ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Thomas Dolby - Electronic music pioneer
Thomas Dolby has spent his career at the intersection of music and technology. He was an early star on MTV, then moved to Silicon Valley, then went back on the road with his album, "A Map of the Floating City."

Why you should listen

Perhaps best known for blinding us with science, Thomas Dolby has always blurred the lines between composition and invention. As a London teenager, Tom Robertson was fascinated with the convergence of music and technology. His experiments with an assortment of keyboards, synthesizers and cassette players led his friends to dub him “Dolby.” That same fascination later drove him to become an electronic musician and multimedia artist whose groundbreaking work fused music with computer technology and video. Two decades, several film scores, five Grammy nominations and countless live-layered sound loops later, it's clear Dolby's innovations have changed the sound of popular music.

In the 1990s, Dolby re-created himself as a digital-musical entrepreneur, founding Beatnik, which developed the polyphonic ringtone software used in more than half a billion cell phones. From 2001 to 2012, Dolby served as TED's Music Director, programming great music for the TED stage, assembling a wide variety of house bands and collaborations to play between speakers. At TED2010, backed by the string quarter Ethel, he premiered the song "Love Is a Loaded Pistol," from his sweeping, A Map of the Floating City. The album marked his return to recording and touring after a 15-year hiatus, and used seriously retro technology -- '40s-era oscilloscopes and Royal Navy field-test equipment -- to control modern synthesizers, in shows at once nostalgic and cutting edge.

In 2014, Dolby took on a new name: professor. He was named the Homewood Professor of the Arts at Johns Hopkins University, teaching the course "Sound on Film."

More profile about the speaker
Thomas Dolby | Speaker | TED.com
Ethel - String quartet
Ethel is, perhaps, the first 21st-century realization of the classical string quartet.

Why you should listen

An all-star foursome, Ethel includes performers Cornelius Dufallo (violin), Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy Lawson (cello), and Mary Rowell (violin), a mixed bag of players from classical, rock and downtown new-music circles. The powerhouse ensemble takes an unconventional approach to performance.

Says the Wall Street Journal, "Ethel ... created a world in which classical music had never grown distant, a world in which it was as fresh and direct as crowds dancing in the street."

(photo by Steve J. Sherman)

More profile about the speaker
Ethel | Speaker | TED.com
TED2010

Thomas Dolby: "Love Is a Loaded Pistol"

Thomas Dolby: "Liefde is een geladen pistool"

