We're still waiting for the Starman to break his silence

ON THE RECORD:It seems that we may not see a return to the limelight by the Thin White Duke after all. This week, David Bowie's biographer Paul Trynka, who was publicising his recent Starmantome on the singer, said he believes we won't see Bowie on stage or releasing new music again.

“I think he would only come back if he thinks he could deliver something that will be seismic,” Trynka says. “If you pop back into the stage, it’s got to be something that has a big explosion and lots of flashes. It would be a bit of a miracle if he comes back, but miracles do happen.”

Bowie's last tour was on the back of his last album, 2003's Reality. He was due to headline Oxegen in 2004, but that show and a dozen other festival appearances were cancelled due to the singer's health problems.

While Bowie has spent the bulk of the last decade out of the spotlight, this absence has not diminished his lustre in any way. Instead, the back-catalogue (well, bar the Tin Machinealbum) continues to do sterling work for his musical reputation. In addition, unlike his heritage act peers, he hasn't done the dog with endless tours and has instead left fans wanting more. Money-wise, he probably still has some cash left over from his pioneering use of music royalty securitisation, which saw him earn $55 million from Bowie bonds in 1997. All the same, it would be fascinating to hear from Bowie again.

Many who picked up the Observer Food Monthlymagazine last weekend on the promise of a "Lunch with David Bowie" cover tagline were probably disappointed to be greeted by an old photo from 1973.

In an era of plenty, quality matters more than ever before, and Bowie has shown he can provide that. For now, though, the silence continues.

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WILL DE BURCA

Tracks like Slicedand American Scenefrom the debut 0415 EP by the Dublin-based producer showcase someone quickly figuring out how to add meaty, beaty electronic oomph to neatly finessed cinematic ideas. As tipped by 2fm's Dan Hegarty.

Soundcloud.com/will-de-burca

PHAELEH

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Facebook.com/phaelah

THE YEAR THE MONKEYS LANDED

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Breakingtunes.com/tytml

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