A Number Of Small Things/Artists/Sylvain ChauveauArtikel

Sylvain Chauveau - S. 13,99 €

Since his 2000 debut ‘Le Livre Noir Du Capitalisme’ (which is soon to be re-issued on Type!) Sylvain Chauveau has been a pioneering figure in the world of modern classical/electronic music. This status has seen him inhabit the same creative space as Max Richter, Jóhann Jóhannsson and our very own Ryan Teague and now we are proud to welcome him to the Type label and issue this brand new mini-album. ‘S.’ sees Chauveau taking a daring new direction since his last record the breathtaking and lushly orchestrated set of Depeche Mode covers ‘Down to the Bone’, and moving away from the haunting strings and piano work of his best known works he has stepped into the world of minimal electro acoustics. The first track ‘Composition 8’ probably best illustrates this move with its expertly processed prepared guitar drones, layered together to create a menacing piece of bass-heavy ambience and growling doom comparable to even experimental metal pioneers Earth at their most esoteric. This piece is expertly balanced however against the second track, simply titled ‘P.’ which has Chauveau again caressing the ivories, but using the notes (and the space between the notes) to dictate something far more minimal and far more realated to the brooding drone of ‘Composition 8’. Elsewhere we hear Chauveau’s take on glacial digital minimalism with the epic electronic piece ‘E/R’ and more delicate piano experimentations before we are brought to a satisfying and subtle close with the gritty, slow burning ambience of ‘A_’. All in all this is possibly the most thoughtful and unusual selection of tracks Chauveau has ever set his name to, and give them time and they are sure to reveal their immense depths.

Sylvain Chauveau - Nuage 13,99 €

Type has always been committed to releasing music with visuals in mind; ‘cinematic music’ is a phrase we coin often, but there’s more than a good reason to use it in relation to ‘Nuage’, the latest album from French composer Sylvain Chauveau. He last surfaced with ‘S.’ a short-form record exploring his more electro-acoustic leanings, but this record, which collects his recent scores for two films by Sébastian Betbeder sees the composer returning to the sound he explored so successfully on FatCat’s ‘Un Autre Décembre’. With a hand-picked group of players on piano, viola, violin and with Sylvain himself on electric guitar the music roots itself in the traditions of great film scoring. There are defnite nods to Krzysztof Kieslowski’s composer Zbigniew Preisner in the deep sense of emotion and melancholy, and Chauveau strips his pieces down to the bare minimum of what might be needed, ridding himself of orchestral excess or meaningless sentimentality. Thus short motifs rise and fall, tangling their way through the album, appearing and re-appearing subtly and beautifully.
Even without the visual accompaniment you begin to imagine just what the films may have held, what may or may not have happened; love, loss, deceit and nostalgia. There are clear stylistic links to the work of fellow contemporary composer Max Richter, not least with the scope and quality of the recordings and ‘Nuage’ should delight those who enjoy Chauveau’s romantic side. The album has eschewed any academic experimentation and revels in a haunting simplicity, and for those of us hanging on Chauveau’s every movement the decision couldn’t be more welcome. Maybe the track which sums up the album so perfectly is the centrepiece and longest track ‘Fly Like a Horse’, which interestingly is the only track not to utilize the classical players. With electric guitar and light electronics Chauveau creates a mood and a texture while sounding completely different from the rest of the album, sums it up completely – deeply moving and incredibly memorable.

Sylvain Chauveau - The Black Book of Capitalism 13,99 €

Originally released in 2000, 'Le Livre Noir Du Capitalisme' was the first album from French composer Sylvain Chauveau. Now in 2008 it has been remastered and repackaged for Type Records, translated into the English 'The Black Book of Capitalism'.
This record was the first the world had heard from Sylvain, a musician who had been rooted in post rock before realising that he could do a lot more with the instruments around him. On 'The Black Book of Capitalism' we hear a rare playful side to the composer as he flirts with Gallic classical music, electronica, jazz, and even indie rock. The variety splintered into various side-projects as Sylvain moved on in the music scene but here we get a sense of confident experimentation without a hint of cliché. Sylvain's sound would go on to influence a host of other artists and kick off an entire sub-genre of modern classical music, but strangely enough this debut album has been out of press for some time. Now remastered by Dubplates and Mastering in Berlin and on vinyl for the first time ever it sounds more relevant and timeless than it ever has.
Beginning with a cloud of smoky ambience, piano, strings and the atmospheric field recordings that frame the record, we are dragged into Sylvain's noir-esque world. This sets the scene for the entire album which drifts through the kind of piano-led classical vignettes popularised by Max Richter and more recently Goldmund yet punctuates these with doomy jazz and lighter pieces such as the guitar-led 'Dialogues Avec Le Vent'. The result is a beguiling collection of pieces which show an incredibly inventive mind at work, a mind refusing to be held to one specific style, or even time.

Sylvain Chauveau - Singular Forms (Sometimes Repeated) 13,99 €

It is hard to believe that five years have passed since Sylvain Chauveau's last 'proper' album. Of course there have been re-issues peppering the years since 'Down To The Bone', as well as more than a few collaborations and soundtrack appearances, but Sylvain has purposefully waited to allow his ideas to come to fruition. On mentioning his new album to me a few years ago, Sylvain commented that he didn't think it would appeal to everyone and that he wanted to take a fresh direction. The Depeche Mode songs he had explored on 'Down To The Bone' had given him ideas he felt he needed to explore, and 'Singular Forms (Sometimes Repeated)' is his attempt at an album of 'songs'.
In many ways, 'Singular Forms (Sometimes Repeated') is constructed the way albums used to be – it is compact and filled with vocal hooks and melodies, yet Sylvain has deconstructed the musical forms he grew up listening to and reduced them to their base level. Vocal snippets fall through the stereo field and his signature piano motifs splutter and cough through processed digital hiccups. As Carsten Nicolai and Ryuichi Sakamoto deconstructed classical music, Sylvain attempts here to study and dissolve the roots of popular music. Each piece feels like it could have started as a three-minute pop sing-along before the accompaniments were stripped away and the component parts reduced to merely a backbone.
'Singular Forms (Sometimes Repeated)' is a daring and challenging listening experience. The widescreen theatrics of Sylvain's previous work have all but disappeared, leaving an album that is stark and incredibly beautiful. It is an album rooted in a love of art and music, both minimal and mainstream and celebrates Sylvain's influences. One listen might only reveal surface details, but listen again and you will find much, much more.