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David Sylvian (David Batt, 23 February 1958) came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead vocalist and main songwriter in the group Japan. His subsequent solo work is encompasses not only solo projects but also a series of fascinating collaborative efforts in a variety of musical styles and genres, including jazz, avant-garde, ambient, electronic, and progressive rock.
Japan became an alternative glam rock outfit in the mould of David Bowie, T.Rex, and The New York Dolls. Over a period of a few years their music became more sophisticated, drawing initially on the art rock stylings of Roxy Music. Their visual image also evolved and the band was tagged with the New Romantic label. Indeed, it could be argued that Japan was at the forefront of the entire New Romantic movement, even though the band never associated itself with it.
Japan recorded five studio albums between March 1978 and November 1981. In 1980, the band signed with Virgin Records, where Sylvian remained as a recording artist for the next twenty years. The band suffered from personal and creative clashes, particularly between Sylvian and Karn, with tensions springing from Sylvian's relationship with Yuka Fujii, a photographer, artist and designer, and Karn's former girlfriend. Fujii quickly became an influential figure in Sylvian's life. She was the first person to introduce Sylvian seriously to jazz, which in turn inspired him to follow musical avenues not otherwise open to him. She also encouraged Sylvian to incorporate spiritual discipline into his daily routine. Throughout his solo career, Fujii maintained a large role in the design of artwork for his albums.
In 1982, Sylvian released his first collaborative effort with Ryuichi Sakamoto, entitled "Bamboo Houses/Bamboo Music". Followed by the UK Top 20 song "Forbidden Colours" (Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence). Sylvian's debut solo album, Brilliant Trees (1984), met with critical acclaim. The album included contributions from Ryuichi Sakamoto, trumpeter Jon Hassell, and former Can bassist Holger Czukay. In 1985, Sylvian released an instrumental mini-album Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities, in collaboration with Jansen, Hassell and Czukay. The next release was the ambitious two-record set Gone to Earth (1986), featuring one record of atmospheric vocal tracks and a second record consisting of ambient instrumentals. The album contained significant contributions from noted guitarists Bill Nelson and Robert Fripp .
Secrets of the Beehive (1987) made greater use of acoustic instruments and was musically oriented towards sombre, emotive ballads laced with shimmering string arrangements. The album yielded one of Sylvian's most well-received songs, "Orpheus," and was later supported by his first solo tour, 1988's 'In Praise of Shamans.' Sylvian then collaborated with Holger Czukay. Plight and Premonition, issued in 1988, and Flux and Mutability, recorded and released the following year, also included contributions from Can members Jaki Liebezeit and Michael Karoli.
Sylvian reunited with the former members of Japan for a new project, Rain Tree Cow. Unlike their past work, Sylvian decided to use methods of improvisation like those he explored in his work with Czukay. Ingrid Chavez, an artist signed to Prince's Paisley Park Records, sent Sylvian a copy of her first album. He liked what he heard and thought her voice would fit well with some material that both Ryuichi Sakamoto and he were working on for a new Sakamoto release. Chavez and Sylvian quickly developed a bond and decided to travel together throughout the UK and the USA, where they eventually settled after marrying in 1992.
In the early 1990s, guitarist Robert Fripp invited Sylvian to join a new version of King Crimson. Sylvian declined the invitation, but he and Fripp recorded the album The First Day released in July 1993. To capitalize on the album's success, the musicians went back out on the road in the autumn of 1993. A live recording, called Damage and released in 1994.
A period of relative musical inactivity followed, during which Sylvian and Ingrid Chavez moved from Minnesota to the Napa Valley. Chavez had given birth to two daughters, Ameera-Daya (born 1993) and Isobel (born 1997), and pursued her interest in photography and music. In 1999, Sylvian released Dead Bees on a Cake, it gathered together the most eclectic influences of all his recordings, ranging from soul music to jazz fusion to blues to Eastern-inflected spiritual chants, and most of the songs' lyrics reflected the now 41-year-old Sylvian's inner peace resulting from his marriage, family, and beliefs.
Next Sylvian released a pair of compilation albums, a two-disc retrospective, Everything and Nothing, and an instrumental collection, Camphor. Both albums contained previously released material, some remixes, and several new or previously unreleased tracks which Sylvian finished especially for the projects. Sylvian parted ways with Virgin and launched his own independent label, Samadhi Sound. He released the album Blemish. A fusion of styles, including jazz and electronica, the tour enabled Sylvian to perform music from the Nine Horses project, as well as various selections from his back catalogue.
A new solo album entitled Manafon was released on September 14, 2009 the a;lbum features contributions from leading figures in electroacoustic improvisation such as saxophonist Evan Parker, multi-instrumentalist Otomo Yoshihide, Christian Fennesz, Sachiko M and AMM alumnists guitarist Keith Rowe, percussionist Eddie Prévost and pianist John Tilbury.
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Sylvian has carefully selected from his vast catalogue, and in his own words, "started remixing these for reasons of curiosity and self-gratification". Several of these remixes made the cut of the final album, offering a fresh perspective on older works. Presented alongside untouched pieces, Camphor is more than just a collection of various instrumentals, and deserves to be viewed as a new work in itself.
David Sylvian - Camphor (133mb)
01 - All of My Mother's Names
02 - Red Earth (as summertime ends)
03 - Answered Prayers
04 - The Song Which Gives the Key to Perfection
05 - New Moon at Red Deer Wallow
06 - Praise (Pratah Smarami)
07 - Wave (version)
08 - Mother and Child
09 - Plight (the spiralling of winter ghosts) - detail
10 - Upon This Earth
11 - Big Wheels in Shanty Town
12 - The Healing Place
13 - Camphor
14 - A Brief Conversation Ending in Divorce
On the limited edition second CD are three Sylvian/Czukay pieces, reworked by Sylvian specifically for this release. Clocking in at over 35 minutes, these ambient dronescapes, with their intermittent bursts of noise, piano, and the crackle of shortwave radio disrupting the tranquil washes of sound, are the highlight of the album.
David Sylvian - Camphor Bonus (82mb)
15 - Plight (The Spiralling Of Winter Ghosts)
16 - Mutability (A New Beginning Is In The Offing) detail
17 - Premonition (Giant Empty Iron Vessel)
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Whilst preparing this post i played this album, the reissue is produced and compiled by Sylvian himself and it is rather Sundaze for a live album, because Fripp is not as 'present' as he usually is, shall we say. Anyway I was fortunate being amongst the public that enjoyed a night with these two giants..back in 93. Thus.. a late(r) addition .
Sylvian, Fripp - Damage (reissue) (152mb)
01 - God's Monkey
02 - Brightness Falls
03 - Every Colour You Are
04 - Jean The Birdman
05 - Firepower
06 - Damage
07 - Gone To Earth
08 - 20th Century Dreaming (A Shaman's Song)
09 - Wave
10 - Riverman
11 - Blinding Light Of Heaven
12 - The First Day
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