Tom Bailey - International Observer
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 3:31 pm

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TOM BAILEY (THOMPSON TWINS) RELEASES NEW ALBUM AND PLAYS RARE SHOWS IN NEW ZEALAND

For musician, producer, film-maker and artist Tom Bailey, International Observer is the creative outlet which has allowed him to step outside the 80’s synth-pop paradigm inhabited by his former group, The Thompson Twins. Drawing on his exposure to dancehall culture in South London in the late 70’s, along with later stints working with reggae legends Sly & Robbie and Lee Perry, as International Observer, Tom crafts luscious soundscapes that loop through time and space to etch their own groove on the vast global disc that dub has become in 2009.

Felt, the new album by renowned dub producer International Observer is the third in a series of releases named after senses. Like albums Seen (2002) and Heard (2005) – which reviewers have called ‘lush’, ‘engaging’, and ‘languorous’ – the songs on Felt require superlatives to describe. An altogether deeper excursion into bass than its predecessors, this is music to transport you around the world. From the smoking dancehalls of South London and the crowded streets of India, to the wide open spaces of New Zealand/Aotearoa – each has had an influence on Felt.

Tom believes that it is difficult to make conservative dub. “That’s partly because there’s no lead vocalist, there’s no fronts-person. The music itself is the voice rather than the people who are doing it. And in that way it stays underground. You can’t become world famous for mixing a dub track – it just doesn’t happen.”

At the end of Felt is a track inspired by vintage calypso song ‘I was there (at the Coronation)’, which was written and performed by Young Tiger to mark the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Totally refreshed and re-enlightened, ‘At the Coronation’ pays homage to Tom’s own progression from the English boy listening in to the music of South London to his current status as a globally respected dub producer.

With a whole range of senses left to explore musically, International Observer looks set to be reworking his take on dub for some time yet. Felt is available now through Dubmission Records.

International Observer - Upcoming Shows with Pitch Black

Tickets

Fri 18th Dec - Galatos Auckland
Tickets from Conch Records, Ponsonby Rd and www.undertheradar.co.nz On Sale from Wednesday October 28th

Sat 19th Dec - Sandwiches Wellington
Limited $10 early bird tickets at www.sandwiches.co.nz FROM TODAY!

RE: Tom Bailey - International Observer
Posted: Sun Aug 8, 2010 11:14 pm

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