Machine Music, in Two Parts

I came across some Thomas Dolby footage on YouTube recently. How’d I get there? Well, I was writing about new Dolby 3D audio technology (Dolby the tech company, not Mr. Thomas) being developed for virtual worlds and online games, and I got to thinking, what happened to Thomas Dolby? Then of course I wikipedia-ed him, and I read all this interesting stuff about him (aside from him basically inventing the ringtone) getting his break in the music biz by playing the synth on some of Foreigner’s biggest hits in 1981 – namely, Urgent, and Waiting For A Girl Like You – and using the money he earned from these gigs and tours to seed his first LP, The Golden Age of Wireless, which had the hit She Blinded Me With Science, which, incidentally, doesn’t really stand up so well over time.

YouTube contains all sorts of live footage of Dolby from the 80s as well as now. I came across a fairly recent concert from Chicago where he is performing solo. He plays the song The Flat Earth, a favorite composition of mine, from his most compelling record, The Flat Earth. He is wearing a camera on his head, which gives us a birds-eye view of how he puts his music machines into motion. First, he starts up the anxiety-inducing keyboard intro. Then, he programs in live drum sequences, and then he plays a bass part on the keyboard, then the melody and chorus, and then he sings the verse. I’ll let the video do the talking, if you’re so inclined:

I think this Dolby track speaks to a certain golden age (sic) of synth-centric compositions – when the push of new technology met head on with pop sensibilities and a flair for the over-dramatic.

I was also investigating the Sacrum Profanum Polish music festival from this year that featured Kraftwerk playing three sold-out dates in Krakow. There is some footage floating around on YouTube as well, and it’s interesting to look at in comparison with the Thomas Dolby footage. The most apparent difference is in the lack of movement on Kraftwerk’s part. For Man Machine, four figures stand behind tables dressed in tight leather outfits, and laptop computers rest atop the tables. The lyric to the song is projected on a massive screen behind the band in the classic red, black and white color scheme of most of Kraftwerk’s visuals. Footage for The Robots shows a wider visual palatte, as the quartet is not on the stage. Robots stand on the stage in front of the laptops. Here’s footage from Man Machine: