Global bass is nothing if not a syncretic style, grabbing influences from all over the planet, but nobody in the global bass realm is more of an international musical magpie than Thor Partridge, better known by his sonic sobriquet, Thornato. Sweden-born producer Thornato grew up in Queens, New York, where he soaked up sounds from around the world while also absorbing everything from classical piano to bluegrass banjo. Along the way, he also happened to tap into a gift for electronic music, which leads us to the present moment and the arrival of the new Thornato EP, Things Will Change.
Partridge did some serious globe-hopping in order to keep the international influences on these tracks sounding authentic, recording on location everywhere from Colombia to Cape Town. From Middle Eastern modalities to African melodies, Thornato blends his beats and production skills with such a broad range of styles that “world music” doesn’t even do justice to Things Will Change. It should probably be adopted by the United Nations as their official soundtrack for 2016. The EP is due out April 29 on Nickodemus’ Wonderwheel Recordings, but you can get in on the action early by streaming the whole damn thing right here.