Sylvain Chauveau
Politique du silence
"When I discovered the simple and powerful black and white pictures by Valéry Lorenzo, in the 90s, I immediately fell in love with them. We became good friends and since then I ask him to let me use one of his photos for most of my album covers, or to make my portrait for press shots. It has become a real collaboration, music and images, for more than 25 years. It was then logical to ask him again for the cover of this box set, like a gentle reflection on my piano and strings era. It's a true ho…
Ultra-Minimal
*300 copies limited release, handmade textile sleeve w/ printed inner* Sylvain Chauveau has been releasing quiet and minimal compositions on various labels for more than two decades. ultra-minimal marks his debut for Sonic Pieces and takes the minimal approach even further, centring on reduction and limitation.
The album was recorded live at Café Oto, London in March 2022 - one of Sylvain’s rare solo concerts and the first time he performed publicly with only acoustic instruments; no machines, n…
L'Effet Rebond (Version Iridium / Version Silicium)
*In process of stocking* 'L'effet rebond' is not one album but two. Two parallel albums sharing the same title. One by Pierre-Yves Macé, the other by Sylvain Chauveau - two friends and regular collaborators for nearly twenty years.
Both works come from the same original material:a few tracks of guitar, piano, harmonium and vocals, initially recorded by Chauveau. The lyrics (in French, English, Japanese) are very short poems by or quotations from e.e. cummings, Thelonious Monk, John Cage, Basho, …
Pianisme
Intimate, minimalist, classic piano album. Sylvain Chauveau on Pianisme: "Piano always had a central
role in my discography and this selection of short pieces showcases what
might be my musical signature: quietness, slow pace, long resonances, a
close as possible to silence. Music to be played at night."Pianisme
is a collection of unreleased and out-of-print piano works composed and
recorded since 2004. Most of them are part of soundtracks for feature
films by French director Sébastien Bet…
Echoes of Harmony - Early Music Reworked
All pieces of the Renaissance Repertoire come from Cancionero de Colombina (around 1470) or Cancionero de Palacio (around 1510). Both sources are well known for their typical Spanish repertoire of this period. Electronic music artist Sylvain Chauveau did new versions of several tracks and added also some drones to the program. Daniel Manhart did the compilation and the additional sound design and mixing. All pieces on this CD are hardly ever performed or recorded -- a fine, sensitive, inter…
Down To The Bone
Just 10 years ago, Down to the Bone was released by Les Disques du Soleil et de L'Acier - a Depeche Mode acoustic (piano, clarinet, cello, viola) tribute album on which Sylvain Chauveau went back to singing after several years exploring intrumental landscapes. 11 tracks that the musician reclaims in the sober style he is known for leaving just the bare bones of the originals. With the Nocturne ensemble, Chauveau redefines the contours of these hits we all know to provide an intimate and highly p…
How To Live In Small Spaces
His new solo instrumental album. The album title is taken from two long pieces inthe work; new versions of compositions for Christian Rizzo choreography. Reminiscent of Morton Feldman, time is suspended to the unresolved piano chords. Each one if followed by a minimal electronic piece. They were also composed for a dance performance by CÃĩcile Loyer, recalling Sylvain's works on S. (Type 2007) and his collaboration with Stephan Mathieu, Palimpsest (Schwebung, 2012). Sylvain Chauveau has mad…
Kogetsudai
Kogetsudai is Sylvain Chauveau's 10th album, the second in a trilogy initiated by Singular Forms (Sometimes Repeated) (2010), where the song structure is dismantled and reconstructed on the fringe of silence. Whereas Singular Forms found inspiration from Abstract Painting, Kogetsudai is influenced by Zen rock gardens found in Japan Ñ also the location where the album was conceived (for the most part) Ñ and from which the album borrows its title. Layers of minimal electronic sounds and filtered f…
Palimpsest
It’s no secret how much we’ve loved Stephan Mathieu’s sublime drones and Sylvain Chauveau’s delicate compositions in the past, so to see these two pillars of experimental music collaborating has got us hot under the collar. But that’s not the half of it – not only did the two decide to work together, they had a very specific concept - ‘Palimpsest’ finds the duo reframing the timeless songs of Bill Callahan (aka Smog). Those familiar with Callahan’s writing might struggle to work out just how two…
Singular Forms
Another week, another Vibracathedral Orchestra related slice of free-psych-drone weirdness, but I'm not complaining. Ever since seeing those Vibracathedral fellers live a couple of years ago I've been rabid for more of their freeform droning craziness, and this disc, a project of VCO man Neil Campbell and his folky friends takes his sound into further cosmic territories. Campbell originally issued these tracks as super limited cdrs which sold out practically before they had even been rele…
Touching down lightly
This is Sylvain Chauveau record #8. Sylvain Chauveau, piano. Recorded in 2008 by John McEntire in Chicago. 'Touching down lightly is a new full-length (surprise) album out on the Creative Sources imprint. Performed by Sylvain Chauveau (piano), recorded and mixed by John McEntire in Chicago. This is not the song-based album started early 2007 (still unfinished for now). Touching down lightly is the result of one day of improvisation at Soma Electronic Music Studio late November 2008: a way to cre…