Who is Thomas musically?

This is a timeline analysis of Thomas Tornevall and his musical path.

Very early years and influences (1977-1990s)

Thomas was born in 1977, growing up in an era when home computing was still in its infancy rather than fully launched. By the time he entered his teenage years, with a budget as poor as buying a used bicycle with no wheels, the SoundBlaster Pro 2 became the closest he could get to experiencing real sound. The wider Internet era for private users did not arrive until the early 1990s, when loopholes made it possible to access dial‑up services outside universities, and this opened the way to trackers, BBS exchanges, and eventually FastTracker.

According to old Super 8 home videos, Thomas was fascinated by music even before he could walk. While there is no clear record of the exact moment when music became more than just background sound, his parents often played cassettes and vinyl that caught his attention early. In the later years (during the 80s mostly, is a guess) he was exposed to Swedish dance band music, which formed a first layer of influence, even if his true musical direction was still unwritten.

Until…

Thomas’s sister Annelie introduced him to house and acid house music through one of her classmates (Totte, where are you?), most likely in the late 80s and early 90s. Annelie herself was deeply into music and often brought home fairly mainstream pop, though the exact details of her taste remain a bit unclear. What Thomas remembers is Madonna standing out vividly – so much so that he once even believed Madonna was actually a girl called “Cina”, interested in him.

Radio and television also became important: the show “Tracks” on Sveriges Radio P3 offered exciting new sounds, and with satellite TV arriving at home, MTV became a constant source of inspiration. In particular, MTV Party Zone served as a major well of ideas.

It was in the middle of this atmosphere that FastTracker entered the picture – the only tool he had access to for starting to create music. From there, early inspiration grew out of 1990s dance music – techno, rave, eurodance – combined with a passion for house and elements of world music.

Archival notes on file dates (in the bottom tables):

• Earliest RBS backups are dated 1997-10 (for example, “Hata Frank” last edited 1997-11-13). These may be early Reason song/bank stubs or later conversions – treat dates cautiously.
• RNS and RBS sessions appear 1999-2001 in the archive, overlapping with Cakewalk and ReBirth. Many WRK projects were later rescued to BUN, so modified timestamps can reflect recovery rather than creation.
• A few BUN files resurface in 2002 while Reason was already dominant, likely for long-form mix work in Cakewalk.
• Reason usage is steady up to roughly 2017. In September-October 2017 a relationship ended, and 2018 became a crisis year, leaving a large creative gap. Pauses continue 2018-2020/21, then a return, and finally a shift to Reason Studios 13 from 2022-11.

Exploring genres and production

Thomas’s exploration of genres was not a simple list of influences but an evolving landscape. During the 1990s and 2000s he immersed himself in Jungle, Drum & Bass, techno, trance, and house, carefully dissecting the production techniques behind artists such as Andy C and Sub Focus from the Drum & Bass world. In the club scene, long‑standing figures like Fatboy Slim (first breaking through in the late 1980s with Beats International) and Carl Cox (already a leading name from the acid house era) stood out. Alongside them were house innovators such as the duo Masters at Work (Louie Vega and Kenny Dope), soon followed by Roger Sanchez, Armand Van Helden, and Daft Punk as the 1990s turned into the 2000s. While Frankie Knuckles is often cited as the godfather of house, his presence was more peripheral for Thomas personally – his stronger pull came later with the evolution into tech‑house, a hybrid style that combined minimal grooves with house energy.

Black Box – first discovered on Max Mix vinyl compilations such as Max Mix 10 and Max Mix 11 – burned an unforgettable imprint in his memory. Those compilations, with their kaleidoscopic blends, taught him early lessons about rhythm, transition, and sampling. Many of these artists and sounds became recognizable only later, as he began memorizing and documenting names to avoid losing them again. A key memory was recording a melody he loved onto cassette, only to erase it by accident – a loss that later drove him to keep written records and eventually inspired the creation of his “Childhood of Doom” playlist.

Parallel to this electronic foundation, he was also drawn to heavier, darker textures. Industrial and metal bands like Rammstein and Dimmu Borgir added a layer of aggression and atmosphere to his understanding of sound. This duality – intricate rhythm and bass on one side, distorted guitars and orchestral drama on the other – gave his productions a unique edge.

