Album Notes

"Modern music with a sexy female vocal, great hooks, and compelling lyrics.

Liliko Ogasawara- Lead and backing Vocals.
Vincenzo Sirico- Guitars, basses, synths, and other orchestration.

Sessomorte is music of passion and sensuality...

It is sexy, organic-sounding electronica driven by warm female vocals, solid grooves and passionate arrangements. At times intense, hooky and energized; at times deep, dark and contemplative, Sessomorte is an eclectic blend of styles. Pop, Trip-Hop, Darkwave, as well as Ambient, Dance, and even Rock embrace in rich, multi-textural orchestrations evocative of a plethora of emotions. Captivating and compelling; ethereal yet primal, Visceral is an album of intense passion, running the gamut of moods and feelings. Recorded over four years through day jobs, night schools, physical injuries and romantic catastrophes, it is an expressive chronicle of authentic personal experience and introspection. The threads of disparate influences are artfully woven into lush aural tapestries, and Ogasawara's voice is a hot, brilliant flame dancing upon the dark but melodic soundsacapes rendered by Sirico.

Sessomorte began in 2001 when musician/songwriter Vincenzo Sirico met vocalist/world-renowned Olympic athlete Liliko Ogasawara. Sirico had been in a prog-metal act called "The Pure", playing NJ/NYC and recording. When the act inevitably disbanded, he needed to expand his musical possiblities, and free his creativity, so he began exploring and writing in different styles. He soon realized that the sound he wanted could only be actualized by the soft, sensual quality of a female vocalist and, serendipitously, met Liliko Ogasawara singing kareoke! The two hit it off and began writing and recording what would eventually become "Visceral".

Liliko grew up in Montvale, NJ. She began judo at age 3 and was instructed by her father, Nagayasu Ogasawara, Head Instructor (Sensei) of Kokushi Dojo in Wyckoff, NJ. She seriously competed in judo throughout her life, but always had a passion for dancing, singing and acting. In addition, she was the first female in her county to wrestle on the men's varsity wrestling team for Pascack Hills High School. As a hobby, Liliko sang with the concert choir but was never able to participate in any plays or musicals due to her training schedule. She received her BA in Radio, TV & Film with a minor in Drama at San Jose State University, where she trained with the SJSU judo team. Liliko then moved to Colorado Springs to train at the Olympic Training Center, while beginning to pursue a MA in Counseling.
Throughout her career, she took the silver medal at the '93 World Championships in Canada, the bronze medal at the '95 World Championships in Japan, 7th place at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA, as well as many other medals in national and international competitions while remaining ranked #1 in the nation for her weight category.

In 1999, Liliko retired from competing and moved back to NJ. She is considered one of the most successful women to have competed for US women's judo. When she returned to NJ, she finished her MA in Counseling at Montclair State University. During this time, she had the opportunity to perform in The Vagina Monologues at MSU. Also, not too long after her move back home, she went to a karaoke bar, where Vinny introduced himself to her. She was thrilled to discover that he was very, very talented in producing music, and they have collaborated ever since. Liliko is currently Program Director of Adolescent Treatment for Straight and Narrow, Inc. in Paterson, NJ, which is a substance abuse treatment program.

Raised in Emerson NJ, the youngest of four children, Vincenzo Sirico has always been imbued with an intense creative drive. He was a solitary, introspective kid, but always occupied with some kind of creative activity; building, writing cartoons, painting. His musical journey though, didn’t start until his seventeenth year, when he finally gave in to a lifelong urge to play guitar.
After about a year of self-teaching and a few basic lessons, he was invited to play bass in a neighborhood band. Quickly adding that instrument to his studies, Sirico played bass in two bands from 1992-98: One a cover act, the other was a progressive-metal act called "The Pure", in which he continued to hone technical skills and was afforded the chance to further develop his writing.
After the inevitable break-up of The Pure, Vincenzo switched gears from the disiplined, chop-based rigidity of prog-metal to the smooth textures and feasible execution of electronica. While studying philosophy at William Paterson University, Sirico began writing new songs, some of which would eventually become part of the first Sessomorte album, "Visceral".
The duo continues to write and record.