Here is another fantastic review from We Are Cult (magazine) regarding tenek’s ‘Smoke and Mirrors – Instrumental′ which was released via Bandcamp as of November 6th, 2020. A big thank you to Ange Chan! – tenek and crew
❉ Ange Chan speaks with Tenek about revisiting 2015’s ‘Smoke & Mirrors’.
Here is a great review from PCN Magazine (UK) regarding tenek’s ‘EP2′ that was re-released via Bandcamp as of Sept 4th, 2020. A special thank you to John Brown – Contributing Editor. -tenek and crew
November 5th, 2020 byJohn Brown – Contributing Editor
TENEK’s ‘EP2’ OUT NOW via ALIEN SIX PRODUCTIONS
“Like a phoenix; Tenek rise again:
TENEK took the UK electronic scene by storm when they first arrived in 2007 and went on a rampage through the UK and mainland Europe with their headline sets and in support of big name acts. Just as they were riding the crest of the wave they’d created they decided to try out other musical ventures and after a relatively short life as Tenek, they were no more.
Fast forward to 2020 and there was a genuine excitement within their fanbase when the news broke of an imminent Tenek release… and that excitement, strangely, did not abate when the release turned out to be a re-issue and not new material. You see, the re-release was of the much-heralded EP2 and that was great news.
Although not exclusively electronic in their make up their sound fits in perfectly with that scene. They use guitars and are not averse to implementing other instruments and leaning on guest musicians if they can, in any way, enhance the output. However, the huge sound they create(d) is very much electronic in its roots.
Tenek are Peter Steer and Geoff Pinckney and both have graced the UK music scene in various other guises. They have played alongside and in support of some musical heavyweights and, indeed, make use of friendships made on the journey on the recording of this particular EP.
The musicianship on this (and all of the Tenek releases) is impressive. They are technicians and masters of their art. It’s pop music. But it’s good pop music. There is no filler in the Tenek back catalogue and that is a very rare thing in pop.”
Here is a fantastic review from The Electricity Club regarding tenek’s ‘Smoke and Mirrors – Instrumental′ that is re-released via Bandcamp as of November 6th, 2020. A big thank you to Paul Browne and Jus Forrest.
Things are not what they seem…
Having just covered the very recent re-release of Tenek’s EP2 at TEC, it’s a welcome surprise to see yet more material spouting from the archives of the electronica duo that is Geoff Pinckney and Peter Steer. This time, they’ve done things slightly differently, however. Celebrating the 5th anniversary of 2015’s highly acclaimed Smoke and Mirrors album, the duo has opted to release an all instrumental version of the original standout record.
An obvious point with this album, is a work that is massively characterised by some of the most exceptional and catchy bass playing you’ll ever hear in this genre. It gives a real sense of fluid movement. And not only that, it takes on all forms, with variation throughout, and in some cases occupying centre stage. It would appear that in short, Smoke and Mirrors is all about the groove – and if you didn’t think bass could be so interesting, then I urge you to take a listen. Much like everything I’ve encountered by Tenek, the quality of sound and production is superior to many, and in the case of this particular album, placement of some of those key, and indeed catchy basslines, are perfectly positioned within the mix – delivering maximum punch, so to speak. It’s a pure listening pleasure.
In its virtuous instrumental form, Smoke and Mirrors is a very different vehicle to the one that’s been heard previously. The eleven weighty tracks loan themselves to a supernatural soundtrack – one that journeys to somewhere dark, decadent and is sometimes racy. It’s content, while being varied, offers synergies in various energetic forces. Alongside the aforementioned grooves, there are daring elements to the guitars, that blend seamlessly to the expressive and melodic strengths that emanate from the synths, and not least, there’s a great natural drum sound that contributes nicely to knitting the whole soundtrack experience together. It isn’t really a track by track album – least not in this format, more so, it’s a heightened listening experience, the individual tracks acting as stop-off points, and showcasing different themes, directions, and moods.
Artwork and Design by Cheri Freund. Cover art initially conceived by Greg Rolfes.
We have some interesting release news for you! On Friday 6th November we will be releasing something a little different for us which is an instrumental version of our 3rd album ‘Smoke & Mirrors‘.
