Five Questions for Tensnake

Ahead of his appearance at The Arches, Marco Niemerski discusses his approach to production and considers the year ahead

Feature by Ronan Martin | 02 Apr 2015

Bringing to a close the Love Action Easter Weekend, The Arches have quite a party lined up on the Sunday when they invite the likes of Hot Since 82, Patrick Topping and Jasper James to the legendary Midland Street venue. Of particular note is the appearance of Hamburg-based producer Marco Niemerski AKA Tensnake. Doing his thing since around 2006, Niemerski has developed a rich and full-bodied synthesis of disco and house, coming to wider attention with the release of Coma Cat on Permanent Vacation in 2010. Since then, he has continued to make a name for himself, most recently collaborating with the mighty Nile Rodgers of Chic on last year’s Love Sublime from his debut album, Glow.

Taking some time out before his appearance in Glasgow, Tensnake gives us the lowdown on his work.

The Skinny: What's been keeping you busy of late?

Marco Niemerski: Well, I toured Australia over New Year and then spent a month is Tasmania, which was brilliant in terms of recharging my batteries. After that I went into my studio for the first time in a year and started working on new music. And I have to say, it felt really really good! The DJ thing is fun, but being in the studio and getting creative is what really excites me. I have just finished a new single which will come out in May on my own label, True Romance. More details on that coming shortly.

You have more or less stuck to your guns and seem very content in pursuing a certain sound with Tensnake. Is this something that comes naturally?

Personally I do not think much about this. I just do whatever I feel like and what excites me. Actually I think I do jump between genres quite a lot. But I’m happy to hear that there seems to be some signature sound in there! 

Well, your material certainly always sounds very fluid and lively compared with a lot of other house music and tracks from similar genres. How do you approach production and how do you keep things feeling so fresh and vibrant?

Thanks! I guess this is a matter of production and mixing. I try not to pick the most polished sounds and also the mix down does not need to be perfect. It is more important that the mix sounds musical rather than technically perfect. I also tend to use a lot of retro sounds which probably reminds automatically of the past, hence more analogue times.

You’re set to play here on Easter Sunday for Love Action. What can people expect from Tensnake in a club setting?

It changes from set to set of course but I enjoy playing a good mix of house, disco-infused tracks and also some tech house tracks or techno - it really depends on the club, my mood and the crowd. Sometimes people are disappointed because I do not play a straight two hour disco set, though this might happen if the party and the club are right! Basically, I do not like to be stuck in a certain genre and play whatever feels right at the moment.

What's on the horizon for the rest of 2015 and beyond?

I have a lot of shows on the horizon for this year. I will do tours in Europe, the US and Australia, so hopefully I will find time to make new music. I will actually try to focus on that a bit more this year. Hopefully! There will be further Tensnake singles and a couple of remixes coming out in 2015.


More from The Skinny:


Scotland's clubbing highlights for April

Tensnake appears at Love Action Easter Weekend, The Arches, Easter Sunday 5 Apr His new single is released via True Romance at the end of May http://soundcloud.com/tensnake