Stéphane Rives - Fibres
(Potlatch)
Certain labels have strived for, and achieved, a signature sound of their own. Whether through production or selective signing, certain imprints have given listeners a good idea of what they'll hear with every new release, and they've done it with mixed results. There's something to be said for a label striving to keep some form of coherence, though doing so by releasing all like-minded artists can be a quick way of painting oneself in the corner, and ensuring that the artists on said label will be quickly pigeonholed. Some have been able to succeed with this mode of operation, though it's not an easy task.
Paris' Potlatch Records is one such label. Concentrating (mostly) on European improvisers, the label deals mainly in the quieter side of improv. Whether the artists are solo performers or members of groups of five, six, or even eight, Potlatch's releases feature a subtle, restrained sound, albeit one that's explored in numerous different ways. Stéphane Rives' Fibres is a solo soprano saxophone recording that fits in well with the rest of the Potlatch roster, though it's muted sounds are only so in volume. The disc contains seven tracks, though they each fit into a series of studies on one of three themes. "Larsen et le Roseau #1" is eight minutes of high-pitched whistle with only tiny bits of breath action rolling underneath. Like the distorted feedback of a hearing aid, the track can be hard to endure, though shifts in pitch and the inherent frailty in the track brought on by Rives' occasional need to inhale offer variety, if not respite, to those in need. The second track under this moniker is more of the same, though it spans eighteen minutes. Rives' "Granulations," of which there are three, are expectedly gritty affairs, the sound of a coffeemaker whose liquid contents have been augmented by gravel or an extended mix of the world's most infamous everyday bodily functions together as one. "Ebranlement #1" contains more of Rives' droning qualities, though, this time, his lightly oscillating tone is of a deeper, richer sort.
Fibres is a challenging and singular statement, and a fine addition to the Potlatch catalogue. Hopefully, it's only the beginning of future work with the label, as Rives would be interesting to hear within the context of a larger improvisational group, especially with some of the other purveyors of extended soprano saxophone technique that have found their way on to earlier Potlatch releases.
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