most of the lyrics, but my friend Yuta Yura wrote the bridge part, which depicts several classic office expectations and the feelings surrounding them.
8. Finally, how many songs have you released as Son Tensei? Is a Japanese audience the goal here, or not necessarily? Who’s the ideal listener you’re trying to connect with?
As Son Tensei, I have not released nearly as many as I have created. My first album is called ‘Son is Different,’ but actually I had originally released under the artist name Kramer, and the title was ‘Something Different = Algorithmic Bias.’
The reason I decided to change the name is multifactorial.
1) I felt “Kramer” was the old me, the producer guy from Tensei (with Midas Wells) and Herma Puma (Simple X / Pimpernel Jones)
2) I loved the fact that after my spiritual awakening, the name Son Tensei was the embodiment of my revised ideals and inspiration.
3) Son Tensei is a unique name which I have been able to solidify as a top search result and JSON code.
My entire discography is on Bandcamp; it includes music from Tensei and Son Tensei among other projects.
‘Trees’ EP
‘Son is Different’
“Shitappa Life” (single)
“Kibishii” (single)
“Sayonara” (single)
Upcoming:
“Tanoshii (Japanese date song)
“Last Call” (DJ House track)
‘Virtual Island’ LP (modern fusion vibe mix)
As Tensei, the official release list is rather big, and I kindly ask you to check it out. Herma Puma was a one-and-done project, but I wouldn’t mind exploring some more transatlantic magic.
CONNECT WITH SON TENSEI
Hi, I’m Erick Ycaza — a music blogger with a BA in Advertising & Graphic Design. I created this blog to keep you updated with daily music news. Surprisingly, I’ve been writing about music since 2007. If you’re an artist and would like to be featured, feel free to reach out: info@electrowow.net