Filmed:
618,579 views

Voor zijn eerste studio-album in tientallen jaren heeft muzikale innovator Thomas Dolby muziek gecomponeerd in de uniek inspirerende omgeving van een gerestaureerde reddingsboot. Hij brengt de première van een fantastische, evocatieve song uit dat album - over een nacht met een legende. Hij wordt ondersteund door de leden van het moderne strijkkwartet Ethel.
- Electronic music pioneer
Thomas Dolby has spent his career at the intersection of music and technology. He was an early star on MTV, then moved to Silicon Valley, then went back on the road with his album, "A Map of the Floating City." Full bio - String quartet
Ethel is, perhaps, the first 21st-century realization of the classical string quartet. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:21
I've been playingspelen TEDTED for nearlybijna a decadedecennium,
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Ik speel al bijna 10 jaar op TED
00:24
and I've very rarelyzelden playedgespeeld
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en ik heb bijna nooit
00:27
any newnieuwe songssongs of my owneigen.
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nieuwe songs van mijzelf gespeeld.
00:30
And that was largelygrotendeels because there weren'twaren niet any.
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Dat was voornamelijk omdat er geen waren.
00:33
(LaughterGelach)
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(Gelach)
00:35
So I've been busybezig with a couplepaar of projectsprojecten,
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Ik ben dus bezig geweest met een paar projecten.
00:37
and one of them was this:
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Eén ervan was dit,
00:39
The NutmegNootmuskaat.
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de Nutmeg,
00:41
A 1930s ship'svan het schip lifeboatreddingsboot,
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een reddingsboot van een schip uit 1930
00:43
whichwelke I've been restoringherstellen in the gardentuin-
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die ik heb gerestaureerd in de tuin
00:45
of my beachstrand househuis in EnglandEngeland.
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van mijn strandhuis in Engeland.
00:47
And, so now,
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En dus nu,
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when the polarpolair iceijs- capscaps meltsmelten,
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als de poolijskappen smelten,
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my recordingopname studiostudio will risestijgen up like an arkArk,
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zal mijn opnamestudio oprijzen als een ark
00:56
and I'll floatfloat off into the drownedverdronken worldwereld-
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en zal ik wegdrijven in de verdronken wereld
00:58
like a characterkarakter from a J.G. BallardBallard novelroman.
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als een personage uit een roman van J.G. Ballard.
01:01
DuringTijdens the day,
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Gedurende de dag
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the NutmegNootmuskaat collectsverzamelt energyenergie
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verzamelt de Nutmeg energie
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from solarzonne- panelspanelen on the roofdak of the wheelhousestuurhuis,
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uit zonnepanelen op het dak van de stuurcabine,
01:08
and from a 450 wattwatt turbineturbine
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en van een 450-watt-turbine
01:10
up the mastmast.
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boven in de mast.
01:12
So that when it getskrijgt darkdonker,
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En dus als het donker wordt
01:14
I've got plentyovervloed of powermacht.
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ben ik helemaal opgeladen.
01:16
And I can lightlicht up the NutmegNootmuskaat like a beaconbaken.
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En ik kan de Nutmeg laten oplichten als een baken.
01:19
And so I go in there untiltot the earlyvroeg hoursuur of the morningochtend-,
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Ik ga naarbinnen tot de vroege ochtenduurtjes.
01:22
and I work on newnieuwe songssongs.
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Ik werk aan nieuwe songs.
01:25
I'd like to playspelen to you guys,
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Ik zou er een voor jullie willen spelen,
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if you're willinggewillig to be the first audiencepubliek to hearhoren it.
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als jullie bereid zijn om het eerste publiek te zijn dat het hoort.
01:29
(ApplauseApplaus)
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(Applaus)
01:35
It's about BillieBillie HolidayVakantie.
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Het gaat over Billie Holiday.
01:37
And it appearskomt naar voren that,
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Het blijkt dat
01:39
some night in 1947
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op een nacht in 1947
01:42
she left her physicalfysiek spaceruimte
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ze haar fysieke ruimte verliet
01:45
and was missingmissend all night,
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en de hele nacht vermist was,
01:47
untiltot she reappearedweer in the morningochtend-.
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tot ze 's ochtends opnieuw verscheen.
01:50
But I know where she was.
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Maar ik weet waar ze was.
01:52
She was with me on my lifeboatreddingsboot.
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Ze was bij mij op mijn reddingsboot.
01:55
And she was hotwarm.
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En ze was vurig.
02:00
(MusicMuziek)
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(Muziek)
02:27
BillieBillie creptkroop softlyzacht
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♫ Billie kroop zachtjes ♫
02:30
♫ into my wakingwakker armsarmen
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♫ in mijn wakkere armen ♫
02:34
warmwarm like a sipSIP of sourzure mashMash
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♫ warm als een slok zuur beslag ♫
02:40
StrangeVreemd fruitfruit for ♫
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♫ Vreemd, vruchtbaar ♫
02:43
♫ a sweetzoet hunkStoere binken of trashuitschot
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♫ een zoete homp uitschot ♫
02:51
PanicPaniek at the stagestadium doordeur-
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♫ Paniek aan de podiumingang ♫
02:54
♫ of CarnegieCarnegie HallHall
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♫ van Carnegie Hall ♫
02:58
♫ "FamousBeroemde JazzJazz SingerZanger GoneGegaan AWOLAWOL" ♫
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♫ Beroemde jazzzangeres is afwezig zonder toestemming ♫
03:05
MustMoet have left the buildinggebouw
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♫ Waarschijnlijk het gebouw verlaten ♫
03:09
bodylichaam and soulziel
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♫ lichaam en geest ♫
03:16
♫ On a creakykrakende
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♫ Op een krakende ♫
03:19
pianopiano stoolkruk tonightvanavond
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♫ pianostoel vannacht ♫
03:22
♫ as the moonmaan is my ♫
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♫ want de maan is mijn ♫
03:24
♫ only witnessgetuige
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♫ enige getuige ♫
03:29
♫ She was breathingademen
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♫ ademde ze ♫
03:32
♫ in my earoor
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♫ in mijn oor ♫
03:35
♫ "This time it's love" ♫
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♫ Deze keer is het liefde ♫
03:42
♫ But love is a loadedloaded pistolpistool
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♫ Maar liefde is een geladen pistool ♫
03:46
♫ By daybreakDaybreak she's goneweg
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♫ Als de dag aanbreekt is ze weg ♫
03:50
♫ Over the frozenbevroren riverrivier-, home ♫
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♫ Over de bevroren rivier, naar huis ♫
03:56
♫ Me and JohnnyJohnny WalkerWalker
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♫ Ik en Johnny Walker ♫
03:59
♫ See in the newnieuwe ageleeftijd
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♫ zien de nieuwe tijd tegemoet ♫
04:02
alonealleen
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♫ alleen ♫
04:08
StayVerblijf with me ♫
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♫ Blijf bij mij ♫
04:11
♫ again tonightvanavond
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♫ opnieuw vannacht ♫
04:14
BillieBillie, time, ♫
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♫ Billie, tijd, ♫
04:16
♫ time is a wilywily tricksterbedrieger
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♫ tijd is een sluwe bedriegster ♫
04:21
♫ Still an echoecho
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♫ Maar een echo ♫
04:24
♫ in my hearthart- sayszegt, ♫
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♫ in mijn hart zegt, ♫
04:27
♫ "This time it's love" ♫
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♫ Deze keer is het liefde ♫
04:40
(ApplauseApplaus)
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(Applaus)
Translated by Els De Keyser
Reviewed by Annemieke Vanlaer

