Sensational

CD version. About "radicalism". Sensational isn't really the kind of sweet R'n'B "for the masses" artist. Nor is he some agressive member of the experimental inteligentia (even if he used, when he was 15, to rhyme to records by the German avant-garde electronic composer, Stockhausen). His style is somewhere in between, if his flows and music sounds radical it is more because it is some essential breath, some rough expression of his unique personality. It ain't no surprises if he was born into the world of beats under the nickname Torture. In the home of the holy bass, the temple of the of the hazy rhymes known as Wordsound, Sensational found a refuge. He started there to destroy rules and boundaries. In reggae, we were blessed with the maniacal genius of Lee Perry; in jazz, we had Sun Ra; and in hip-hop no one even comes close to the one they call Sensational.

You can trace the man back on the Jungle Brothers' album JBeez Wit Da Remedy (Warner Bros., 1994), on which he rhymes at 180 beats per minute, perfect match as Torture came to the attention of WordSound through producer Bill " the Bass" Laswell, who worked on the Jungle Brothers sessions .Rapidly Torture changed his name to Sensational and released his solo debut, Loaded With Power (WSCD022), an album like no other in the annals of hip-hop. "The most bold and experimental hip-hop record of the last decade," as some said. tripped-out flows, broken beats, and lo-fi ambience which created an epic event in hip-hop...l created by one man with a four-track and a drum machine.

In some old school vein, and totally out of the commercial system, the man plays all his sounds live (no samples allowed!). Upgrading to an 8-track for his sophomore effort, Corner The Market (WSCD032), gave him greater flexibility as he also used a real microphone this time around instead of recording vocals through his headphones (as on Loaded With Power).

Still wowing heads with his blunted, poetry-in-motion sickness, he released two singles for the popular indie rock label Matador ("Party Jumpin" and "Beats, Rhymes & Styles") before dropping his third full-length, Heavyweighter (WSCD037) which continues on a trajectory for outer space.

Along the way, Sensational did an album for Mike Patton's Ipecac label, Get on My Page, before returning to WordSound for his latest, greatest release, Natural Shine (WSCD044). The story now continues with the album "Speaks for Itself", an new full-lenght album.