Tensnake – Coma Cat review

Artist: Tensnake
Title: Coma Cat
Label: Permanent Vacation
Genre: House, Disco/Nu-Disco
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download

German producer Marco Niemerski, known to the discothèque as Tensnake, came to the fore last year with “In The End (I Want You To Cry)”, his EP for Gerd Janson’s Running Back imprint  which featured heavily in the end of year charts. He also lent his ubiquitous disco-meets-house inflected sound to remixes of The Faint for Boys Noize Records and Toby Tobias for Rekids.

New Yorker Tim Sweeney developed such a cowbell crush on Tensnake that he entrusted the German with the debut release on his eagerly anticipated Beats In Space record label, with a release on Ghostly Intl also slated this year.

This pales in comparison with the anticipation that has surrounded this, Tensnake’s EP for Permanent Vacation, and more specifically its lead track “Coma Cat”. Ever since its debut on Tim Sweeney’s weekly transmission from NYC, the discerning discopogoing corners of the internet have been clamoring for its release.

Nominally a reworking of 80s RnB hit “What I Like” from Anthony And The Camp (produced by legendary producer, and proud owner of best name in dance music, Jellybean Benitez), Tensnake transforms “Coma Cat” into seven minutes of joy which seem to encapsulate the last 15 years of house music yet also remains very fresh for now.

“Coma Cat” is in essence the first contender for the inevitable end of decade “best of” wankathons come 2020. With such a strong lead track you’d be forgiven for thinking the rest of the EP pales in comparison, yet this is not the case. “Get It Right” and “Need Your Loving (Dub)” are both superlative wanders down the disco boogie path that Niemerski was immersed in as a child. The original version of “Need Your Loving” is included as a wee bonus for those that prefer their music to smell like mp3s.

Review: Tony Poland