“Sylvia Black is one of the most powerful bass players I’ve ever worked with, female or male. She is a groove master who can be relied on to play the unexpected, in the best possible way.” – Tony Visconti ( Producer/ Bassist: David Bowie, T Rex, Iggy Pop… )
“Sylvia Black is sassy…sexy. ..super talented. Sylvia Black brings class back. Motherfuckas better know”
-Lydia Lunch ( New York No-Wave pioneer, writer, Spoken word artist, musician, cult icon )
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Sylvia Black is vocalist and hit songwriter with styles ranging from jazz to country to gospel to opera. A US Patent owner, bassist, video editor/motion graphics artist.
Multi-faceted vocalist/songwriter/musician/performer/producer and restlessly creative femme fatale SYLVIA BLACK is hard to pin down. You may have last heard Sylvia’s rendition of the classic, ‘I Put A Spell On You’ for Netflix hit series ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ on their premiere episode. Or, you may have last seen her singing and cutting up in the lounge of the Roxy Hotel in New York City during her much loved Friday night residency. But from the beginning, born bi-racial in Alabama, Sylvia turned her observations and experiences of riding the line between worlds, and feeling at times very outside of both, into a well of emotions from which to draw upon for character work and soon took to the stage. By age 5, acting was her passion. But even eventually landing in the epicenter of film and tv land as a child, Los Angeles, Sylvia found many limitations imposed upon her because her ‘type’ at that time was rarely called for. Her focus stayed mostly in the theater but music as she did many theatrical productions but music began to take her places. Sylvia’s first job took her to Japan at age 17 to sing in a resort hotel for 3 months. And music has been with her ever since her graduation, top of class in bass performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston. A background and passion for punk, jazz, new-wave, and rock and metal during her formidable years led her in many directions.
She may be once best known as the voice of New York’s fiery electronic pop-rock trio KUDU, along with partners Deantoni Parks ( Mars Volta, John Cale, Flying Lotus, Me-Shell N’Degeocello) and Nicci Kasper. Lauded by The NY Times and many other notable publications, KUDU were poised for success based on a fiercely current sound Sylvia curated to pay homage to the true New Yorkers she had longed to be around since she was stuck in Jr. High School dreaming in Texas. Fresh from her school days in Boston, where Sylvia received her degree, with honors, in Bass Performance, from the hands of David Bowie and Wayne Shorter, Sylvia made a bee line for New York City. Sylvia had brief bass playing stints with the likes of N’Dea Davenport ( Brand New Heavies ), Kamaal The Abtract ( Q Tip ), and Muzz Skillings (Living Color) before she put aside her bass for a considerable time. She has also recorded and/or has written for acts such as MOBY, DAPHNE GUINNESS, France’s TELEPOPMUSIK, THE KNOCKS, BLACK EYED PEAS (as co-writer on ‘B.O.Y.’ and ,Meet Me Halfway’, the 3rd Top 10 single from the group’s Grammy winning, multiplatinum album THE E.N.D. , which went #1 in 12 countries). Sylvia has written the winning hits for Germany’s The Voice as well as German Idol with ‘Do You Like What You See‘ and ‘The One‘ written for 2014/2015 winners Ivy Quainoo and Aneta Sablik.
Sylvia has an impressive knack for writing engaging rhyme schemes and poetic lyrics but find interest in mostly underground unsung musical heroes.
With her latest offering, and first full-length release under her own name,
Sylvia Black’s ‘Twilight Animals’ ( Originals and Covers for Tortured Lovers ) sums up many of her musical loves in 12 songs. Twilight Animals gleefully style hops from from electronic to jazz-noir, sonic jaunts to the East by way of Morocco and India, and always some hometown Texas blues and twang, Sylvia manages to create haunting and authentic music from a wide spectrum of styles most probably due to her tumultuous and gypsy-like upbringing. Never one to sit still, it is no wonder Sylvia Black and Lydia Lunch have found a kinship, friendship, and have collaborated not only on’Twilight Animals’ but have yet another album, featuring much more of the No-Wave pioneer’s presence, waiting in the wings.
