A Track A Day:
Timothy J. Fairplay

With the current circumstances and the weird, turbulent times all over the globe, we asked our friends to choose a favourite track or an album for these isolated days, and share it with us along with a photo. A track a day keeps the bad vibes away. Stay safe.

Today we welcome London-based analogue whizz and deft ambient-scaper Timothy J. Fairplay. Our beloved producer shares with us one of his favourite records, “The Potato Farm Tapes” by Canadian musician Tona Ohama, released via Minimal Wave in 2012.

In his own words: “I first became aware of Ohama when this album came out in 2012, though I only had a rip of it for years, I actually only got my own copy quite recently. Made up of tracks that had been released on his first three self-released albums ‘Midnight News’ (1982),‘Ohama’ (1983) & ‘I Fear What I Might Here’ (1984). I was initially drawn to the John Carpenter like riffs of ‘The Drum’ or the wave-y pop of ‘Julie Is TV set’. But for me it’s a bit of an outsider classic, made in a home studio on his parents potato farm with a few synths & a tape machine. It has a lightness of touch you don’t always hear in these kind of wave releases and is stronger than just a cult/genre curiosity. A huge influence on my own music, ‘The Drum’ (though I would never copy it) is regally what’s in my mind when I’m starting a new track.”