Rauque

Here is Roberto Greco's third olfactory project, Rauque, composed by none other than Christopher Sheldrake. Sheldrake is quite possibly my favorite nose ever, therefore, I was beyond excited when hearing the news. Moreover, working with Roberto for the third Objet Parfumant, a series which till now, has been a fantastic journey. In my opinion, Rauque is the most triumphant of all three. Rauque is a difficult-to-grasp perfume. It smells, unlike anything I ever tried. The evolution, the choice of materials, the strong contrasts, the very personal and complex idea/experience that ignited it, and even the bottle's design are dead giveaways of this. It feels like Dr. Frenkenstin's monster who learned how to behave like a highly sophisticated, intellectual human being. It's an oddity, yet refined. An example of how to create an artisanal/artistic complex piece of olfactory art while making sure that at the end of the day, it smells and wears like it's intended to, a perfume. When I first looked at the note pyramid I thought to myself, "This can't work, the notes are too contradictory". And yet it does. Here is where Sheldrake's genius steps in. The perfume to me feels like an Agrestic Leather-Orientlal. The first half, the top and the heart precisely, remind me of smells I encountered as a child in the countryside. The base or the late dry-down, smells of resins and smoke, for the most part, hence, the Oriental part of the perfume. The opening is tangy, soapy, fatty, verdant, and somehow fizzy-ozonic. It's bright and dominated by the tart and sharp smell of the blackcurrant bud, as well as the green-ozonic violet leaf. There is a strong soap-like accord, but not what you'd expect. It smells like the handmade soaps my grandparents used to make from pig fat and sodium salts. No additives or perfume added. Fizzy and fatty. I assume the combination of narcissus, violet leaf, and olive create this phantom accord that feels very tangible to me. A handmade soap, tangy blackcurrant, grassy, and clean air accords. The mid is all about the florals and the leather accord. I see Cassie flower listed, yet unfortunately for me, it's not the dominant floral here. It does play its part though. It lends its hay-like facet and subtle honey-like sweetness. The Osmanthus shares a bit of its fruity facet to help perpetuate the fruitiness from the opening, but more importantly, it helps build up the leather accord. The dominant floral here, however, is the Narcissus. A floral that was proudly used in the previous Objet Parfumant, Porter Sa Peau. It doesn't smell like the absolute, more like the flower in nature. The leather accord veers strongly into the equestrian territory. It feels alive, oily, creamy, almost drawing warm breath. Another important note to mention here is the pine tar, already exuding its characteristic smoky-woody quality. The mushroom is very subtle, again, unfortunately for me, but it helps to instill life into the leather by conjuring an organic quality. The base pushes forward with the leather and the smoky pine tar to which the labdanum derivate Ambrarome is added, displaying leathery, smoky, ambergris-like facets, as well as myrrh for the extra nutty, chewy resinous touch. It settles down as a smoky resinous leather oozing warmth and pleasantly smoky wafts for hours on end. All in all, one of the best releases of last year, triumphant in so many ways and on so many levels. A tremendous achievement when an artistic mind meets another and the talent of a Master Perfumer is put to great use. I hope that there will be more to see from Sheldrake under an independent creative direction, hopefully in more projects like this one, and I am excited for Roberto's future L'Objet Parfumant. IG:@memory.of.scents

Top notes of blackcurrant bud and violet leaf; heart notes of acacia, mushroom, myrrh, narcissus, and osmanthus; base notes of ambarome, leather, and pine tar. To describe Rauque this way unacceptably reductive. It is so much more than a collection of accords. The name translates to hoarse, which is a bit confusing. Hoarse, as most would think of it, is the sound of a voice after it has over-strained itself for too long; raspy, thin, distorted, the metallic taste in the back of your throat from worn and irritated flesh. I don't get an impression of that at all with Rauque. Rather, to my nose, it is very rich, dense, but far from being lumpen and impenetrable; it's breathable and alive. The elegant dance those notes perform with each other is exquisite, constantly shifting shape, form, and speed. There is nothing tired, raspy, thin, distorted or worn out about this perfume - it has an energy that is restrained but strong, like a rubber band not quite stretched to the breaking point but on its way to being. Another defining characteristic is that it is extremely reminiscent of classic masculine perfumes with its pipe tobacco accords, leathers, incense, earthiness, and resinous green notes. Though, you are far from able to say that this is derivative as it feels very modern, new, and youthfully energetic. Despite being called Hoarse, its volume never goes above speaking voice, but it is very much confident, very much powerful and strong, and bold enough to make a firm statement. Looking back over the words I've written so far and how vague and metaphorical they are, the more I smell this perfume on me and the more I think about it, the more unhappy I am with my description and the more I struggle for clarity (maybe I'll be back for an edit with more thoughts after several more wears). It does what the best perfumes of all time do: deliver a message in a totally convincing way, making you think hard and engage the entire time, but never so challenging that you are off-put. It is, without question, one of the best perfumes I have smelled in years.

