At the end of 1984 David Sylvian set off to Japan to make a documentary film about... himself. Although the idea did not appeal to him at all, at that time, as he admitted, Sylvian desperately needed money. With some help from Japanese director - Yasuki Yamaguchi, he managed to produce about 40 minutes worth of material, which was subsequently divided into two separate sections. The first of these focused on his career to that date, whereas the second instantly brings to mind the "Quatsi" trilogy by Godfrey Reggio. The images showing industrial areas of Tokyo were captured at a crawling, incredibly contemplative pace. Perhaps that somewhat bizarre imagery would not really deserve much attention were it not for the music. Recorded with Ryuichi Sakamoto, the soundtrack rooted deeply in ambient music was slowly unfolding itself along with the accompanying images of air, steam and enormous steel structures. David considered it interesting enough to present it to a wider audience. The music for "Steel Cathedrals" was finally released by Virgin as an EP alongside an oriental-inspired composition for the autobiographical part of Sylvian's film entitled "Preparations For A Journey". Apparently, the record company was initially unimpressed and had no intention of releasing the material. Only after Sylvian suggested including additional pieces, Virgin relented and agreed to secure the project financially. To complete it, David invited the musicians who helped him during the sessions for "Brilliant Trees". The outcome of those meetings - "Words With The Shaman" - a three-piece instrumental suite perfectly corresponding with its title, evoking the atmosphere of a tribal ceremony while subtle electronic touches excellently complemented distinctive trumpet parts by Mark Isham. Any associations with Peter Gabriel's "Passion" can be fully justified. P.S. For a long time "Alchemy..." existed only in its vinyl form (excluding Japan where the EP was released as a CD). Over the years "Words With The Shaman" could be found at the end of "Brilliant Trees" American edition. With the release of remastered versions of "Brilliant Trees", "Gone To Earth", "Secrets Of The Beehive" and "Rain Tree Crow" project, it was time for "Alchemy..." to find its way onto an independent CD edition worldwide. It is worth noting that "Stigma Of Childhood (Kin)" which was also included, is a soundtrack for a ballet performance directed by Gaby Agis who contacted Sylvian in the belief that his work would perfectly illustrate her much-improvised show. Its premiere took place at Almeida Theatre in September 1987. [  back to the top