David Sylvian | |
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Sylvian in 1982 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | David Alan Batt |
Born | 23 February 1958 |
Origin | Beckenham, England |
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Years active | 1974–present |
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Website | davidsylvian |
![]() David Sylvian's signature (1978) |
David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958)[6] is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan.[7] The band's androgynous look and increasingly electronic sound made them an important influence on the UK's early-1980s New Romantic scene.[4]
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 his recordings of the 1980s and 1990s were a mixture of pop, jazz fusion, and avant-garde experimentalism mixed with ambient, his more recent compositions have drawn increasingly on musical minimalism and free improvisation.