David Sylvian

David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan.

Sylvian later said he never enjoyed his childhood, mainly because of the environment of mid-1960s Lewisham.

In 1966, he and Steve applied to appear in an advertisement for Mattel's Major Matt Mason action figures.

As an escape and emotional release from his discomfort he found an interest in music via his sister, who brought Motown and soul records to the home.

He attended Catford Boys School where he became a friend of Anthony Michaelides, later known as Mick Karn.

When David received an acoustic guitar and his brother a drum kit as Christmas presents from their father, the three boys began to play music together.

The band Japan, whose other members included Mick Karn on bass, guitarist Rob Dean, keyboardist Richard Barbieri and Sylvian's brother Steve as drummer (under the name Steve Jansen), began as a group of friends.

As youngsters they played music as a means of escape, playing Sylvian's two-chord numbers – sometimes with Karn as the frontman, sometimes with Sylvian at the fore.

Their visual image also evolved and, although they had worn make-up since their creation in the mid-1970s, the band was tagged with the New Romantic label in the early 1980s.

The band themselves disputed any connection with the New Romantic movement, and Sylvian stated: "I don't like to be associated with them. The attitudes are so very different."

Of Japan's fashion sense, Sylvian said: "For them [New Romantics], fancy dress is a costume. But ours is a way of life. We look and dress this way every day."

They christened themselves Japan in 1974, signed a recording contract with Hansa Records, and became an alternative glam rock outfit in the mould of David Bowie, T. Rex, and the New York Dolls.

A fan of the New York Dolls, Sylvian adopted his stage name from Sylvain Sylvain, while his brother took Jansen from David Johansen.

Over a period of a few years, their music became more sophisticated, drawing initially on the art rock stylings of Roxy Music.

Japan released five studio albums between March 1978 and November 1981.

The band's androgynous look and increasingly electronic sound made them an important influence on the UK's early-1980s New Romantic scene.

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.

David Sylvian was born David Alan Batt in Beckenham, Kent, England.

He grew up in nearby Lewisham, South London, in a working-class home.

His father Bernard was a plasterer by trade, his mother Sheila a housewife.

He had an older sister and a younger brother, Steve.

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.

Sakamoto's first contribution to Sylvian's work, though, had been as co-writer of "Taking Islands in Africa" on the Japan album Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980).

In an October 1981 interview, at the pinnacle of the New Romantic movement in mainstream pop music, Sylvian commented: "There's a period going past at the moment that may make us look as though we're in fashion."

Japan played their final concerts in December 1982 before dissolving.

In 1982, Sylvian released his first solo collaborative effort with Ryuichi Sakamoto, entitled "Bamboo Houses/Bamboo Music".

Sylvian also worked with Sakamoto on the UK Top 20 song "Forbidden Colours" for the 1983 Nagisa Oshima film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.

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.

Sylvian's debut solo album, Brilliant Trees, released in June 1984, was a critical and commercial success.

The album included contributions from Sakamoto, Kenny Wheeler, Jon Hassell, Holger Czukay, Ronny Drayton, Danny Thompson, and from Sylvian's former bandmates Steve Jansen and Richard Barbieri.

The lead single became the UK Top 20 single "Red Guitar", with a promo video directed by Anton Corbijn.

Between 19 June and 30 June 1984, Hamiltons Gallery in London held an exhibition, Perspectives, of Polaroid photographs by Sylvian.

The major exhibition of his work coincided with the release of his book Perspectives – Polaroids 82-84, documenting these pictures.

There were also exhibitions in Tokyo and Turin.