Tensnake
Hamburg producer Marco Niemerski went from a small label run with friends to a UK chart hit with Coma Cat, an album on Virgin and his own True Romance label.
- German producer Marco Niemerski, born in Hamburg on 28 November 1975.
- Breakthrough with “Coma Cat” (2010), a disco-tinged house hit.
- Albums: Glow (2014, Virgin), L.A. (2020) and Stimulate (2023); founder of the True Romance label.
Tensnake is the Hamburg producer who took disco-flavoured house from small labels into the UK charts. “Coma Cat” made his name in 2010; everything since has moved between club records and pop songwriting.
Hamburg, Mirau and Running Back
Marco Niemerski was born in Hamburg in 1975. In 2005 he started the label Mirau with friends. His first record was “Around the House”, and his commercial debut came with the Restless EP in 2006. Critical acclaim followed with the In the End (I Want You to Cry) EP on Running Back, Gerd Janson’s label, in 2009. Running Back later issued remixes of it by Tiger & Woods, Prins Thomas and Lone.
Coma Cat
“Coma Cat” was recorded in 2009 and released on 25 January 2010 on Permanent Vacation. Defected picked it up and re-released it on 20 September 2010, and it became one of the dance hits of that year. It reached No. 85 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 17 on the UK Dance chart and No. 11 on the UK Indie chart, and was later certified silver by the BPI. The track is loosely based on Anthony and the Camp’s 1986 song “What I Like”; Mark Knight made an official remix. KEXP later called it “an irresistible slice of disco-influenced house”.
By 2016 he had stopped playing it regularly, telling Red Bull Music Academy: “I needed a break from it.”
Glow, True Romance and L.A.
In 2013 he launched True Romance, which has released Gerd Janson, Phil Gerus and ILO as well as his own tracks. His debut album, Glow, came out on Virgin in 2014, led by “58BPM” featuring Fiora, with guests including Nile Rodgers, Jamie Lidell, MNEK and Stuart Price. Underground dance fans gave it a mixed reception; he later said he was 80 to 90 per cent happy with it. He left the major-label deal and went back to club records, such as the Freundchen EP in 2016.
“Rules” featuring Chenai (2019) was the first True Romance release through Armada’s Electronic Elements imprint. His second album, L.A., followed on 16 October 2020, with “Automatic” featuring Fiora and “Somebody Else” featuring Boy Matthews, then a remix collection, L.A. Noir. Stimulate came in 2023. He has remixed Dua Lipa’s “Hallucinate” (2020) and Taylor Swift’s “Lavender Haze” (2023), and played Coachella and Glastonbury in 2016 and Tomorrowland in 2019.
In the mix
His club records sit between disco and house: warm chords, funk guitar, 1980s synth sounds. He has said that a big part of him is “stuck in the ’80s”. For more disco-tinged house, read about “Inspector Norse” by Todd Terje and the filtered records of Fred Falke.
FAQ
What is Tensnake’s real name?
Marco Niemerski, born in Hamburg on 28 November 1975.
When did Coma Cat come out?
On Permanent Vacation on 25 January 2010, then again with Defected on 20 September 2010. It reached No. 85 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 17 on the UK Dance chart, and was later certified silver.
Who features on Tensnake’s album Glow?
Guests on the 2014 album include Nile Rodgers, Jamie Lidell, Fiora, MNEK, Stuart Price, Jeremy Glenn and Gabriel Stebbing of Nightworks.
