Berlin’s not known to be a disco city. Good disco nights are few and far between. A really good one is Hot Pony at Sameheads, a fantastic little sweatbox in Neukoelln put on by Timmy Lee and Antoni Maiovvi who also run the label, Royal Athlete.
It’s a proper party. An all-out, arms-in-the air, Hi-NRG assault, all sweat and tears. After we’d been living in Berlin a few months and frequenting their parties, we were invited to play. It was our first DJ gig in Berlin and we had a litrle bit of time to prepare, so we ended up making some music for the sole purpose of playing those productions out at the night – Tender was the best of the bunch we made.
Lyrically disarming and full of regret; instrumentally, polished and primal. Pumped with adrenaline and nerves, we arrived early and played it during a soundcheck at the club. Timmy loved it, and snapped it up for his label Royal Athlete there and then. The rest, as they say, is history.