Tensal

Spanish techno producer Tensal (aka Hector Sandoval) initially found fame as half of the duo Exium. In 2014 he launched his own solo project, with a tougher, more functional sound than his day job; his debut album, Graphical, appeared on Soma in 2018. Sandoval formed Exium in Asturias, northwest Spain, in the mid-’90s with Valentín Corujo (aka Kessell). The duo released their first 12″ in 1999 and in 2004 launched their own label, Nheoma, on which they would release much of their material. They became one of the first artists to release on fellow Spaniard Oscar Mulero’s PoleGroup. Alongside artists like Christian Wunsch, Reeko, and Mulero himself, they swiftly became an integral part of the label crew, releasing several singles and the 2013 album A Sensible Alternative to Emotion. Their frequent releases also appeared on Planet Rhythm. Throughout this period, their music retained a melodic sense and a link to the ’90s ambient techno that had inspired them in the first place. Sandoval launched Tensal in 2014 with “A,” the first 12″ release on his eponymous label (all of the subsequent single releases on the label were named simply with letters of the alphabet). Crafted using vintage analog gear, its sound was more contemporary, straightforward, and functional. A steady string of releases followed, notably the 2017 album-length double-EP Disco Negro, as well as singles on Ownlife, PoleGroup, and Soma, which put out Tensal’s debut album proper, Graphical, in 2018; it expanded his sound somewhat, with elements of ambient and IDM. ~ John D. Buchanan