tenek ‎– ‘EP2’ reviewed

❉ Ange Chan takes a voyage into pure electronica with cult electro duo tenek.

© Tenek – Promo 2015

Founded in June 2007 by Peter Steer and Geoff Pinckney, tenek’s debut CD was released in September of that year as a self-funded, limited edition four-track EP. Buoyed by its success, the band decided to record an album and they were duly signed to the then fledgling Toffeetones label. The first release in October 2008 was the single Where’s The Time?

In the intervening thirteen years tenek have released three albums, the last one being Smoke and Mirrors in 2016. They’ve also toured extensively in their own right and have supported bands such as Toyah, Republica and De/Vision.

Fast forward to 2020 and a fan favourite from the tenek vault, EP2 has been resurrected, which we expect to see released in September this year. This EP was originally released by Toffeetones in October 2011, but has not been available on any digital platform since 2017. It’s now been made available again in digital format only, via the band’s imprint label, Alien Six Productions. The Bandcamp download contains an exclusive track.

Featuring four of the most popular tracks from tenek’s back catalogue the tenek EP2 re-release includes What Do You Want? featuring Chris Payne on violin. Chris is formerly of Gary Numan’s touring band (1979-1990), as well as co-writer of the classic 1980s New Romantic anthem Fade To Grey by Visage.

The EP2 release is a voyage into pure electronica with strong pulsating rhythms, and powerful driving guitars producing a unique crossover which is credible and eminently enjoyable to both the cult electro scene, while retaining a universal appeal through the melodies and hooks. Lyrically, the content is simple, yet infectious.

The release is a welcome return by tenek who have been working individually on other projects in recent times; Pete with Sinestar, and Geoff producing music and collaborating with other artists in the genre.


❉ tenek: EP2 is released September 4, 2020 via Bandcamp and contains an exclusive track. Click HERE to Pre-order Digital Album, £3.99. For further information about tenek visit tenek.co.uk

Ange Chan is a freelance writer, having produced two novels and six volumes of poetry.  She was also prolific contributor in the anthology collection Me and the Starman (now available by Cult Ink on Amazon) and is a lifelong lover of music, having first been published in the 1980s music press. As well as being a frequent contributor to the pop culture website We Are Cult, she is working on her long-standing third novel Champagne Flutes and Pixie Boots.

❉ Header image credit: Tenek (Peter Steer, Geoff Pinckney), Dave Charles Extravaganza: Club Enigma 2017, Market Harborough, UK © Andrew Garley.

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