David Sylvian (actually David Batt) was born on 23rd February 1958 in Beckenham, Kent, UK. The success of the band Japan of which he was the charismatic leader gifted with a quite unusual voice, formed a strong basis for his decades-spanning solo career.

Just before Japan disbanded in 1982, Sylvian began collaborating with Ryuichi Sakamoto - a Japanese musician associated at that time with the group Yellow Magic Orchestra. Their mutual efforts brought a piece called "Bamboo Houses" and "Forbidden Colours" released just a year after to be heard in Nagisa Oshima's film "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence". Both songs entered the charts and became hugely popular, which was especially true in regards to the latter. Sylvian soon gained the reputation of an uncompromising musician - independent, true to himself and working without any time or artistic constraints. "Brilliant Trees" - his inspired debut longplay was widely embraced by the critics and the audience.

After nearly two years in the making, the outcome of Sylvian's collaboration with the likes of Robert Fripp, Billy Nelson or Mel Collins, saw the light of day. The double-album "Gone To Earth" presented the two faces of Sylvian's work - ambient, instrumental soundscapes, and more conventional vocal pieces, yet still suspended in a dreamy, delicate, very spacious frames. In 1989 "Secrets of The Beehive" - his third solo effort brought music less lavishly arranged, butagain boasting the same incredibly emotional impact. Despite being filled with soft, intimate ballads, the experimental note was still present here and soon afterwards it was developed even further through creative relationship with former Can musician - Holger Czukay. The sessions resulted in two albums being released, containing two unusual sonic iniverses entitled "Plight And Premoniton" and "Flux And Mutability"

The long-lasting partnership with another great artist - Russell Mills - a designer and an illustrator, was deepened even more with their unique venture - "Ember Glance: A Permanence of Memory". The multimedia installation exhibited in Tokyo was shortly afterwards documented with gorgeously designed book housed in a box that contained a CD with Sylvian's soundtrack recorded specifically for that event.

In 1991 David joined his ex-Japan colleagues under the name of Rain Tree Crow to release an outstanding album that included one of his best pieces - "Blackwater".

The following year, he reminded the wider audience about himself with "Heartbeat" - another hit collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Remembering the fruitful "Gone To Earth" sessions, David and Robert Fripp decided to pursue their creative efforts and continue to explore the result of their two different sonic worlds interplay. In 1992 they released "The First Day" and embarked on a long tour documented later on with the live album "Damage". They concluded the tour and their creative partnership with "Redemption" - a multimedia installation exhibited in Tokyo's P3 gallery in 1994. The ethereal soundtrack was released few years later on "Approaching Silence"

Excluding a short solo tour "Slowfire", Sylvian retreated to the confines of his home in Mineappolis and close-knit family life that became a catalyst for his next, this time truly own record. "Dead Bees On A Cake" emerged in March 1999. Despite few occasional complaints about the arguably too polished production, the album was highly praised by the press and Sylvian's followers. It was hard to be unmoved by the overwhealmingly beautiful finale - "Darkest Dreaming". At the same time "Trphies II" - Sylvian's lyrics anthology spanning the years 1988-99 was published, much to the delight of the fans.

And so was "Everything And Nothing" - a retrospective compilation which, apart from the track previously known, blessed the fans with a nice set of outtakes and formerly unpublished material.

The first record published by Samadhi Sound - Sylvian's own record label which he established after his relationship with Virgin Records had ended, was "Blemish" - an unexpected twist in his career. Bare, full of electronic roughness, revealing open wounds in his injured personal life.

The latest record, "Snow Borne Sorrow", provides a link between that uncompromised experimental sound and his past endeavours where his unmistakable voice, atmosphere and emotional profoundness attribute to the uniqueness of his musical universe.

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