Sylvain Chauveau’s “The Complexity Of The Simple” is a collection of pieces, recorded over the course of decade, that finds the composer exploring the concept of classical minimalism. Inspired by Kyoto temple zen gardens and the work of sculptor Pierre Labat, the set, given its goal, is pretty varied. That’s not to say that the music jumps from disco to rock & roll, but it also doesn’t consist solely of experiments with repetition, phases and counterpoint. 

“Le zen dans l’art du tir à l’arc” is constructed from sparse keys and chimes. Each element echoing the phrases of the other. Short runs and races of metallic bowls, sensitively struck, in duet with hard, hammered piano notes. Whose rhythm, like a pronounced Pointillism, paints pictures of rain, weather breaking, watched from warm inside. “The Guitar Piece I Wrote for Masumi” evolves from layered, peaceful post-rock Americana guitar picking. Free-flowing, trickling, fresh water like field recordings filling the space between chords. “Sen No Rikyu” and “Lignes Tranquilles Dans Le Gravier Blanc” too, both focus on sharp fretwork harmonics. Their clear, clean isolated sounds are abstract, sorta serialist, like slow, deconstructions of traditional melody and song. 

“Wabi Sabi for Beginners”, however, is 10 minutes of hypnotic hum. Fluctuating low frequency oscillations. Muted, meditative modulated, sustained organ and harmonium drones. A movement that barely moves, but slowly evolves into an expanding (exploding inevitable) `60s New York art underground shimmer. Pulsing, but grounding. A plugged-in power spot. An electronic “Om”.

Sylvain Chauveau’s The Complexity Of The Simple can be ordered directly from 130701.