The shuffling of elements, shimmering, oily, and alive, Rauque is the ultimate dépaysement for my weary mind. I've long been drawn to the unconventional beauty of the undergrowth and the unlikely spiritual vitality that can be drawn from the almost alien organisms that communicate through profoundly complex networks for which we've only scratched the surface in understanding. Rauque is the fantasy of being welcomed into their world. Much like Roberto Greco's arresting photography for which this is paired, Rauque feels amorphous, varied in focus and surreal, while giving the impression of both childlike wonder and simmering carnality. I am reminded of the nearly over ripened berries I'd pick with my mother along the cranberry bogs as a child here in New England, sticky sweetness, and the occasional insect friend to be plucked off and sent on it's way. I think of the examinations of mushrooms that spring out of nowhere after it rains and breathing in the aroma of the pine straw carpet, tawny in color. The undercurrent has an emergent feral texture, horse stables and distant pastures, the most well-loved worn leather. Christopher Sheldrake employs Ambrarome, a distillate of labdanum produced by Synarome that highlights the olfactory qualities in the ethyl esters of labdanum. It's warm, animalic, peppery, and tarry, with a leathery and ambergris-like core. It's a stunning material and used to great effect here. I am transfixed by Rauque in its oblique angles and dusty, textured atmosphere; it arrests me as droning music would (listen to Harmonia's "Sometimes in Autumn" as it makes a great pairing). The urgency of work and structure falls out, I am left feeling like a sensory organism, breathing, heart beating, perspiring, still as a turtle on a fallen limb, bathing in the sunlight. It feels alive. I feel alive.

Another abstract wonder from Roberto Greco. As soon as you read the description you know you have to try it - a body about to implode, the waxy basement of a mushroom farm, a doughy Alep soap... Count me in. I love the interplay between the dust and the wax, and there is a subtle sweetness that gives the scent a lift and prevents it from smelling dank like other mushroom scents. The cassia note keeps going for hours with a tinge of sour decay over the leather and myrhh. I would probably just wear this at home, I don't know what kind of occasion this would fit. It's a strange, contemplative fragrance, you want to put on some weird music. The bottle looks masculine, but I find this very unisex, truly genderless, pay no heed to the votes on this. To me, it has that "robust dust" texture of L'Air De Rien, but more subversive versus sophisticated. Rauque is certainly the most universally appealing of this creator's current offerings. It's less melancholy and more wearable than Oeilleres. Of course I love Porter Sa Peau but that is distinctly feminine. Overall, compelling and I look forward to exploring it more. Update March 2024: The march 22 episode of the Fragaphilia podcast mentioned the resemblance between Rauque and L’Air de Rien and I feel so validated

My bottle finally arrived. Oh boy... oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. I’ve never sniffed anything like this before. Five hours into the wear and... I’m gobsmacked. It’s just ridiculous. I’d tried a mini sample but there’s something about spraying it on copiously that changes everything. I don’t really know how to describe it yet. It feels like it’s alive. Literally. Like I’ve doused myself with the vital fluid of a living, breathing, throbbing alien being that inhabits the cloud forest and hosts within it a cornucopia of organisms, both carnal and ethereal. Mycelium, humus, exotic florals... fairies and spirits. A feral creature that exudes a dizzying warmth through every pore of its leathery epidermis, and exhales a boozy, sticky sweet, peppery, ambergris-like breath. The terpenes from pine straw filling the air as it lightly treads over fallen leaves and the undergrowth... What the hell is going on here? Am I falling in love? I’ll do a proper review once I’ve wrapped my head around it. I’m intoxicated and swooning.

God isn't it beautiful... I was searching desperately in my head to find the fragrance Rauque was reminding me of and thankfully it hit me today - Imitation Woman! The chypre blackcurrant texture of this magnificent Amouage is definitely here, but it's not the only association I get. The leather-narcissus subplot veers close to my favourite rustic leathers, i.e. Tabac Tabou and Dzing! The overall tonality of the experience is extra smooth, matte-green and as such reminiscent of Mousse Illuminee. Sorry for resorting to comparisons, but they are so vivid to me, I just can't help but see Rauque as a love letter to the above - a poetic and elaborate one, written in meticulous calligraphy. Needless to say, all the fragrances I think it quotes are masterpieces, and so is Rauque (frustratingly though, as it's no longer available).

First light. The grass is still covered in dew. Yellow florals, but they’re not alone. Instead they sit closely alongside violets, thistles and dandelions. They’re still growing though, not picked and decaying in a vase but rather still attached to the earth. The ground in which they grow is damp from it having rained. A strange juxtaposition of both dry, crunchy leaves and the sweet milky cream from the stems of a thistle. It feels like a moving thing, but for now it stays right here. Leather - not astringent, but rather it’s clean, and feels oily and warm. This isn’t a hide that’s been tanned, but the skin-like creaminess of an animal that’s still alive. Any wet earthiness is now all but gone, but so has the sun.

