<p><span><span>- <strong>Lewis Day</strong>, aka Tornado Wallace, has just released an EP / mini-album titled <em>Midnight Mania</em> on Optimo Music. His first release for the label, the Berlin-based, Melbourne producer / DJ came into my awareness with the excellent <em>Lonely Planet</em> album. In addition he’s put out numerous 12”s on the likes of <strong>Beats In Space</strong>, <strong>Second Ciecle</strong>, <strong>ESP Institute</strong> and <strong>Animals Dancing</strong>. <em>Midnight Mania</em> is a natural development in his sound, going for a dancefloor-oriented set of tracks inspired by mutation.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The titular <em>Midnight Mania</em>, is a heavily rhythmic dance track, feeling like an extended disco cut, albeit more minimal. The percussion is simply glorious, all manner of auxiliary percussion being whipped out, from the beguiling introduction to the paired down outro. It's also worth mentioning the melodic turn at around four minutes, where an arpeggio is matched with a euphoric wash of synth. The next song, <em>Atoms</em>, is a sprawling, cosmic jam with spoken word, a wide selection of percussion sounds and chugging synth. It reminds me of <strong>Patrick Cowley</strong>’s swaggering, extended-grooves from the '70s, or his porn scores from the early '80s (either way suitable for sexy times). Again, a solid percussive groove is at the core. <em>Mundane</em> is a similarly spacey but more electronic track with shades of <strong>Larry Heard</strong> coming through. I love the syncopated percussion hits that appear from about one-minute-twenty, as well as how it unfurls and develops over its run time. <em>PNG (Praise No Ghosts)</em> is another up-tempo dance track that is more electronic, with its sample and hold synth line providing propulsion before things build and morph. The last song, <em>Jungle Dream</em> goes hard! Perhaps the fastest track amongst the bunch, it lays the samples on heavy. It has a breakbeat feel with the drum sample, but as though only glimpsed at through Wallace's percussion heavy vision.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Tornado Wallace has crafted a psychedelic, percussion heavy set of tracks on <em>Midnight Mania</em> – reinforced by a similar wild video clip if you care to go and hunt for it. There's almost more Aussie talent in Berlin than there is at home, but even in that crowded, cultural hub, this one is going to stand out.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Hillfolk.</span></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1499641396/size=large/bgcol=f…; seamless><a href="http://tornadowallace.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-mania">Midnight Mania by Tornado Wallace</a></iframe>
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