With dance music practically dominating the global music scene and endless swarms of budding DJs and producers from all over the world jostling to make a name for themselves, it’s fair to say it’s a long way to the top.
I believe it was the extra votes from our local fans that boosted our position and got us into the Top 100
Placing among DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs list is a big step in the right direction, and this is exactly what Maltese DJs and producers Joven Grech and Cyprian Cassar, better known as dance duo Tenishia, did last month.
Speaking about their achievement upon returning from the awards ceremony in Amsterdam, Tenishia clearly underlined the significance of their international triumph as clear proof that anyone who underestimates local talent because of Malta’s diminutive size is wrong.
Before getting together to form Tenishia, Grech and Cassar busied themselves learning the ropes within the music scene.
“I got to know the music scene through Ivan Grech (of Winter Moods) who happens to be my uncle,” Grech says.
“I used to go to their gigs and rummage through his music collection.” His first DJing experience came via Radju Kottoner in 1997, where he hosted three weekly shows.
A year later, he landed his first club residency, later moving to a bigger club where he spent the next six years without missing a single weekend.
All of it helped him gain experience and the urge to create his own music, initial attempts using a simple Playstation game which he claims taught him the basics.
Cassar’s musical initiation was rather unexpected when he was 10 years old.
He had passed his exams and his father promised to buy him a remote-controlled boat. They went to the trade fair looking for one, but his father convinced him to get an electric piano instead of the boat. Following that, he started to study piano theory and practice, and later also took lessons in Spanish guitar, bass and drums.
Clearly bitten by the music bug, Cassar started to attend dance events. “I must have been about 16, and I was completely in awe of how the DJ connected with the crowd.”
The two eventually got together to form Tenishia in 2004.
“After much experimentation at Cyprian’s studio, our productions got better and we had our first track signed to Armada after passing it to Markus Schulz, who played it on his international radio show.”
Through that contact, Tenishia ended up having three more tracks released on top DJ Armin Van Buuren’s Armind label, an association which, coupled with the top flight dance music they were producing, helped boost the Maltese duo’s profile quite significantly.
So what is it about Tenishia’s music that seems to have struck the right chord with audiences as far away as Australia?
“Our music is mainly progressive Trance. It features vocals and is built on strong melodies and synthesised sounds, and we occasionally also use acoustic instruments,” Cassar explains.
Trance came to prominence in the 1990s, characterised by tempos varying between 125 and 150 beats per minute and immediately drawing a global following enticed by the exhilarating energy its heady sounds evoke.
“The melodic phrases are expressed in a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout the track,” Cassar continues.
“These days, all the electronic dance music variants seem to be edging closer together, and as a result Trance is sounding more refined with House music elements seeping in to give it a groovier sound. Our way of doing things is to focus on diversity, and we’ve been known to also dabble in Tech-Trance and more recently, chill-out music.”
While Tech-Trance may have some common traits with their upbeat tracks, chill-out is perhaps a new area for Tensihia; one they have explored in more depth on their Frozen Roads album.
What prompted this distinct change in direction?
“We embrace diversity. We’ve successfully created music for the clubs and the big events, we’ve done radio-friendly songs and remixes, but we also understand that not everyone likes Trance,” Grech explains.
Based on this concept, they decided to record chilled-out versions of our own tracks, using orchestral, acoustic and ambient sounds that should appeal to new and familiar audiences.
It was a good idea, as much for the overwhelming number of Youtube plays as for the fact that the album claimed the number one spot on online music store Beatport’s album charts for two weeks.
“Some tracks could easily be used as film scores or adapted for orchestra,” Grech continues. “We’re now looking to release the album locally in CD format.”
Something Tenishia have certainly helped popularise is the dance remix for local acts, namely Winter Moods and Ira Losco.
“We always had it in mind to working with local vocalists, firstly because they are more accessible and secondly because we support local talent.”
Grech admits it’s not as easy to find true professionals in Malta, and there are many vocalists who need serious coaching for delivery and diction.
“Working with Winter Moods and Ira Losco was easy because they are professionals.
“We also wouldn’t mind collaborating with Tribali, who have unique sounds, and also Joseph Calleja, as the blend of classical music and Trance would be very interesting.”
They admit most of the achievements they’ve got so far have been unexpected.
“We weren’t expecting to get so much support so early in our career from such a big label, and we certainly didn’t anticipate that a legend like Armin van Buuren would back us so strongly. It was a fantastic moment when he called us onstage while playing one of our tunes in Malta.”
One of the biggest thrills they get, and which possibly instils a sense of pride too, is “when we are playing abroad and the crowd knows our tracks by heart. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
I suggest it just might, reminding them of their commendable placing in the Top 100 DJ list recently announced by the prestigious international DJ music publication.
“We didn’t think it would happen this year, but we’d be lying if we said we haven’t felt we would one day get on this list,” Cassar admits.
This achievement hasn’t just strengthened their position on the international scene, it’s also ignited a new fire in Tenishia’s belly.
“We’ll be working harder to better our position next year, but we also want to help promising local vocal talent.”
They will be auditioning new voices to seek out vocalists to work with, but before that there are gigs abroad to plan and perform, and a new album to write and produce.
“We’re planning to expand the Tenishia adventure to new countries, such as the US; and Armada Records have already contracted us for a new album. This will mean keeping a lower profile on the local front, but instead of playing several small gigs, we’re planning to organise bigger and better events.”
Tenishia will be celebrating their historic achievement with a free event at Sky Club on November 26.
www.tenishia.com
bugeja.michael@gmail.com