DAVID SYLVIAN レコード& CD

Review: The man from Japan (the band, not the country) wandered off and started flying solo in 1984, exploring a host of strange and often surreal sounds with partners in tunes ranging from Ryuichi Sakamoto (who actually is from Japan) to Bill Nelson. As the 1990s gave way to the new millennium, his style only became more daring and less predictable, adventures in a kind of minimal free improvisation, it's at this point we find ourselves on Sleepwalkers.

Not an album per se, but a retrospective compilation comprising work from the first decade of this century, perhaps what's so striking is just how much can be done with relatively few elements. Of course, tracks like 'Word Citizen', 'Wonderful World' and 'The Day The Earth Stole Heaven' are, well, not maximalist, but certainly made up of more parts, but the real stand out stuff - 'Thermal''s spoken word ambient, the lo-fi elec-pop of 'Sugarfuel', and 'Transit''s delicately textured oddness - prove less is more.

Review: Second time around for David Sylvian's inspired full-length collaboration with German mastering engineer-turned-electro-acoustic experimentalist Stephan Mathieu. Wandermude won plenty of plaudits on its initial 2012 release, with critics highlighting the immersive beauty and sonic detail of the duo's hybrid drone and ambient works. It still sounds superb all these years on, too - all evocative aural textures (often provided by Sylvian on guitar or synth, though Mathieu did contribute some organ sounds), impeccable sound design (Mathieu is a master at this and reportedly constructed most of the showcased tracks) and sustained sound-washes. If you love ambient music, you need it in your life.

Review: A titanic one-off clash LP between Japan's head brain David Sylvian and electroacoustic extraordinaire Stephan Mathieu, Wandermude is a slow and sublime classic for real ambient heads. Reissued for the first time since its release in 2012, the album charts a wealth of mutual interest between both artists; the pair both collaborated first as part of a dual live performance at Noway's Punkt festival, during which Mathieu performed a live remix of Sylvian's song 'Plight And Premonition'. This LP is the result of the same creative thread - whooshing, mysterious and full of raw instrumental material translated into audacious oddities.

Review: Twinkle3 are a trio made up of accomplished flautist Clive Bell and electronic experimenters David Ross and Richard Scott. Their latest project welcomes the legendary David Sylvian into the mix alongside Kazuko Hohki, who was in 80s synth pop oddity Frank Chickens amongst other projects. Their collective venture for Cortizona treads predictably unpredictable territory, where minimalism, sound design and free improvisation merge into a meditative, distinctive whole. The woodwind and electronics intertwine in sublime fashion, resulting in a compelling trip for anyone who appreciates delicacy and risk in their leftfield electronica.