Ohama (Tona Walt Ohama) - Midnite News

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Julie is a TV Set	08:11
	2	I Tie My Shoes	05:25

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Midnite News	07:10
	2	The Call	07:14

Photos

Videos

No Video

Information/Write-up

Released in 1984, the Midnite News 12-inch marks Tona Walt Ohama’s first appearance on vinyl and a decisive step forward from the small-run cassette releases that preceded it. Rebuilt from material on the scarce “White Album,” the four tracks here — “Julie Is a TV Set,” “I Tie My Shoes,” “Midnite News,” and “The Call” — were re-recorded on his 8-track basement studio in Rainier, Alberta, with expanded arrangements, deeper low-end, and a stronger rhythmic presence.

The EP reflects the same qualities that drew early critical attention in Calgary: moody, introspective electronics, lyrics shaped by solitude and observation, and a blend of dark themes with unexpectedly uplifting, uptempo pulses. Tracks like “Midnite News” carry the thudding electronic weight of mid-’80s synth-pop — a similarity to “Blue Monday” explained by the shared use of the same drum machine rather than any bid for club play. As Ohama has said, the goal was simply “to have lots of bass.”

“Julie Is a TV Set” appears here in its longest and most fully developed version, extending the melodic and structural ideas of the original cassette recording. “The Call,” featuring Dennis Marcenko on bass and guitars and mixed by longtime friend Bruce Toll, stands out as the EP’s most collaborative piece, adding atmospheric depth to the reimagined arrangement.

The visual presentation also connects directly to Ohama’s performance style of the era. The artwork incorporates hand-coloured images from Tripsichore’s production Along Dark Streets and photography by Heather Elton, Glen McDonnall, Cathie Coutts, and Raymond S. Walker — echoing the multimedia props and visual elements he often integrated into his concerts.

Bridging his rural basement studio and the emerging underground audience discovering his work, the Midnite News 12-inch remains the definitive early-vinyl snapshot of Ohama’s first creative period: solitary, meticulously crafted electronic music that balanced introspection with momentum, darkness with motion, and isolation with a surprisingly vivid pulse.

“They had the same drum machine. That’s why they sound similar. But the EP wasn’t meant to be a club record; it was just meant to have lots of bass.” — Ohama
-Robert Williston

Tona Ohama: vocals, vocoder, Korg Polysix synthesizer, music,
Yana Bothé: CBS audiofile sound effects library, sound ideas effects library
Dennis Marcenko: bass & guitars on "The Call"
Oot Myers: Oberheim OB-Xa synthesizer, DSX sequencer
Carole See: Oberheim DMX digital drums, Yamaha CS-40M synthesizer

Produced by Tona Ohama
Recorded & mixed in Rainier by Ohama except "The Call" mixed by Bruce Toll

Hand-coloured b&w photos from Tripsichore's production "Along Dark Streets"
Image design: Heather Elton
Photography: Heather Elton & Glen McDonnall
Colour photos: Cathie Coutts
B&W label photo: Raymond S. Walker
Drawing on label side 2: Friso Halbertsma

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