20syl | |
|---|---|
 20syl performing for AllttA during the 2017 Natural Games in Millau, France. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Sylvain Richard (1979-02-17)17 February 1979 (age 46) |
| Genres | Hip hop,French rap,jazz rap,turntablism,electronic music |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper,disc jockey,composer,beatmaker,producer,graphic designer |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Member of | Hocus Pocus,C2C, AllttA |
Sylvain Richard (born February 17, 1979), better known by hisstage name20syl (pronounced "vain-seel",[1]French:[vɛ̃sil]), is a Frenchrapper,disc jockey, andproducer. He is acomposer andMC in the groupHocus Pocus, a member of the beatmaker collective of DJsC2C, one half of the Hip-Hop/electronic duoAllttA, and the quadruple world championDMC Team. He published his firstEP,Motifs, in 2014, followed byMotifsII in 2015.
During his career, he also produced for artists and groups such asDiam's,Disiz,Kohndo,Slum Village,Fabe,Scred Connexion, Nakk, and Sully Sefil and was involved in projects such asJust Us vol.1 orOriginal Bombattak.[2][3][4]
Richard, originally agraphic designer, graduated from the Graduate School of Fine Arts inNantes Métropole. He began his musical career in his bedroom at his parents' house inRezé.
In 1995, Richard and Cambia released their firstmixtape,Première Formule. Recorded in a makeshift studio, the first self-produced cassette was sold in the courtyard of their school. In 1997, they team up with DJ Greem, a high school friend of Richard's, to form the groupHocus Pocus, and released their first album as a trio,Seconde Formule, in 1998. Hocus Pocus mixes elements specific tohip-hop (scratches, samples, and rap) with an instrumental sound influenced byjazz,soul, andfunk. Alongside Hocus Pocus, they created, in collaboration with DJ Atom and DJ Pfel, a group calledC2C (also known as "Coups2Cross"). C2C was the world championDMC team four years in a row, from 2003 to 2006. They found the collaboration of twoMCs and aDJ did not work on stage and went their separate ways; Richard continued his production as 20syl, and DJ Greem invested specifically in C2C.[5]
In 2001, Richard worked again with DJ Greem and Cambia on stage as Hocus Pocus. The same year, they created the labelOn & On and released the maxiSick, which sold around 4000 copies. Three years later, they released the album73 Touches (in reference to the number of piano keys). Largely influenced by jazz, they refer toMiles Davis andBillie Holiday. Mathieu Lelièvre on keyboard, Hervé Godard on bass, and David Le Deunff on guitar complement the trio. The same album was reissued in 2006 with a new version ofSick and six new titles.[5]
The albumPlace 54, released in October 2007, increased their willingness to create acoustic hip-hop. For this album, they signed with the label Motown France to promote and distribute it. The album was well received and attracted interest from mainstream TV and radio. In 2008, Hocus Pocus was nominated for aVictoires de la Musique award in the category "Urban Music Album of the Year".[5]
Richard published his first soloEP,Motifs, on June 9, 2014; the sitesourdoreille.net considers this EP "a real gem",[6] whilewordplaymagazine.com praises Richard's style as "frankly remarkable".[7] His second EP,MotifsII, was published on May 11, 2015. Regarding the cover ofMotifsII,Richard explains: "For the first volume, I played on the contrast between the zebra and the checkerboard. For this one, I wanted another animal. I like animals with a solemn air, which release an aesthetic force. When I came across this owl, I found him mysterious and chic. I also chose the motif of the opposition in the checkered plumage. It is a way to symbolize the two aspects of my music: electronic and organic. This refined and enigmatic image raises questions."[8]
In July 2015 inNantes, Richard presented the U, an interactive musicalskateboard ramp (in collaboration with the collective Herrmutt Lobby).[9]herrmuttlobby.com says regarding U "The skater is the musician and the ramp is the instrument. He composes and decomposes the rhythm, he breaks down initial binary arrangements, making the digital human again for a moment."[10] In September 2015,The Apple Keynote used a piece of Richard's music to promote the functionality ofSiri on the Apple Watch in their"Choose Colorfully" advertisement.[11] In late 2015, Richard published a remix of the PLPS songHow I Feel.[12] In January 2016, he published his first-year production entitledInertia.[13] Also in January 2016, he published a remix of the songWalk Walk byYael Naim.[14]
In 2015, he formed the groupAllttA (A Little Lower Than The Angels) with the Californian rapperMr. J. Medeiros. Their debut album, titledThe Upper Hand, was released on February 17, 2017.[15] Their sophomore album, titledFacing Giants, was released on December 1, 2017. The first part of their third album,Curio, was released on May 12, 2023, with the second coming on September 29, 2023.
