He Blinded Us With Science: Thomas Dolby at Elysium

Though not a household name, Thomas Dolby was nevertheless among the vanguard of the early 80s synth movement. Born Thomas Morgan Robertson, Dolby acquired his nickname from his love of studio experimentation with keyboards and electro-noises. His resume includes cameos on numerous albums, such as Def Leppard's Pyromania and Foreigner's 4, and live appearances with the likes of David Bowie and Roger Waters--plus there was that infamous performance at the 1985 Grammy's with Herbie Hancock, Howard Jones and Stevie Wonder. On the business end, Dolby catered to his inner entrepreneur by founding Beatnik Inc. (formerly Headspace), a digital audio solutions company. and Retro Ringtones LLC.

As a solo recording artist, Dolby's claim to fame will always be semi-hits "She Blinded Me With Science" and the equally magnetic "Hyperactive." With innovative and eccentric videos accompanying his tracks, Dolby put forth the image of a mad scientist possessed of excessive gadgetry ("At the tender age of three, I was hooked to a machine")--a fitting persona for the early 80s. He continued recording into the 90s, but new output has been sparse since then, save for a few live and remix projects.

In 2006, Dolby re-emerged with The Sole Inhabitant, a live concert recording taped at Chicago's The Martyrs. In addition to featuring the aforementioned hits, the album also includes renditions of The Golden Age of Wireless staples, such as "Europa And the Pirate Twins" and "Windpower." Built on simple synth-beats and backed by ethereal nuances, the record loses some of its machine-like mechanism due to the earthly constraints of live recording. Nevertheless, the computer-whiz in Dolby's voice, assisted by various organic vocal stylings, allows songs like "Flying North" and the Kraftwerk-esque "Leipzig Is Calling" to flourish in the performance arena.

So what does this have to do with you? With the recent successes of the Pet Shop Boys's Backyard gig and A Flock Of Seagulls' appearance, we would like to encourage our readers to continue cultivating their new-wave nostalgia: witness the genius of Thomas Dolby firsthand tonight at Elysium. Dolby will be joined by BT, who recently released the mind-blowing This Binary Universe. Live, BT utilizes random sounds and visuals, combining electronica with animation to create a cinematic soundtrack appealing to ravers and nerds alike.

Thomas Dolby: [official site] [myspace]
BT: [official site] [myspace]

Thomas Dolby and BT
Wednesday, December 6th
Elysium [Map]
Doors at 9pm
[Tickets]

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By adi anand in Arts & Entertainment on December 6, 2006 1:10 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

billy

Can you guys maybe update your techno references a bit? Everything seems a-la-kraftwerk with you people. Squarepusher now BT, any I missed (prolly). Maybe you should start giving Chuck Berry credit for every freaking rock band you review.

Spook

When I was small

I was in love

In love with everything

Now there's only you.

"Cloudburst at Shingle Street"

Jooley Ann

Huh! That surprises me -- that you got so many blank looks. Maybe it *was* just the europhile kids who were into Dolby. Though really, that video was alllll over MTV.

Yes, John, "Submarines" is such a great song, and it *still* makes me happy that so many people heard it as an album cut! Kind of an unsung hit.

Adam Ant needs to come to town so we can talk about him next. Then (now here's a non-household name, semi-hit band for you), Scritti Politti.

Gawd, I am such a geek.

John

Don't forget my favorite Thomas Dolby song, "One of Our Submarines" -- the FM rock station in El Paso (KLAQ) used to actually play that one as an album cut when I was growing up and it always made me happy to hear such a gloomy, moody song amidst the Journey and Judas Priest tracks they played over & over.

adi

ha, well when i first heard he was playing in town, i announced it to everyone i know, from age 18 to 40, and i swear only a couple of people even looked at me like i said something that registered with them, the amount of blank looks i have gotten since mentioning he was coming to town might have made my tone sound the way it did, by no means was i trying to downplay his "fame" or "contributions". honestly though, i have been a huge fan of him since the 80's and i ain't even that old! :)

but point taken for future "oldsters" previews :)

Jooley Ann

"Though not a household name, Thomas Dolby...."

"As a solo recording artist, Dolby's claim to fame will always be semi-hits...."

Adi, Adi, Adi. Dear. Why do you write these things? Methinks you are just.too.young.

Looky. Everyone I *knew* had a copy of "The Golden Age of Wireless". (I mean the album. You know, on vinyl.) "She Blinded Me With Science" was one of the most oft-played videos on MTV. Believe me, he was very well known, and "Science" was a huge hit.

I'm glad you appreciate Dolby's work. I, for one, am terribly (*terribly*) sad I can't go tonight. I was a huge Dolby fan back in the day. But really, next time an oldster comes thru town, howzabout a fact check with someone from said era? :)