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Thomas Dolby - Electronic music pioneer
Thomas Dolby has spent his career at the intersection of music and technology. He was an early star on MTV, then moved to Silicon Valley, then went back on the road with his album, "A Map of the Floating City."

Why you should listen

Perhaps best known for blinding us with science, Thomas Dolby has always blurred the lines between composition and invention. As a London teenager, Tom Robertson was fascinated with the convergence of music and technology. His experiments with an assortment of keyboards, synthesizers and cassette players led his friends to dub him “Dolby.” That same fascination later drove him to become an electronic musician and multimedia artist whose groundbreaking work fused music with computer technology and video. Two decades, several film scores, five Grammy nominations and countless live-layered sound loops later, it's clear Dolby's innovations have changed the sound of popular music.

In the 1990s, Dolby re-created himself as a digital-musical entrepreneur, founding Beatnik, which developed the polyphonic ringtone software used in more than half a billion cell phones. From 2001 to 2012, Dolby served as TED's Music Director, programming great music for the TED stage, assembling a wide variety of house bands and collaborations to play between speakers. At TED2010, backed by the string quarter Ethel, he premiered the song "Love Is a Loaded Pistol," from his sweeping, A Map of the Floating City. The album marked his return to recording and touring after a 15-year hiatus, and used seriously retro technology -- '40s-era oscilloscopes and Royal Navy field-test equipment -- to control modern synthesizers, in shows at once nostalgic and cutting edge.

In 2014, Dolby took on a new name: professor. He was named the Homewood Professor of the Arts at Johns Hopkins University, teaching the course "Sound on Film."

More profile about the speaker
Thomas Dolby | Speaker | TED.com
Ethel - String quartet
Ethel is, perhaps, the first 21st-century realization of the classical string quartet.

Why you should listen

An all-star foursome, Ethel includes performers Cornelius Dufallo (violin), Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy Lawson (cello), and Mary Rowell (violin), a mixed bag of players from classical, rock and downtown new-music circles. The powerhouse ensemble takes an unconventional approach to performance.

Says the Wall Street Journal, "Ethel ... created a world in which classical music had never grown distant, a world in which it was as fresh and direct as crowds dancing in the street."

(photo by Steve J. Sherman)

More profile about the speaker
Ethel | Speaker | TED.com