- Keith Tenniswood and Andrew Weatherall have been making searingly eclectic music together for the past ten years as Two Lone Swordsmen. Drawing on a rich sonic palate of early electro, Detroit techno and, more recently, lo-fi rock & roll, the duo are a mainstay of the electronic underground. But what happens when Tenniswood leaves the other Swordsmen behind and goes it alone as Radioactive Man?
Both in his Radioactive Man guise and in the music he signs to his Control Tower imprint, Tenniswood focuses predominantly on stripped down, bass-driven electro. Warm, human and defiantly analogue, it is music to move to in the purest, most unpretentious sense and grounded with a touch of bassline menace; tunes perfectly suited to soundtrack a night at the Priory.
Photo credit: Alan Alberezanchi
Running in Cambridge since 2003, The Priory has evolved from a residents-only affair in the back room of a seedy pub, to a cross-genre monthly institution in the faux Moroccan surroundings of the Fez Club. The Priory tends to focus on hosting established names, but make the occasional foray into more left-field territory. This musical policy has brought techno legends Carl Craig and Rolando to town, alongside Luke Vibert and Dalston scenesters Disco Bloodbath, and consistently draws an enthusiastic, open-minded crowd of art students, club kids and trainspotters.
Residents The Fish and Sam I Am began politely on this particular night, setting the scene for their guest with a smattering of neo-disco and raw electro. It was around midnight when Radioactive Man took to the CDJs—a slightly-grizzled long-haired veteran who looked up at the crowd only to confirm that he'd seen it all before.
Tenniswood opened with a selection of good time electro, including his own incredibly funky "Pieces of Eight," before moving onto darker, harder territory. He featured a significant number of his own productions, and those of the Control Tower stable, but the tempo was varied throughout and Tenniswood found ample opportunity to flex his house and techno chops.
Photo credit: Alan Alberezanchi
Perhaps because it was a Thursday night—the traditional Priory midweek slot—the crowd seemed hesitant at first. They lined the bar for a good hour before gradually giving in to the relentless groove and filling the floor. Bleepfunk's "Breaking Point" was particularly well received, but it was the Radioactive Man classic "Uranium" that moved the most, eliciting cheers from the floor as the familiar shimmering intro was worked into the mix.
Although Tenniswood's output with Weatherhall undoubtedly has more of a pioneering spirit, stepping out as Radioactive Man at The Priory he demonstrated a primal understanding of dance music. Raw, visceral and to the bone, his set reduced a reticent weeknight crowd to a smiling, sweaty mess. Resistance proved futile.