Sylvain Chauveau - The Complexity Of The Simple

Format: LP 
Catalogue No.: LP13-71
Barcode: 0600116137111
Release Date: 05 Jun 2026
Genre: Modern Classical

 Sylvain Chauveau returns to 130701 (FatCat Records’ post-classical imprint) with ‘The Complexity Of The Simple’, his sixteenth solo album and a refined statement from one of
Europe’s most established minimalist composers. Following earlier releases on the label - ‘Un autre décembre’ (2003) and ‘Simple’ (2012) - this new work deepens Chauveau’s longstanding exploration of reduction, clarity and attentive listening - what he has previously described as ‘quiet-core’.
 Written between 2016 and 2025 and assembled in early 2025, the album brings together pieces shaped by two interconnected ideas: the experience of radical simplicity and a reflection on the material future of music itself. A formative visit to the closed Zen garden of Tokaian Temple in Kyoto, an austere expanse of white gravel marked only by pure lines, left a lasting imprint on Chauveau’s approach. Its silence, restraint and structural precision resonate throughout the record.
 At the same time, ‘The Complexity Of The Simple’ quietly addresses the changing conditions of cultural production. Acknowledging the music industry’s historic dependence on fossil fuels and the growing necessity of ecological transition, Chauveau experiments with sustainable principles: acoustic instrumentation, minimal technological reliance and compositions conceived to exist without amplification or largescale infrastructure. The result is music that is both intimate and forward-looking.
 Influenced by minimal and abstract art, which is echoed in the album’s title, borrowed from a 2007 exhibition featuring artists such as Agnes Martin, Donald Judd and Mark Rothko, the record sits confidently within the contemporary post-classical landscape while maintaining Chauveau’s distinctive voice.
 Elegant, restrained and conceptually resonant, ‘The Complexity Of The Simple’ will appeal to audiences of post-classical, minimal and ambient music, as well as listeners drawn to artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Arvo Pärt and the 130701 catalogue. A thoughtful and timely addition to Chauveau’s extensive body of work.

Tracklisting
Le Zen Dans L’Art Du Tir À L’Arc
The Guitar Piece I Wrote for Masumi
Wabi Sabi for Beginners
Sen No Rikyu
Lignes Tranquilles Dans Le Gravier Blanc