SON TENSEI

In today’s fast-paced digital world, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to disconnect. Son Tensei fka “Kramer” a multifaceted artist and producer known for his work with Grammy-winning duo TENSEI, has noticed a troubling trend, particularly among the youth. “Over the years, I have noticed that a lot of us, especially youth, can never seem to put our phones down,” he observes. This realization sparked a deeper exploration into our relationship with technology as well as in his opinion a need to balance nature and technology and not rush innovation.

Son Tensei was previously known as Chris Kramer or simply “Kramer” of Tensei.  Shortly after starting his solo endeavors, he noticed a heavy association to the Seinfeld Character, and opted to start over and change his name on social media and streaming platforms. Son is pronounced ‘Sone’ akin to phone, its based on the Japanese Kanji 甦 (Yomigaeru) which means rebirth. TENSEI 天星 comes from his original band Tensei and means “Heaven Star” the name Son Tensei can be interpreted as Son of Tensei or Rebirth of the Heaven Star. The reboot includes parts of his work as Kramer and new music together “Son is Different”, available on Bandcamp now and streaming 7/1/25.

Son started sharing more of his personal journey – a story he has kept largely private, even from many of his music collaborators.  Aside from music and arts, Son is an accomplished Japanese / English Interpreter and Technology Veteran.  Starting out humble in the south side of Chicagoland making musically inclined from a young age, he joined a Japanese family at age 19 and was introduced to international business. As a music professional, over his nearly 15-year career, Son has worked with directly and indirectly a who’s who of jazz, electro/soul, and hip-hop artists, including Bilal, Tokimonsta, J. Ivy, Anderson .Paak, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Makaya McCraven, Brandee Younger, Liv Warfield, A. Billie Free,  ADAD & Yaw among others. During these collaborations, most of the artists were no where near as well known as they are today and it was a very communal vibe at the time.

His artistry can be defined by his fearless approach to music-making. As half of the Grammy-winning duo Tensei, he has always sought to create “something different,” hence the title of his brilliant album. His bilingual abilities allow him to perform in both Japanese and English, bringing a versatile and adventurous sound to his solo work. He describes his music as a fusion of “melodies, bars, beats, and harmonies,” drawing inspiration from classic genres of the ’50s to ’70s, blended with a ’90s aesthetic and modern production techniques.

Unconfined by genre, Kramer lets emotion guide his creative process – singing to convey feelings and rapping to teach or vent. Each song on Son is Different  is a unique expression of his artistic vision. Ultimately, Son’s goal is to unite people through music and ensure that everyone has a good time. His journey, marked by curiosity, introspection, and innovation, continues to inspire and challenge the status quo.

Check out Son Tensei’s discography and a producer, composer and musician on Youtube and hit SUBSCRIBE for new videos.