David Sylvian

David Sylvian
Singer with quiff upstanding on stage with microphone on stand and atmospheric deep red lighting
Sylvian in 1982
Background information
Birth nameDavid Alan Batt
Born (1958-02-23) 23 February 1958 (age 66)
OriginBeckenham, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
Years active1974–present
Labels
Formerly of
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1992; div. 2003)​
Websitedavidsylvian.com

David Sylvian's signature (1978)

David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958)[5] is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan.[6] The band's androgynous look and increasingly electronic sound made them an important influence on the UK's early-1980s new wave scene.[7]

Following their break-up, Sylvian embarked on a solo career with his debut album Brilliant Trees (1984). His solo work has been described by AllMusic as "far-ranging and esoteric", and has included collaborations with artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Robert Fripp, Holger Czukay, Jon Hassell, Bill Nelson and Fennesz.[8]

While Sylvian's recordings of the 1980s and 1990s were a mixture of art rock,[7] pop, jazz fusion, and avant-garde experimentalism mixed with ambient, his more recent compositions have drawn increasingly on musical minimalism and free improvisation.

  1. ^ Harvell, Jess. "Review: Sleepwalkers – David Sylvian". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  2. ^ Hegarty, Paul; Halliwell, Martin (2011), Beyond and Before: Progressive Rock Since the 1960s, New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 978-0-8264-2332-0
  3. ^ "The Cure's Robert Smith, David Sylvian, and other New-Wave icons in bizarre Japanese Manga". Post-punk.com. 29 January 2018.
  4. ^ Mason, Stewart. "Japan – "Taking Islands in Africa"". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  5. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (first ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 2434. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  6. ^ "David Sylvian – Discography". AllMusic. 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Japan & David Sylvian". udiscovermusic. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  8. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "David Sylvian – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 January 2015.