Tender Games’ debut release is a yearlong project put together by established producers Marlon Hoffstadt and HRRSN. The duo chose to veer from a singular house-based sound towards a more inclusive instrumental and vocal production for a refreshing collision of soul and dance.

Hoffstadt’s house leanings combine intricately with HRRSN’s background in garage, blues and folk for this gem of an album. The LP kicks off with Your Perception, a classic British 2-step garage beat, vocal weaves and warm synths to set the tone before sending you off on a journey through a soul-driven dance space. Midway through we got an all out blues ballad before being thrown back towards more house-influenced vibage.  Guest vocals from the likes of Meggy and Miss NatNat add lyrical talent for a heady listen.

It’s hard to pick a single from multiple standout tracks but luckily some are up on Soundcloud. Super impressive debut!

SR: First things first, where did Tender Games begin and what was the influence behind the collab?

TG: We began through a mutual friend of ours: Mo. He´s a video director that Marlon met and since he’s also is my best friend and flat mate, Marlon and I got to talk about music and less than 7 days later we had the track ‘Once Again’ ready. Tender Games was started then I think, although we did not call ourselves that at the time. The new name came during the producing process, because we decided to make whatever music we wanted and thus started a new project.

SR: How did you approach each track on the album and what is your creative process like?

TG(Ulrich): I collected every idea I had over a period of time, some of them were quite developed and some were sketches. We had about 30 and then it was time to collect what we wanted and towards the end we sat in the studio and just finished them up. We went in the studio with Meggy for her song, but other than that, all the other singers(apart from me) have recorded on their own. Also, ‘In a Mess’ and ‘Tonight’ were songs that I had done beforehand and did not know what to do with them really :D. Our debut album just felt right for them.

SR: What were some inspirations and influences behind the album?

TG: I´d say The Internet. Not the group but really the internet. Because although we had influences like SBTRKT for instance, you discover a new artist every day on the internet and sometimes you’re so blown away by the production that you just have to start making music yourself.

SR: Any thoughts on the current state of dance music and where it’s headed?

TG: Hm.. Hard to say. At the moment it is becoming a bigger business day by day but I think that only applies to the great mass. I respect every man’s hustle so if there are people who worked hard for long and now have a buzz going, who am I to judge. The annoying thing has to be if corporations step in and try to feed off those people. But I think that goes with every genre and there will be a new ‘Rock’ wave soon I bet 😀

SR: What’s a studio break food run consist of?

TG: Most of the time we went to go eat Chinese, or better Thai and then we went to get ‘Tannenzäpfle’ for one of our label heads – Thien but of course also some Berliner Pils for us. But those were what most runs consisted of.

SR: What does the future hold for Tender Games?

TG: Hopefully a lot of touring. We always say it but it´s true. We want to present our songs for people to dance and have a good time to. If all goes well we will be able to play a lot of shows in the future and we’re already eager to work on the new album :).

Tracklist:

1. Your Perception
2. Lost
3. Make Believe feat. Stee Downes & Yvy Coe
4. Want It All
5. In Her Bed feat. Miss NatNat
6. In A Mess
7. Too Late
8. A Million Times feat. Meggy
9. City Lights
10. Tonight
11. Freak In The Sheets feat. Forrest