Sybarite

Sybarite is the project of producer/multi-instrumentalist Xian Hawkins, who combines electronic and acoustic sounds in dynamic and evocative ways. Hawkins performed as part of <a href="spotify:artist:6dP7OHshDvGHaNNSwunol4">the Silver Apples</a> in the mid-'90s, touring with the band and appearing on the albums Beacon and Decatur before adopting the Sybarite moniker in 1999. His first EP, Meusic, was released that year by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Emanate+Records%22">Emanate Records</a>; the Otonomy EP and Musicforafilm, his soundtrack for the movie Kill Me Tomorrow and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Temporary+Residence%22">Temporary Residence</a> debut, followed in 2000. A 2001 single for Zealectronic Orange preceded the release of Sybarite's debut album, Nonument, which arrived via <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%224AD%22">4AD</a> in 2002. The album's brass and vocals made it one of Hawkins' most elaborate-sounding works, and he continued this trend on the Scene of the Crime EP, which featured a collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:3sGAu5R982Tf4ZuU2JfV55">Elysian Fields</a> singer Jennifer Charles. Sybarite resurfaced in 2006 with the compilation Cut Out Shape, but Hawkins took a lengthy hiatus from the project to concentrate on soundtrack and freelance work. Hawkins also collaborated with <a href="spotify:artist:52mkFCABBeP3KjkWFA4M2H">Jenny Owen Youngs</a> as the dream pop duo <a href="spotify:artist:2AdoTCFp76OEjtdSM1NZvC">Bell Horses</a>, who released the album This Loves Last Time in 2009, and issued a cassette under his own name in 2012. He resurrected Sybarite in 2016 with the album Waver the Absolute, which blended more danceable tracks with experimental ones. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi