Cousin Silas is the stage name of English

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

artist David Hughes. The name comes from a character in

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

's song, "Happy Family". He has released over eighty albums on various

netlabels The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

. Between 1990 and 2000 he wrote several short stories, poetry, prose, and articles that were published in small press magazines such as Back Brain Recluse, Nova SF, The Scanner, REM, Nerve Gardens, The Lyre, Auguries and Focus. On 28 January 2004 Cousin Silas made an appearance on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

played by

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

Biography

David Hughes, born 7 May 1959, is an English musician and electronic music producer most notable for his ambient and drone music. David was born in Huddersfield, and spent most of that time in the

Colne Valley The Colne Valley is a steep sided valley on the east flank of the Pennine Hills in the English county of West Yorkshire. It takes its name from the River Colne which rises above the town of Marsden and flows eastward towards Huddersfield. ...

. He attended Crow Lane,

Royds Hall School Royds Hall Academy is a mixed secondary school for pupils aged 11 – 16. It is located in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, and on the north side of the Colne Valley towards Milnsbridge. History Royds Hall was a large farmhouse in the P ...

Colne Valley High School Colne Valley High School is a mixed secondary school in the village of Linthwaite, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It is named thus because it exists in the Colne Valley, one of several valleys that converge at the town of Huddersfield. ...

and

Kirklees College Kirklees College is a further education college with two main centres in the towns of Dewsbury and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. History The college was formed on 1 August 2008 after the Dewsbury College Dissolution order approved t ...

, formerly known as Huddersfield Technical College. He then apprenticed as an electrical engineer and moved on to become a telecommunications engineer. Before experimenting with soundscapes in 2000, David played guitar in a couple of local bands doing new wave and punk covers. His current style of music is influenced by

JG Ballard James Graham Ballard (15 November 193019 April 2009) was an English novelist, short story writer, satirist, and essayist known for provocative works of fiction which explored the relations between human psychology, technology, sex, and mass medi ...

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

, and

Forteana Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932) was an American writer and researcher who specialized in anomalous phenomena. The terms "Fortean" and "Forteana" are sometimes used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold w ...

. The musician is a self-proclaimed "sound alchemist" and has referred to his music as "audio photographs" or "moodscapes." He is a fan of science fiction novels written between 1950 and 1980 by authors such as

Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an American writer and artist. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Algernon Charles Swinburne ...

, HP Lovecraft,

M.R. James Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English author, medievalist scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936). He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambrid ...

Brian Aldiss Brian Wilson Aldiss (; 18 August 1925 – 19 August 2017) was an English writer, artist, and anthology editor, best known for science fiction novels and short stories. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss, except for ...

, and

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has work ...

Discography

Compilations * ''Unholy Trinity'' (2002, Fflint Central Records) * '':: FALLING ::'' (2006, Earth Monkey Productions) * ''The Resting Bench Remix Project – Volume 1'' (Collab, 2006, Earth Monkey Productions) * ''EMP075 , Various Artists , Field Notes'' (2009, Earth Monkey Productions) * ''Dark Minds compilation'' (2010, Kopp Netlabel) * ''Ambient Consequences'' (2010, Kopp Netlabel) * ''The BFW Christmas Album 2010'' (2010, BFW Recordings) * ''BFW Album in a Day volume 2'' (2011, BFW Recordings) * ''Chain Reaction'' (2011, Kopp Netlabel) * ''BFW Album in a Day volume 3'' (2011, BFW Recordings) * ''The BFW Christmas Album 2011'' (2011, BFW Recordings) * ''Elements 1'' (2012, The Future Elements) * ''Space Rock: The Compilation'' (2012, Sound For Good Records) * ''BFW Album In A Day volume 4'' (2012, BFW Recordings) * ''all, is, calm 2012'' (2012, Free Floating Music) * ''Remix Eye Movement'' (Collab, 2012 Acustronica) * ''BFW Album in a Day volume 5'' (2012, BFW Recordings) * ''Doomsday and Brimstone'' (2012, Sound For Good Records) * ''Other People's Remixes'' (Collab, 2012, Peter Fitzpatrick) *''...ending the year on a high 2012'' (2012, We Are All Ghosts) * ''The BFW Christmas Album 2012'' (2012, BFW Recordings) * ''No Labels No Musics 4'' (Collab, 2013, Editora Do Porto) * ''I Heard Something in the Distance volume 10'' (2013, BFW Recordings) * ''ANDREAS N°16 – Parallel Worlds'' (2013, Fraction Studio) * ''ROBOTS!'' (2013, Aural Films) * ''Some Great Universes in One Place'' (2013, Sillage Intemporel) * ''The Human Condition – Dedications to Phillp K. Dick'' (2013, Sounds For Good Records) * ''BFW Album in a Day volume 7'' (2013, BFW Recordings) * ''Desktopography album 4 "rainy day"'' * ''Fukushima Drones'' (2013, Aural Films) * ''Midnight Radio Compilation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8'' (2013, Midnight Radio) * ''Persuasive Experimentations Vol. 1'' (2013, Roach Clip Records) * ''glasklinge sampler 4'' (2013, Midnight Radio) * ''VA Compilation #2'' (2013, Assembly Field) * ''X-mas 2013'' (2013, Petroglyph Music) * ''Touched'' (2013, Released on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

with proceeds going to

Macmillan Cancer Support Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer. It also looks at the social, emotional and practical impact cancer can have, a ...

) * ''Radio Happy Music Compilation for the Haiyan/Yolanda Victims'' (2013, Radio Happy) * ''The BFW Christmas Album 2013'' (2013, BFW Recordings) * ''...ending the year on a high 2013'' (2014, We Are All Ghosts) * ''Midnight Radio Compilation 10, 11'' (2014, Midnight Radio) * ''I No Longer Love Blue Skies'' (2014, Sounds For Good Records) * ALL FM Mostly Ambient Radio Sessions volume one * VA. A Dizzy Taste (2015, DigitalDIZZY) * Midnight Radio Compilation 54 (2015, Midnight Radio)

References

External links

Official WebsiteCousin Silas on Facebook

Cousin Silas on Soundcloud

Cousin Silas on Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cousin Silas 1959 births Living people Musicians from Yorkshire Male guitarists