AITBF: Catching Up With... TENSNAKE

Marco Niemerski is a name that might mean nothing to you, but what if we said he was behind ‘Coma Cat’? Yup, as Tensnake, Niermerski has released tracks on various labels alongside his ‘In The House’ mix CD he put out through Defected, but ‘Coma Cat’ seems to be the one most people have bonded with. He manages to align the uplifting with charming house grooves - something he’ll no doubt be showcasing with his debut album which is due ‘soon’ – and ahead of his headline slot at this Easter’s Adventures In The Beetroot Field we caught up with him to find out a little bit about what makes him tick… For those who may not be familiar with you sound, can you introduce yourself? I'm a Hamburg based producer with releases on labels including Running Back, Permanent Vacation and Defected. ‘Coma Cat’ is probably my most popular/well known track, which was released last year and went kind of big. I have also done some remixes for bands like Foals, Goldfrapp, Junior Boys, Scissor Sisters & Aloe Blacc. We’re still boogie-ing to your last mix CD ‘In The House,’ but what have you been up to since? Is there a forthcoming Tensnake LP in the pipeline? I have been pretty busy travelling and playing gigs since ITH was released last year. Unfortunately the travelling does not leave much time for producing, and I'm not really a big fan of doing remixes or productions on my laptop while enjoying peanuts on the plane. Having said that, my remix of Hercules & Love Affair's new single ‘My House’ has just been released. I am also very excited about a limited edition box-set which will come out soon in cooperation with The Vinyl Factory… We love the fact that you are very comfortable embracing your inner disco and 80s pop influences, highlighted by some of the samples that you’ve used in previous tracks, but is there a favourite tune of yours which you regard as untouchable when it comes to sampling? Well, it really depends on how you use a sample. If you use a sample as a source for your inspiration and creativity, I would say nothing is untouchable. If you use a sample cleverly and you can add something interesting and exciting new, do it. But you should always treat the original source with respect. Some people just sample complete parts, loop them and that's it. Then they sell it on iTunes or whatever digital store and make money out of it. This is not only boring, but also wrong. Just so we’re prepared, when you join us in our Adventures in the Beetroot Field, can you hint at where you’ll be taking us? Is there anything we should be bring? I will be playing a one hour live set of my own tracks and remixes, maybe combined with a few edits I’ve done lately. I might take down the tempo a bit, slow everything down so there will be more room for details - something between boogie & house that will hopefully put a warm smile on everybody's face. With the sun gracing London town with its presence this week, we’re getting hyped for Summer, can you suggest 3 tunes we should be listening out for at the moment to keep us in Summer vibe? Sure, in no particular order I would recommend: SBTRKT - Living Like I Do Alena - Changes (Ron Basejam remix) Rachel Sweet - It's So Different Here