Steve Nye - Vista

Let the Happiness In – Gone to Earth – live

‘building a bridge into another world’

On 9 July 1987 the Penguin Cafe Orchestra performed at the Royal Festival Hall in London, a concert captured for the album When in Rome, released by E.G. Records the following year. Among the performers that night were several names familiar to followers of David Sylvian’s music. Simon Jeffes, co-founder of the group, had by this time been invited by Sylvian to contribute to sessions for the ‘Bamboo Houses’ /‘Bamboo Music’ single with Ryuichi Sakamoto, and to provide an orchestral arrangement for ‘Wave’ during its development for Gone to Earth, although ultimately Jeffes’ contributions didn’t make the final mixes for either project. Steve Nye, producer of Japan’s Tin Drum and Sylvian’s solo work throughout the ’80s, was also on stage. Nye had been one of the founder members of Penguin Cafe Orchestra back in 1973, when the line-up was a quartet, his principal contribution being piano and harmonium at the Royal Festival Hall. And finally there was Jennifer Maidman who mainly shared percussion duties with Julio Segovia that night, although she took up bass guitar for the exuberant opener, ‘Air à Danser’. Maidman’s bass propels a trio of tracks on Gone to Earth, none more so than the opening track and lead single ‘Taking the Veil’ (see here for an earlier conversation with Jennifer about that song).

Life in Tokyo

‘propulsive repetition’

In the liner notes to his 1989 Sound and Vision retrospective collection, David Bowie recalls how ‘one day in Berlin, Eno came running in and said, “I have heard the sound of the future.” And I said, “Come on, we’re supposed to be doing it right now.” He said, “No, listen to this,” and he puts on ‘I Feel Love’ by Donna Summer. Eno had gone bonkers over it, absolutely bonkers. He said, “This is it, look no further. This single is going to change the sound of club music for the next fifteen years.” Which was more or less right.’

The Devil’s Own

‘underlying tension, doubt, nervousness’

Gone to Earth was released in September 1986, well over two years after David Sylvian’s debut solo LP, Brilliant Trees. Customary press interviews coincided with the release of the double album and were published in September and October that year. A few months later, I was scanning the magazine racks in WH Smith at a London railway station, hungry for news of my favourite musicians, and I remember my surprise at spotting a photograph of Sylvian on the cover of Sound on Sound magazine. Sure enough, within the pages of the March 1987 edition was to be found a new interview with Sylvian undertaken by respected music journalist, Mark Prendergast.

Visions of China

‘playing with images’

‘Credit where credit’s due. Yuka brought the first Chinese records home which filled my head with unknown sounds, and it was only a matter of weeks before they were circulated around the band and we were all hooked,’ writes Mick Karn in his book Japan & Self Existence of then girlfriend, Yuka Fujii. ‘I couldn’t get enough of them. It was always exciting to get home and listen to what I’d bought on the strength of the sleeve design alone. The best were the instrumental tracks, for it was the unusual instrumentation that left us wondering at how the absence of guitars, drum kit, synthesisers and anything else familiar, somehow still produced commercially driven music.

The Ink in the Well

‘years with a genius for living’

At the end of the behind the scenes video that takes us ‘fly-on-the-wall’ into the sessions for Brilliant Trees in Berlin, a relaxed David Sylvian leans against the studio wall enjoying a snack of ice cream – the only food he could find in the café next door to the studio suitable for his newly adopted vegetarian diet. He confides to Yuka Fujii, who is behind the camera, ‘I should have just under an album’s worth of material when I get back to London. But I think I will use some of it as a separate single, because it doesn’t sit together as one album. So I will get back to London and I will write some more, and go into the studio and try to finish that.’

The recent reissues of David Sylvian’s early solo albums on coloured vinyl sold out quickly.

All were repressed and re-released on 19 December 2025.

Brilliant Trees – official store

Alchemy – official store

Gone to Earth – official store

Secrets of the Beehive – official store

Lucrecia’s new album A Danger to Ourselves is out now. All tracks produced by Lucrecia Dalt & David Sylvian, mixed by David Sylvian.

Sylvian also contributes vocal and feedback guitar to ‘Cosa Rara’ and electric guitar solo for ‘Covenstead Blues’:

Second edition repress of ‘Cosa Rara (feat. David Sylvian)’ with alternative artwork. Note that this vinyl also contains an extended mix of the ‘dopamine dub’ by Matias Aguayo, featuring David Sylvian (i.e. a different version from the first single release):

Further information sometimes comes to light after an article is published. The following pieces have recently been updated with new material:

March 2026
A Fire in the Forest – added quote from David Sylvian about the imagery of the forest fire.
p:Machinery – added quote from Holly Johnson about being around the studio with Propaganda and David Sylvian.
The Ink in the Well – added quote from Anton Corbijn about the video.
Red Guitar – added quote from engineer Peter Williams about introducing Mark Isham to the sessions and recording him for Brilliant Trees. Also added quote from Anton Corbijn about the video.