Fireside Chat

Thomas Dolby

Lost Toy People Inc, London

From his early days playing keyboards in Paris' Metro underground, Thomas Dolby Robertson has always worked to merge creativity and technology into a cohesive musical expression. As a teenager he got the nickname "Dolby" after his friends noted his assorted experiments with various keyboards, synthesizers and cassette players. It was that same fascination that drove him to become the iconic songwriter and tech entrepreneur that he is today. After a difficult start and a brief stint busking on the Paris subway, the advent of MTV brought him more widespread exposure through his perfectly produced videos. 'She Blinded Me With Science' became his first huge hit and what followed was close to world domination - well, some albums, numerous awards and five Grammy nominations anyway. However his success as an artist, arranger and producer wasn't enough, so started his own company, Beatnik to help in the development of synthesizers and audio software. This took up most of his time until he re-emerged again in the music scene around 2006, with his first solo performances in over a decade and new original work in the making. In the meantime hear about his love of synths to 'The Golden Age of Wireless' to meeting Michael Jackson. Entertainment indeed.