Over two years of design and collaboration came to a very satisfying conclusion when I met and hung out with Thomas Dolby and his tour band in New York City, Detroit and Chicago on Thomas’ “Time Capsule Tour” through the US. It’s a bit staggering to see one’s designs brought to life so vividly, but seeing the fans interact with the Time Capsule, and getting a chance to meet and talk with them and share our enjoyment of his work made all the hard work worthwhile.

Working with Thomas has shown me how to play and design with the big leagues, but also how the classiest of professionals handle themselves. Backstage, on tour buses and in the green room, I was always made to feel as welcome as family, and shown the greatest of heartfelt respect. Best quote of the tour; upon meeting Dolby’s son Graham in Chicago, I introduced myself to him. “Oh, I know you,” he said. “My dad won’t stop talking about you.” Higher praise I cannot imagine.

Up until now, this was just a JPEG that I put together for Thomas. Now, according to these pictures from Houston, the Time Capsule is a real, solid thing that will be towed behind Thomas’ tour bus and will allow people at his concerts to go inside and record 30 second YouTube messages to the future, then have them automatically uploaded for voting. So amazing to see it in more than pixels!

From the side…From the front…

Large 1680×1050 pixel desktop wallpaper here.

…As if all that weren’t enough the jacket design by artist Paul Sizer is such an elegant work of art that it’s equally a joy to look at and hold.

BEST NIGHTS by Hester
Windy City Media Group

“…at the extreme from FTP’s show was a rare intimate evening with tech god Thomas Dolby. Where Dolby may have gotten a bum rap as a wind-up Tin Man thanks to his quirky wave/dance/avant smash “She Blinded Me With Science” (1983) and his extensive work as a producer/engineer/session musician (his clients have included Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, David Byrne, George Clinton, Belinda Carlisle, Joan Armatrading, and Little Richard) the reality is that his recordings are warm, intimate, lush, and incredibly human. Going even further is his penchant for elegant retro-futurism, as his gadgets, props, and album jackets seem to come straight out of cinema; Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927), the Buck Rogers serials (1939), and the highly stylized Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2003).

His brand new “A Map of the Floating City” (www.thomasdolby.com) fits comfortably into this oeuvre but is much more than merely Dolby’s first new album in twenty years. Realizing that the recording industry has shifted dramatically in that time Dolby decided to create a computer game with music, going way beyond a concept album or a story arc. The show at Martyr’s, which turned out to be the perfect venue, was Dolby solo, singing songs from the game, navigating through the characters, exploring the reconfigured geography of a vastly altered world, and integrating historical figures through out (Adolf Hitler, Thomas Edison, Herbert Hoover, Nikola Tesla). But far from being a convention for computer nerds Dolby’s game, ahem ‘adventure,’ is packed with shady heroes, bizarre technology, blimps, light houses, moths, floating cities, techno piracy, kidnapped damsels, hidden clues, conspiracies, and a convoluted courtroom drama for good measure.

Then there’s the music which, typical of Dolby is rich, textured, and could best be described as ‘gourmet pop/soul.’ “Love Is A Pistol,” a near torch song inspired by a dream that Dolby had where he was seduced by Billie Holiday was just him, a piano, his voice, and enough sensual karma to choke a horse. “Evil Twin Brother,” with a cameo by Regina Spektor came wrapped in layers of warm synthesizers, swirling strings, and a throbbing bass line as it recounted a nocturnal escapade worthy of prime Al Stewart. The new single, “Spice Train,” with it’s bouncing techno beat, hand claps, and trilling vocals may have seemed more conventional but had a blast of Dolby’s unmistakable humor. As if all that weren’t enough the jacket design by artist Paul Sizer is such an elegant work of art that it’s equally a joy to look at and hold.

Before he left the stage Dolby mentioned that he would be back with a full band for a bigger tour (his solo tour hit only seven cities) and that’s something to look forward to.”

And I finally got to see the physical versions of the album covers that I’ve been designing for his new album, “A Map of the Floating City”, out October 24th in the UK, October 25th in the US.

Very cool. Thomas has been a great client to work for, and a great person to get to know. As people who have known me for a while will attest, this meeting has been a long time coming. I can’t imagine a better circumstance for it to happen under. More soon…

The summer was full of good design and work. The “Floating City” game was a great success, surpassing expectations with fans and the developers, getting lots of new people involved with Thomas Dolby and his music. Lots of great feedback from the players about the game graphics, and a real learning experience for me, 3 months of diving head first into the world of online gaming for the first time.

During that time, I was also working closely with Thomas in getting the album artwork ready for the standard and deluxe 2 CD versions of “A Map of the Floating City”, coming out October 25th of this year. I’ve just uploaded all the artwork to the various printers around the globe who will be producing this, so it’s a very exciting time. Can’t show any details at this point, but I’m very proud of how this had turned out, and cannot wait to show it to more people.
More soon as I can share…

Nearly a year in the making, Thomas Dolby’s “Floating City” online game launches today!

This has been a big one; I’ve been involved from the very beginning, working closely with Thomas on developing the look and design of this game, working with an international crack team of incredibly dedicated tech, coding, writing and project management geniuses to take my designs and make them actually work and function. It’s been a thrill to work with such a smart and savvy team on this project.
And now it’s out there for the world to play and explore.

Concept-wise, this is a really cool idea from Thomas; have a game that people can play, meet other Dolby fans from around the Earth, learn about his previous music, and hear bits of his new music. It’s a little post-apocalyptic, a little steampunk, a little “Mad Max”, and 100% geek-tastic! As deep and complex as Thomas’ songs are, this game is exactly the same. And it’s a game that rewards you for being smart, inquisitive, and willing to solve problems and think ahead!

This game launches today, Wednesday, June 22, at 6pm GMT, and will play out for the next 2-3 months, finishing up with the release of his new album “A Map of the Floating City” in late summer/early fall. And the prize at the end of the game? Well, I’m sworn to secrecy on this one, but I can say “Wow. Just Wow.” Dolby fans and new fans alike are gonna really dig this. If you have the time, please check it out and sign up to play.