Published: February 08, 2009 5:14 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight February 2009 Edition
Sessomorte
Sessomorte Shot by NELSON
Vincenzo Sirico and Liliko Ogasawara are the perfect musical team, and it shows when the two come together as Sessomorte. In this recently interview, I had the pleasure to speak with Sessomorte as the group allowed me to enter into their world.
Isaac: Thanks for the taking the time to complete this online interview. How do you sum up 2008 for Sessomorte?
Sessomorte: Hi Isaac! It's been an interesting and exciting year. We've booked some licensing gigs, sold CDs and made a music video. We are also putting together a semi-live show.
Isaac: What do you feel was Sessomorte biggest accomplishment for 2008?
Sessomorte: Definitely the making of the video for "You Are My Black Love". It was a blast filming it, and so satisfying to have it so well-received. It came out better than we expected...it suits the song extremely well.
Isaac: How did the two of you come together as a group?
Sessomorte: In 2000, 3 years after the break-up of the band I was playing in (The Pure), I was in the process of writing new material, and seeking a vocalist to give it life. One night I was in a bar in NJ that had karaoke, and this girl got up and performed "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac. I was transfixed by her voice. I thought she had the perfect tone and timbre for what I was writing. I knew I had to work with her, so I introduced myself and gave her a disc of some of my song demos. She liked what I was doing and said she also had some lyrics. We started to record a few days later and have been ever since.
Isaac: What is your inspiration behind your band name Sessomorte?
Sessomorte: Well, in a nutshell, I needed a unique name that somehow described the dark yet sensual sound I was going for. Having it in Italian made it exotic and somewhat mysterious, which I love. Sesso means "sex" and morte means "death". The name represents what I see as the two most primal drives within us: fear and desire. Everything we do is, on the most subsistent level, is motivated by those things. It's kind of a heavy philosophical idea; I guess it can also be thought of as kind of Freudian. The hybrid term of "Sex-Death" can also symbolize sexual climax; which some have suggested to me! I thought that was cool.
Isaac: Elaborate a little about whom were your biggest influences in the music industry and why?
Sessomorte: We listen to and love all kinds of music. As a musician and producer, I am influenced by everything that reaches me in some way. I try to extract the essence of what I find inspiring and then grow ideas from there. I have always been drawn to the mood and atmosphere of what I hear, regardless of musical genre. Some of the earliest music that impacted my thoughts are the soundtrack to "The Watership Down", Richard Wagner, and the Frank Sinatra recordings with arranger Gordon Jenkins. I was a kid in the eighties; in those formative years New Wave bands like The Cars and Blondi were inevitably etched on my mind. Modern bands like She Wants Revenge, The Presets and Interpol really excite me. As a guitar player, I relate heavily to David Gilmour, The Edge, and the guitar sounds of Cocteau Twins and Placebo. I also love jazz; the phrasing of Miles Davis, the voice of Johnny Hartman, the songs of A.C. Jobim. Working in Electronica affords me the ability to be a one-man production force, so I take cues from acts like Mono, Portishead, Everything but the girl, Bows, Massive Attack and NIN. I especially love Bebel Gilberto, Sade, Prince, and Maxwell. My singer, Liliko, is really into Dance, and singers like Madonna, Alicia Keys, and Fiona Apple among others. We are of the same age and grew up in the same part of NJ, so we have a lot of the same tastes and influences.
Isaac: Let's talk about what you feel Sessomorte will bring to the music industry?
Sessomorte: We hope to bring a fresh compelling sound and inspire emotion in our listeners. We just want to create good art and have it be appreciated in the way we appreciate what we love. I try to convey through the music experiences that others will hopefully empathize with. I'd also like to think we are innovating in some respect, but who knows. In the end if it just ends up being good music to have on during dinner, that's ok too.
Isaac: If you had an opportunity to work with one artist or group, who would it be and why?
Sessomorte: As a producer, I would love to work with Maxwell, Sade, Christina Aguleria, Bebel Gilberto, or Emiliana Torrini. It would be great to do a project with Luke Sutherland of Bows, or Massive Attack. I could learn a lot from them. I would also like to study under Brian Eno.
Isaac: How would you describe your music to others?
Sessomorte: Probably the hardest thing about the music is to describe it, because it comes from such a personal, subconscious source. For us it just is. Yet I suppose atmospheric, emotional, sensual, eclectic, multi-faceted electronica would come close.
Isaac: What is your definition for electronica/dance music?
Sessomorte: What I love about electronic synth-based music is that it is abstraction of real instruments. Synths have hundreds upon thousands of tones and textures that can be generated, that sound like anything you want and anything the subjective listener perceives. When one sees an abstract painting, their mind creates the image based on their disposition and psyche. The light, lines, color, etc., suggest form, as opposed to more realistic images that generally are what they seem. A sax or a piano is very recognizable and distinct, and when people hear them they can basically agree as to what they are. However, a raw saw wave, or a distorted sine with modulation run through a multi-tap delay isn't something that sounds natural or familiar, so the listener can hear anything at all. All music is vibration and frequency, organized rhythmically and harmoniously...synth tones broaden the palette.
Isaac: What type of feedback have you received from your previous releases?
Sessomorte: The albums have gotten great feedback, and since "Visceral" has been out exposed on the internet, I see a lot of positive response from the public at large. Some people told me that they listen to the CD every day, or that it's the best music they ever heard, and that is simply mind-blowing to us. Since it's been on www.Pandora.com the amount of fans has quickly and steadily increased.
Isaac: What can fans expect from your latest CD, you are working on currently? What is the inspiration behind the CD?
Sessomorte: The 15 tracks on "Visceral" are all special; each telling a story or relating an introspective journey. They can expect a lot of raw emotion, sexy vocals and sensuous production! Currently I am revisiting older tunes and re-inventing and/or remixing them. I want to put out the best songs from all of our work that didn't fit on "Visceral". These tunes are of a lost age of our youth, but need to be recognized. The newer fresh writing will happen after that. First I need to reflect on the latest stages of my life, and get back to basics with regards to writing from guitar. I want to explore new styles; conjure up a slightly more aggressive sound.
Isaac: Where can fans locate you at online?
Sessomorte: Our site is www.sessomorte.com. Of course there is MySpace and we are on CD Baby, iTunes, YouTube, Audio Jelly, among many others.
Isaac: What can fans expect from Sessomorte in 2009?
Sessomorte: We are planning a new video, and will start writing songs for a new album. Promoting "Visceral" is a lot of work though, and that will be our main concern. We're about to get our live act up in some small spots around NJ.
Isaac: Time for some shout outs to your family, friends, and fans…
Sessomorte: Hello to Liliko, Sue, Mat Helm Utopia Temple, Nelson, Tree, Ray G., JagBabe, MissHaze, Bart, and everyone that digs Sessomorte! Thanks Juniors Cave!
Isaac: Final words from Sessomorte...
Sessomorte: Look for the video to "You Are My Black Love" on YouTube, DigiChannel, and soon to be on The Pandora Video Series. Liliko will soon be performing "Visceral" in the NJ/NY area, and a new album out sometime in 2010! Thank you Isaac!
