If memory serves, I met Dave Wiskus at Çingleton in 2013. I had heard the name numerous times, as I was starting to really travel in the same circles. I knew him as a designer, and frequent speaker. We hung out a bit, and I like to think, clicked pretty quickly.
Through a couple WWDCs after, and at CocoaConf DC 2014, we got to know each other better and better. For a time, we worked together. I got to learn that, as with almost anyone you meet, there’s way more to Dave Wiskus than meets the eye. We became as close as new friends, separated by a few hundred miles, can reasonably be expected to be.
I knew that Dave had dabbled with music on and off throughout his life. I also knew his current career was as a designer, speaker, and producer. Over the last year or so, I noticed him getting more and more serious about his side project, Airplane Mode.
Late last year, Dave explained how serious he really was.
Today, Airplane Mode released their first studio EP, Amsterdam. A commendable achievement, but one that is not altogether remarkable.
Dave being Dave, and Airplane Mode being Airplane Mode, they did more.
In addition to being available on iTunes and Spotify, the album is also available in book form. (Apple links are affiliate links)
It’s a quick read—it took me well under half an hour—but it tells the story of how Amsterdam came to be. The story of what motivated this quartet of musicians to perform this quartet of songs that is now an EP.
The book goes further; Dave explains:
Over time, as we make music videos or play shows to support the album, we can update the iBook with new content. In the digital age there’s no reason why a record can’t be a living document.
Like so many truly clever ideas, this one seems so obvious, but only in retrospect. Though the only thing I can play with any efficacy is the stereo, I still wish I had thought of it.
What’s more, it’s only $4.
Go check it out. Between the album and the book it’s an hour of your life. I can think of many worse ways to spend $4 and 60 minutes.