“There’s no need to bring our names in the game as it might lead to confusion. TENH and the music that comes with it is our way to enjoy a bit of undisturbed music making and presenting.” As candid as they come, TENH, is making a strong case for putting the music before the personas, right from the heart of Berlin’s bustling art and music scene.
Admittedly, it may initially come across as a bit off-putting to see once again masked faces emerging in the music scene. We’ve spent quite a bit of time hiding our faces, and to many, the trend seems to have run its course. But the pair behind the duo appear to have a valid reason for their secrecy. They’ve fashioned TENH as a sandbox, a free space for them to vent their creative energies unimpeded by expectations or genre limitations. The music takes centre stage here, unfettered by preconceptions attached to their identities.
Their new release, ‘SKINH,’ features the engaing vocals of Delhia de France, immersing us into a deep electronic rhythm that resonates through the body. It’s a straight shot of nightlife energy, for losing yourself to the beat. The track exudes an alluring sense of depth, its synths pulsating with an infectious vibe that begs for movement.
TENH, it seems, is not just about the music. It’s about the journey, the evolution of a creative alliance into a hitherto unexplored space. We got the chance to catch up with the enigmatic duo to delve a little deeper into their creative process, their inspirations, and the story behind their new release.
photography by Dominik Hoang
Could you share how the name TENH came to be and what it represents?
First of all, thank you for having us.
As we keep our real names out of the game for now, it’s a little hard to explain. TENH is a combination of single letters out of our first names but also, we love the name ‘TENH’ as it looks and sounds. The H is silent, so its pronounced like the number ten.
‘SKINH’ is being released almost two years after your first solo release, ‘Rabbits in Hammocks’. How do you feel your sound has evolved between these two projects?
‘Rabbits in Hammocks’ was the first ever song we did together, and it was the essence of both of us. Since then, we became much more open-minded, and even more creative. The way we make music is limitless and not based on useless questions. The level of joy and creativity when we’re working together is almost a state of trance for us. We complete each other in a rather almost funny way. We call it the ‘Kampf um die Maus’… ‘fight for the mouse’ because we create so many ideas at once and we need to get it into our DAW but there’s just one mouse controller, so we’re constantly fighting for it.
How did the collaboration with Delhia de France come about?
We’ve been big fans of her voice and artist aesthetic for a while and were happy that our paths crossed, almost by incident. Delhia as an open-minded artistic soul and immediately loved the playback we showed her. She came up with the lyrics and the idea how to place her beautiful voice in the song immediately. She turned out to be the perfect match.
“Creating music is a gift take care about it and never lose your inner child.”
You both have a strong history in collaborating with others. How have these experiences shaped your approach to creating music together?
We both are team players and love to work with different creative ideas or inputs. Creating music together is really the best way for your inspiration. It also improves your knowledge in music and its various possibilities. You learn different approaches for songs, different ways of functionality, new ways of creative experimenting.
Sometimes you have to agree on decisions and sometimes you just have to let go, cause your partner tells you to because you are overdoing things. Hahaha We love that.
In what ways has Berlin’s music and art scene influenced your work?
Berlin has a long history in being a place for artists. When the wall came down many artists used the ‘lawless’ period to occupy houses and buildings to throw parties or set up artist communities. Berlin still has a super vibrant nightlife which is important for creative minds. The city has been a birthplace for many international artists, labels and agencies, and therefore an amazing place to do face to face networking and collaborations. TENH grew and grows out of an amazing artist community in the heart of Berlin, Kreuzberg. It’s a natural thing to meet in the studio and work together on music or any other kind of art.
“TENH is our personal playground for a musical journey which doesn’t happen in doubt and questioning but joy, fun and satisfaction.”
The narrative around TENH emphasizes your intention to “make waves” in the music industry. What changes or impacts are you hoping to make?
Our music is meant to show up with some ease. First of all, it has an impact on us and so far we got only positive feedback which confirms we’re on the right way. Most people who know us from our other projects can’t believe the results we deliver with TENH as it’s totally different to our other music. TENH music is fun music and therefore we’ll ‘make waves’ as bring a lot of fun!
You have chosen to maintain a certain level of mystery around your identities. How does this choice influence your interactions with fans and within the industry, especially considering that the ‘mystery’ concept could be seen as ‚overdone‘?
To be honest, it’s not really meant to be a marketing tool but rather a tool to maintain the focus on the music and also give respect to our other projects. There’s no need to bring our names in the game as it might lead to confusion. TENH and the music that comes with it is our way to enjoy a bit of undisturbed music making and presenting.
How does visual art influence your music?
Certainly, a lot. We’re currently working on a visual concept, which is still in a very early phase, to underline our music and make it complete. Music is such an important and indispensable carrier of emotions, but the majority of people need visual information to feel complete. Our music definitely offers a lot of potential for visual translation.
“Berlin still has a super vibrant nightlife which is important for creative minds.”
Being a creative person often involves periods of self-doubt and questioning. How do you navigate these challenges?
We think this just describes a way of breathing in and breathing out. The time of questioning yourself is very often the most creative time in life, so maybe we should see it more like a period of skilling ourselves and being ready for more risks. Maybe this is even the better time.
Right now, we don’t feel this at all. The only ‘negative’ side effects we feel at the moment is the pressure of our release schedule we’ve set for ourselves. We still operate TENH as a full-time side project which just doesn’t allow us to have enough time in the studio together.
TENH is our personal playground for a musical journey which doesn’t happen in doubt and questioning but joy, fun and satisfaction. There’s no plan to follow any rules or fulfil expectations.
What life lessons have you learned through your journey in the music industry so far?
Never lose your fun, your passion, your energy. Always be with people but choose the right ones!!! Creating music is a gift take care about it and never lose you inner child.
Thank you so much for your time!
