Ohama

Ohama Biography

Tona Walt Ohama is an electronic recording artist based in Western Canada who has played synthesizers since he first discovered the A.R.P. Axxe in 1975. Although he has a world-wide following, he remains relatively unknown in his home province and has been called "Alberta's Best Kept Musical Secret" by both !earshot Magazine and The Calgary Herald. In 2011 Beatroute Magazine said “There are three things you need to know about southern Alberta synth pop pioneer, Tona Walt Ohama. One, he loves synthesizers, not likes, not enjoys, not appreciates - loves. Two, there is no one else like him, anywhere. Three, he is the real deal...Ohama's work has heart, soul and an organic quality that transcends any electronic constraints". He's the only Canadian to appear on the highly regarded Stones Throw Records compilations The Minimal Wave Tapes Vol. 1 (2010) and Vol. 2 (2012) curated by legendary DJ Peanut Butter Wolf (Los Angeles) and East Village Radio's Veronica Vasicka (New York). Ohama has a BSC in Civil Engineering interleaved with half a BFA from the University of Calgary. Although he's been involved in thousands of music projects, he has never worked a single day as a civil engineer.