Several people had mentioned the idea to us and when we had the album mastered by Justin Weis at Trakworx in San Francisco back in 2015, we also had the tracks mastered as instrumentals as a useful tool for getting the music put forward for inclusion in TV and films in the future. Listening back to them recently, it became apparent that they stand up extremely well as pieces of music in their own right. Of course, it may not be of interest to those who prefer the vocal versions but we thought it would be a nice option. There is also a fab alternative cover which has been given a new twist by Cheri Freund for this release. There will be no pre-release instead, it will become available immediately on Friday 6th November as that is the next available ‘Bandcamp Friday’ where BC waive their revenue share to assist musicians in these difficult and strange times. We’d also like to thank you for supporting the recent EP2 re-release, it was very encouraging to see and hear so many people discover and enjoy the songs! We hope you are all well and enjoy the instrumental album.
We were honoured to receive a few words from guest blogger Chris Payne who is featured playing his outstanding violin on the song, “What Do You Want?” on EP2(original release 2011).
Photo by Meemz Numancub
“I first met Peter Steer during the after-show party for Gary Numan‘s London O2 show back in 2009 when I was a guest playing violin for Numan.
I remember talking to my ex-Numan guitarist friend (Rrussell Bell) and Gary’s ex-girlfriend (Tracey Adams) who I hadn’t seen for years. Suddenly this guy comes up and is chatting away (and photobombing us) and I thought to myself, “Hmm…Who the hell is this jovial nutter?!” It turned out that he was with this band called tenek and he asked me if I would consider playing some violin on an EP they were working on.
As Peteʼs blog goes into some details about the other tracks on EP2, which were different versions of previously released tracks, Iʼve chosen to take a look at the two
‘NEWʼ tracks on EP2, namely, ‘Elusiveʼ and ‘What Do YouWant?ʼ… Continue reading “EP2 Digital Re-issue – Geoff’s Blog [Sept, 2020]” »
Back in 2017, we finally managed to get our back catalogue returned to us from Toffeetones Records who we’d been signed to from 2008 until 2012. Most of our material from that period has now been re-released on all digital platforms. However, my own personal favourite EP has not been available yet so it’s definitely overdue.
The long-awaited and critically acclaimed ‘EP2‘ has been brought back from the tenek vault!
September 2020 brings the re-release of tenek’s second EP, ‘EP2’ [originally released by Toffeetones in October 2011] but has not been available on any digital platform since 2017. This EP has now been made available once again to the public in DIGITAL format ONLY via the band’s imprint label (Alien Six Productions).
Here is a fantastic review from The Electricity Club regarding tenek’s ‘EP2′ that is re-released via Bandcamp as of Sept 4th, 2020. A big thank you to Paul Browne and Jus Forrest.
Within the ranks of the electronic music genre, Tenek occupy the top tiers; the notable professionalism lies in the obvious quality of production that is common to all of their works. It’s an attribute that contributes heavily to setting them truly apart from the many, in all of their artistic endeavors.
2020 undoubtedly brings them another chance to shine, with the re-release of their second EP, EP2. Originally released on the Toffeetones label back in 2011, it features four signature tracks from their popular back-catalogue. Add to that two radio edits and a sneaky, never heard before, bonus track. You’ll have to go to Tenek’s Bandcamp store to get hold of the bonus, however, without giving too much away, it provides for the opportunity to hear ‘Elusive’ in its alter-ego development form, with some aspects of the track very far removed from what fans will be familiar with. An unexpected twist.
Since Tenek debuted in 2007, the electronica duo (aka Geoff Pinckney and Peter Steer) has toured three well-received albums, internationally, as well as closer to home – their fanbase extending as far as Russia – as well as 10 singles/EPs. They’ve appeared live at all the electronic music events worth talking about, showcasing their commercial sounding angle, minus the usual clichés, steering themselves level with some of the most popular, high charting and distinctive synth pop acts of the previous decades, while holding onto the contemporary.
We just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has been pre-ordering EP2, we really appreciate your support! Even though we are still busy working on our other projects away from tenek, it is very important to us that our complete back catalogue that was regained in 2017 gets reissued on all digital platforms. There are still more releases to come which are the ‘Where’s The Time?‘ and ‘Submission‘ singles. These will be minus the remixes from Shaun Brooks (Toffeetones) as he will not let us use any of them or the original artwork which is a shame. We may join the two releases together to make them better value for money and there may be a bonus track(s) as with EP2.
There have also been some early discussions about a rarities EP or album, probably for Bandcamp only, we had loads of different versions of tracks plus early demos and even some plain daft things too! It will require a bit of sifting through the archives but will be intriguing to see what we find? Please let us know if this is something you might be interested in seeing happen.
We also hope you enjoyed the new ‘Chameleon‘ track that was released on the final Electronic Saviors compilation album (ES6) which was our first new material in 4 years. All proceeds go to a very worthy cause.
We hope that you enjoy the bonus track on EP2, something a little different, and an insight into some of the ways we tried to write and record back in the day!
