Sylvain Chauveau

February 24, 2020

Good morning.

Today we’re listening to Sylvain Chauveau, a French composer based in Brussels (h/t Headphone Commute). Chauveau records moving, minimal pieces for piano, strings, guitar, and synth. Through the iteration of small phrases, he induces contemplation and introspection. 2012’s Simple beautifully combines the acoustic and electronic, weaving between piano arpeggios and pure synth pad. 2001’s Nocturne Impalpable is a collection of spare piano/string compositions and literally hyphenates them with silences. 2018’s Pianisme plays a piano so slowly, it’s as if the player is trying to understand what the instrument is capable of. No vocals.

Simple by Sylvain Chauveau (40m) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Google Play / Tidal

Nocturne Impalpable by Sylvain Chauveau (50m) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Google Play / Tidal

Pianisme by Sylvain Chauveau (30m) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Google Play / Tidal