The perpetrator of the International Observer experience is keyboardist, songwriter and producer Tom Bailey. Following the extraordinary success of his post-punk synth-pop group Thompson Twins, production and writing work for the likes of Deborah Harry, and the ambient techno of his Babble project, Tom Bailey was lured to the exotic climes of Aotearoa/New Zealand. New Zealand culture has a long history of appreciation for reggae and dub, along with more recent blends like hip hop.