As a result, Thomas never confined himself to one style. His archives show transitions between four-to-the-floor house sketches, breakbeat-driven experiments, atmospheric trance passages, and darker industrial-inspired edits. What held it together was a restless curiosity: each genre was less a destination and more a toolkit, expanding the possibilities of his own voice as a producer.

Equally important are the club and rave classics that shaped his taste. These include Kim Appleby, M/A/R/R/S – “Pump Up the Volume”, L.A. Style – “James Brown Is Dead”, General Levy – “Incredible”, and the unstoppable energy of 2 Unlimited. He absorbed iconic tracks such as “Plastic Dreams”, the full Black Box catalogue, “Pump Up the Jam” and its countless successors, as well as material from U.S.U.R.A., Sonic Surfer, and Euro-rave mainstays like “Meet Her at the Love Parade” and Quadrophonia. This wave of Eurodance and rave music was not a background noise but a living school of sound design, arrangement, and energy.

Another dimension of his exploration was the struggle to recover music that had slipped through the cracks of memory. Many tracks were heard only once on MTV or obscure satellite channels and never resurfaced again, sometimes preserved only on lost VHS tapes. One striking rediscovery came in 2025: System 7 – “Alpha Wave” (Plastikman Acid House Remix), a track he had originally caught only once through encrypted satellite frequencies. This rare find intertwined with his connection to 1FM, the station that would later become BBC Radio 1, cementing how fleeting signals and chance encounters could deeply mark his creative DNA.

Alongside this electronic and rave-driven foundation, he also kept a fascination for Swedish dansband (such as Lasse Stefanz, Arvingarna, Vikingarna), the rapid growth of 1990s hip hop (boom bap styles, Public Enemy, Ice Cube), and the crossover world of DJ Supreme and club mix culture. Later years added Drill and Grime influences, showing that his musical lens stretched far beyond typical electronic boundaries.

After 2021, his influences expanded dramatically. Artists such as Vlada Asanin, Anfisa Letyago, Deborah De Luca, Siwell, Riva Starr, Bob Sinclar, Shy FX, Chase & Status, DJ Burlak, Koven, Mob Tactics, Evol Intent, Mosimann, and Buju Banton became enormous markers in his musical direction. Old‑school names like The KLF, Jody Watley, Boney M., Salt N Pepa, Kim Appleby, Jerry Reed, and Doug Kershaw resurfaced as important nodes in his library. Norman Cook’s Fatboy Slim legacy remained a cornerstone, and close collaborations and remixes, such as for Pete & Bas or even material from friends like Noilec, added a personal dimension. This combination of modern techno, bass music, hip hop, reggae, and classic pop reinforced his post‑2021 path as borderless and fearless.

These were not just songs on the radio, but the building blocks of a personal creative DNA, forming a bridge between professional club culture and his own experiments in trackers and sequencers.

Formalization – DJ career (from December 2021)

After the end of a long relationship in late 2017, the idea of DJing slowly grew during the following years. What began as curiosity – partly triggered by hearing that his ex’s new partner dabbled poorly in DJing – turned into late‑night searches for affordable controllers. By December 2021 he finally owned his first controller and began experimenting with mixing. During 2022 he upgraded from a DDJ‑400 to a Pioneer FLX‑10, aiming to go larger. Copyright warnings on early mixes, however, made him realize the importance of creating original material. Inspired by Koven’s live sets and the control that comes from performing one’s own productions, he decided in 2023 to return seriously to music production, subscribing again to Reason Studios and shifting focus toward house and drum & bass.

The MINT Experiment – creative duo (2009-2017) and the revivals

The MINT Experiment – a duo together with Ingela Karlsson (later Machuca Burgos, with whom Thomas shared a relationship between roughly 2003 and 2017). They first connected sometime in 2003 through Lunarstorm and similar channels (IRC), and after a few months of contact, according to logs, finally met in person on 21 November 2003, a few minutes after 19:28 (awkward isn’t it?). Their relationship developed quickly, with a move to Järna taking place between late 2003 and early 2004, followed by a move together to Klippan on 3 July 2004. These anchor points are useful for context but do not need all surrounding television event references.

Their first musical collaboration was the track Bejeweled, produced in 2009 and released online on March 18, 2010. The song was later retitled Emily’s Song in honor of their daughter (born October 2010) and formally released via Record Union in December 2013.

Two more tracks, DNA and Witness, were produced but delayed due to personal circumstances and the duo’s eventual split. Witness was finalized in August 2017, while DNA was released in December 2023. An updated version of Witness followed in April 2024.

