Editing David Sylvian (section)

{{short description|English musician (born 1958)}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = David Sylvian
| image           = DavidSylvianNov82.JPG
| caption         = Sylvian in 1982
| alt             = Singer with quiff upstanding on stage with microphone on stand and atmospheric deep red lighting
| module            = [[File:David sylvian autograph quiet life (1980).jpg|150px]]<br />David Sylvian's signature (1978)
| birth_name      = David Alan Batt
| alias           = 
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1958|2|23|df=y}}
| origin          = [[Beckenham]], London, England
| spouse          = {{marriage|[[Ingrid Chavez]]|1992|2003|end=divorced}}
| genre           = {{flat list|
*[[Art pop]]<ref name="p4k">{{cite web |last=Harvell |first=Jess |title=Review: Sleepwalkers – David Sylvian |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14812-sleepwalkers/ |publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]] |access-date=19 August 2016}}</ref>
*{{nowrap|[[avant-rock]]}}<ref name="Hegarty">{{citation |last1=Hegarty |first1=Paul |author1-link=Paul Hegarty (musician) |last2=Halliwell |first2=Martin |title=Beyond and Before: Progressive Rock Since the 1960s |publisher=The Continuum International Publishing Group |location=New York |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-8264-2332-0}}</ref>
*[[New wave music|new wave]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.post-punk.com/the-cures-robert-smith-david-sylvian-and-other-new-wave-icons-in-bizarre-japanese-manga/|title=The Cure's Robert Smith, David Sylvian, and other New-Wave icons in bizarre Japanese Manga|date=29 January 2018|work=Post-punk.com}}</ref>
*[[ambient pop]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Mason |first=Stewart |title=Japan – "Taking Islands in Africa" |url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/taking-islands-in-africa-mt0030067865 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=10 July 2017}}</ref>
}}
| occupation      = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter|producer}}
| instruments     = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|keyboards}}
| years_active    = 1974–present
| label           = {{hlist|[[Virgin Records|Virgin]]|[[Samadhisound]]}}
| past_member_of  = {{hlist|[[Japan (band)|Japan]]|[[Nine Horses]]|[[Rain Tree Crow]]}}
| website         = {{URL|davidsylvian.com}}
| current_members = 
| past_members    = 
}}

'''David Sylvian''' (born '''David Alan Batt'''; 23 February 1958)<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book |editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]] |title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]] |publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]] |edition=first |date=1992 |page=2434 |isbn=0-85112-939-0}}</ref> is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band [[Japan (band)|Japan]].<ref>{{cite web|date=1 July 2021|title=David Sylvian – Discography|publisher=AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/david-sylvian-mn0000183139/discography|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921044437/http://www.allmusic.com:80/artist/david-sylvian-mn0000183139/discography |archive-date=21 September 2013}}</ref> During his time in Japan, Sylvian was known for his unique baritone voice, idiosyncratic approach to songwriting, and his distinctive androgynous appearance.

The band's [[androgynous]] look and increasingly [[Electronic music|electronic]] sound made them an important influence on the UK's early-1980s [[new wave music|new wave]] scene.<ref name="udiscover">{{cite web | url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/japan-david-sylvian/ | title=Japan & David Sylvian | work=udiscovermusic | date=21 May 2020 | access-date=14 September 2024}}</ref>

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 (musician)|Bill Nelson]] and [[Fennesz]].<ref name="sylvianam">{{cite web |last=Ankeny |first=Jason |title=David Sylvian – Biography |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/david-sylvian-mn0000183139/biography |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=12 January 2015}}</ref>

While Sylvian's recordings of the 1980s and 1990s were a mixture of [[art rock]],<ref name="udiscover"/> [[pop music|pop]], [[jazz fusion]], and [[avant-garde]] experimentalism mixed with [[ambient music|ambient]], his more recent compositions have drawn increasingly on musical [[minimalism]] and [[free improvisation]].