Tensnake – Influences

I thought about which song I remembered hearing first on the radio that really left a big impression and it has to be Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ or this one. But hindsight ‘In The Air Tonight’ is the one I’m still listening to today. This is for me the perfect example of a timeless production. When it came out in 1980 it was such a modern production. The minimalism, also the way the drums were recorded and mixed. It will still give people goosebumps in 100 years.

This was released in 1983 which was a fantastic year for American pop music. It stands for a certain type of boogie/pop sound that really influenced me as a kid. I heard this a lot on the radio, it comes with amazing drum machine programming and obviously great vocal chorus. All in all a fantastic production.

When Homework came out in 1997 it was a total game-changer. Obviously not only for me. This video just stands for many of the great Daft Punk tracks and the video was a real ‘WTF’ moment when it came out. Daft Punk did so much for the electronic music scene and influenced generations to come.

Another track from 1997, but a totally different direction. This track was also an eye-opener for me. While I listened mostly to electronic music that was influenced by black music until then, this track and the whole album got me excited about discovering more techno vibes. I was quite obsessed with a lot of music that was released on Warp, but this is still one of my favourites.
Very beautiful and melancholic sounds and a fantastic hi-hat pattern.

When I discovered Metro Area I was like ‘whoa’! And even to this day I am so impressed by their production and how seamless they connect disco and electronic music elements together. Again, this is a very good example for a timeless production and will still work in many years on the dance-floor.

I would have posted a Jamie XX track but most of his Youtube videos are blocked in my country! However, I always enjoy his productions and diversity in his DJ sets which I find very inspiring. I saw him play in New York last summer – incredible music – and the last time I saw him playing was at Field Day in Sydney and again it was an amazing set.

I know this was a big hit in the UK – [a number one no less] and a signature release but I actually first heard this on a compilation called History Of House! I played the original version of this at Pacha last weekend at Insane towards the end of my set. Again, a timeless track.

Released in 2012, from the best album that year. For me it’s the perfect fusion of pop r’n’b and modern production technology. And that also influenced me for the production of my album Glow. You can hear the influence on Kill The Time for example.