The first half of the ‘Twilight Animals’ pulls you into the shadows of a low lit lounge. As the smoke dissipates you find yourself in a mysterious scene from a David Lynch film where an amalgamation of Koko Taylor’s ‘Up In Flames’ plays against a Blue Velvet backdrop while a tortured Isabella Rossellini opens to an audience of Lynch’s most seductive and dark characters. You are handed an unfamiliar cocktail that begins to bubble and effervesce. And just as you hit peak hallucination with a bit of paranoia, the 2nd half of the album then pulls you out through that back door to the other side relieving you onto a foreign tropical shore where campy John Waters characters swing and play as the sun fades away.
On ‘Twilight Animals’, Sylvia crafts energetic and haunting originals but also bows deeply to some of her favorite artists by covering some of her favorite songs from cult faves, Fat White Family, The Horrors, and Psychedelic Furs to surprising renditions by 80’s musical monsters Van Halen and Huey Lewis and the News…twisting the originals to her will and making them into something very different from where they started – the only way Sylvia considers doing a cover.
‘TWILIGHT ANIMALS’ ALBUM CREDITS
Sylvia Black ‘Twilight Animals’
Produced, performed, arranged, written(originals) by Sylvia Black.
Recording, mixing, engineering, additional production by Rudyard Lee Cullers ( Yoko Ono, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cyndi Lauper, Basement Jaxx… )
Vocals – Sylvia Black, Additional Vocals and lyrics by Lydia Lunch, guitar – Ruddy Lee Cullers, E. bass/Pianos/ Synths / Additional percussion – Sylvia Black, Sax(Walking With Fire) – Jaleel Shaw, Vibraphone – Tom Beckham, Vibraphone/organ (I Mean It/Ridin on the Rhythm – Nick Mancini, Sitar/synths/keys (Aint Talkin But Love) – Gregg Foreman, Cello – Giovanna Clayton, French horn – Laura Brenes, Violin – Leah Zeger, bari sax/alto sax/trumpet/bass clarinet/flute – David Ralicke, Organ (Ridin on the Rhythm) – Carey Frank, Upright bass (Ridin on the Rhtythm) Kave Rastegar, Upright bass (Sister Europe) – Derek Nievergelt, Upright bass – Jacob Silver, Upright bass (Slow Burn) Billy Mohler, Percussion – Mauro Refosco, Drums – Aaron Johnston, Drums (Ridin’ On the Rhythm) – Steve Hass, …Samples from: drmistersir (Only Lovers), Soleilxlune (Permanent Twilight)
SELECT DISCOGRAPHY
ALBUMS
VALLEY LOW – Betty Black
BACK FOR MORE: A REMIX COLLECTION [Nublu, 2008]
DEATH OF THE PARTY [Nublu, 2006]
THE RED ALBUM [Velour, 2001]
SINGLES & EPs
FEVER/TRY ME ANYWAY – Telepopmusic
BACK FOR MORE: A REMIX COLLECTION 2 (4-Track Vinyl 12”) [Nublu, 2009]
BACK FOR MORE: A REMIX COLLECTION 1 (4-Track Vinyl 12”) [Nublu, 2008]
“PLAYING HOUSE” (Remixes) [Nublu, 2005]
“BAR STAR” (Remixes) [Nublu, 2005]
BOOM BOOM EP [Nublu, 2004]
AS FEATURED VOCALIST/WRITER
“Starlight” RUN DMT (self titled EP feat. Betty Black) 4th Wall Records 2013
“Try Me Anyway/Fever” EP (BETTY BLACK for TELEPOPMUSIK) Splendid Records 2013
“TEL MALLISH” (SYLVIA BLACK, from the feature film Road Movie) [2010]
“CITY FOR SALE” (FLOPPY SOUNDS FEAT. DEVON DUNAWAY & SYLVIA GORDON, Single) [Wave Music, 2009]
“LAST NIGHT” (MOBY, Last Night CD) [Mute, 2008]
“PLAYING HOUSE” and “YOUR WORDS”(ARMAND VAN HELDEN, Ghettoblaster CD) [Ultra, 2007]
“B.O.O.T.A.Y.” and “PU$$Y” (SPANK ROCK, Spank Rock and Benny Blanco Are… Bangers & Cash CD) [Downtown, 2007]
“NOBODY KNOWS” and “STARING AT THE SUN” (P’TAAH, Staring at the Sun CD)
[Ubiquity, 2003]
“RAIN DOWN” (ANANDA PROJECT, Morning Light CD) [Nite Grooves/King Street, 2003]
SYLVIA BLACK MUSIC 