A personal remix, Bejeweled 3, was also produced as a dedication to his son, incorporating samples of his children’s voices. This track symbolized a creative revival and was released in January 2023.

Jessica Granqvist – a formative influence (from 2023)

Amid the creative resurgence of 2023, Thomas also met Jessica Granqvist. Her impact on his life was profound, shaping his direction and giving him new energy at a time when his calendar was already packed with tug-of-war competitions and photography assignments. Despite the intensity of those commitments, Jessica’s influence cut through and marked a new phase in both his personal and musical life.

On 24 February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine – the same date when Thomas and Jessica later became a couple. To avoid tying their anniversary to the memory of war, they decided to officially celebrate it on 26 February instead. This choice made their relationship anniversary not just personal, but also a symbolic rejection of conflict.

Creative resurgence (2023 and forward)

From 2023 onwards, Thomas entered a period of steady productivity. Releases like Bejeweled 3, DNA, and the updated Witness set the stage, and by 2024–2025 he was in a strong creative flow. Other works such as No 2024, the so‑called deep‑state tracks (Man in the Middle and Flurry Flute), and Anger Management may not have been his strongest productions, but they became important stepping stones. These tracks, made around 2022–2023, helped him test EDM structures and laid the groundwork for later, more refined productions.

New projects spanned liquid drum & bass, remixes, experimental soundscapes, and playful works under Tornevalls Neural Ensemble, The Houseifyer and Rhythm Shifter. This period saw both volume and variety, proving that his return was more than a brief revival.

Musical essays – style and purpose

Thomas’s approach to music has always been about pushing limits and defying categories. A very important point has always been that he makes music for himself – creating tracks he wants to listen to, regardless of trends or expectations. He blends genres freely, shifts between studio production and live performance, and alternates between solo work and collaborations. His drive to explore ranges from the earliest tracker modules to full DJ sets, touching house, techno, drum & bass, mashups and beyond. Just as important, his art is not only sound but also image – audio and visuals are inseparable in the way he expresses himself.

Condensed timeline

Period	Key milestone
1977-1990s	Childhood inspiration – dance music, FastTracker 2
1990-2000	Expanded production – Cakewalk, Reason
2003-2017	Relationship with Ingela, move to Järna & Klippan, MINT groundwork
2009-2013	MINT Experiment formed, first releases (Bejeweled/Emily’s Song, early sketches leading to DNA and Witness) – and other solo releases.
2017-2018	Breakup and crisis year – major creative gap
2021	Official start as DJ-trainee
2023	Bejeweled 3, DNA, Anger Management and return to production. Also meeting Jessica Granqvist.
2023-2025	Renewed productivity and diverse projects (No 2024, deep-state tracks like Man in the Middle and Flurry Flute, Anger Management, and other experimental groundwork)

Software timeline and early works

Period	Software / Tools	Example works (titles)	Notes
1993-2001	FastTracker 1 & 2, ReBirth, Cakewalk (WRK/BUN)	A lot of releases, that never saw the light. Some has, some has not. Most of it is kind-of-shitty.	Transition from MODs in FT1 to XM handling in FT2 (introduced 1994). ReBirth used for synth/beat and Cakewalk for arranging, edits and longer mixes. WRK/BUN preserved parallel projects. Culmination of early tracker and sequencer era before Reason takeover.
2001-2021	Reason (RNS/RBS)	Early Reason sessions (Aug 2001), through2 series, Elmstreet experiments	Earliest RBS backups dated 1997-10 (e.g. “Hata Frank” last edited 1997-11-13). Clear overlap 1999-2001 with Cakewalk/ReBirth. Reason used consistently until ~2017, then pauses 2018-2020/21. Mostly based on Reason 5 until transition.
2009-2013	Reason (RNS/RBS)	Bejeweled (2010), Emily’s Song (2013), early DNA drafts, early Witness drafts	First official releases under MINT Experiment. Collaborative works with Ingela. Built foundation for later 2020s resurgence.
2022 onward	Reason Studios (v13 and beyond)	Bejeweled 3 (2023), DNA (2023), Witness (2024), No 2024 (2022), Man in the Middle (2022), Flurry Flute (2022), Anger Management (2023), additional DJ-related sessions	Transition to Reason Studios after long-term use of older Reason (mainly v5) up to around 2020-2021. Renewed activity and integration