Roberto Greco Rauque (2023) - leather narcissus - As hard it is to find this perfume (500 bottles only), I hope, dear reader, that you won’t hate me for this statement, but this could the best one #christophersheldrake has created in recent memory. Peach yet skin-like Osmanthus, lush & animalic Narcissus, opulent & powdery Mimosa with dark & herbal Violet leaf are combined over smoky resins & well-worn leather. As it morphs, I get nuances of wet soil earth, vegetation with salty air. Elegant sillage. A work of love in collaboration with Mr. Greco.

I decided to buy Hana Matsuri or dryad for my birthday and was looking for perfumes to request free samples of.... Rauque was among the ls new releases and I ended up buying it instead. Coincidentally, I saw someone I trust likened the opening to Hana Matsuri. I will sell if I don't like it. Edit: I love this and I'm glad to have it :)

For anyone in Los Angeles or New York, try calling Scent Bar — they may have one or two bottles of the re-issue left (not the Hollywood location as I was very lucky to get the last one!).

Back in the collection. The smell stayed with me the whole year after I sold it. It is so unique and unlike anything I have smelt.

Futuristic through the lens of the 1920s, like being on the set of Metropolis. Masterpiece

First of all.... despite any negative things I might say about this perfume, I think it's very good. Creative, made by a real legendary perfumer, the bottle and imagery it evokes are powerful and desirable, so hats off to Greco. Most of all I'm happy that stuff like this is still getting made. I think Rauque is catering to a niche within a niche of people who maybe are nostalgic for vintage, bygone stuff but with a sense of wanting something new, exciting, artisanal, avant garde. I think this ticks the boxes. First thing that struck me was a dusty, fusty, amber accord, choking, slightly rubbery, fleshy, not quite earthy but someone mentioned mushrooms to me when they sent the sample and I will go a along with that, texturally at least. The same way Tom Ford have that truffle aspect. What annoys me is lazy references to Chamade, Derby (because of a certain vintage leatheriness I suppose?) and Fahrenheit. I mean the Fahrenheit one annoys me a bit because these fragrances are totally different (well aside from on paper they are both predominantly violet, amber and leather) but I suspect this contains methyl octine carbonate a signature violet/floral material which you can definitely detect in Rauque's make up. It's not a classical stuffy, papery Ionone nor is it a fleshy, sweet orris type violet it's deliberately deployed here as a completely different shade of purple. Also the dreaded Ambrarome a material, which fascinates and repels me in equal measure, taking one of my absolute favourite things in the world cistus/Labdanum and pulling out a vile, animalistic, ambergris adjacent qualities from it. Thankfully it's restrained enough in Rauque for me to be able to appreciate it's facets without running for the hills. I found a pissy quality (certainly in the opening 30 mins) which many folks will love and this could be a cassis sort of material coming into play, so really the major players here create this kinda, filthy, greasy, amber violet, resin, animalistic, mushroom, composition which is all complementary and in harmonious resonance . This feels quite like Sheldrake but when I first sprayed it, and subsequently first sprayed it on to wear, I was struck by just how chaotic and almost indy it felt, takes a minute to settle into a groove and you realise just how well balanced and un-accidental (deliberate?) this perfume is. Perhaps Sheldrake has been informed or inspired by the indy movement of the last 10+ years, a movement his work for Serge Lutens doubtless was the inspiration for lots of self trained artisans, and so the cycle continues. I must say, wearing this is much more rewarding than I'd imagined it to be, my first impressions were good if a little confused, I just don't like this perfume, it doesn't fill me with joy, there's something odd and unsettling, discomforting about this collection of notes and accords. It's almost smirking at me like a killer giving a TV interview or a Police press conference and revealing micro expressions of dupers delight. Something is wrong here. The fact it's so thought provoking and warrants a fairly wordy review even by my standards, should tell you that I think it's worthy of investigation and for those who love this and think it's a masterpiece, I won't argue the toss because I can totally see why you might think that, just not for me.

Initially, my reaction to Rauque was a blunt resemblance to 1980s Fahrenheit (yeah, I know, mea culpa, but it was inevitable), leading to disappointment. However, a more deliberate reevaluation revealed Rauque as the epitome of artisanal perfumery, lacking originality yet impeccably crafted. The olfactory journey, curated with meticulous balance, bears the unmistakable signature of a skilled nose – Sheldrake’s, in this case, echoed by camphorous nuances reminiscent of Lutens. While discussions often highlight narcissus or mushrooms, the mastery in showcasing osmanthus within this aromatic ensemble is noteworthy. An unwelcome entry, though, is struck with ambrarome: a personal sensitivity required just one second to identify it, tending to place it far from high-quality fragrances. Nevertheless, Rauque transcends the confines of perfume, design, and concept. It imparts a lesson: «Want to learn the art of perfume-making? Here I am». The purchase, in hindsight, becomes a non-regrettable choice, with originality taking a backseat to Rauque’s instructional allure.

Shapeshifting delightfully abstract ambery scent that reaps rewards to the adventurous perfume lover. The scent opens with notes of violet leaf and cassia. The heart is osmanthus, myrrh and slight mushroom. The perfume settles on a dense bed of labdanum surrounded by a leather note and slight pine tar. Depending on your orientation, the scent can be open to a variety of interpretations all the way from a wintry forest garden to the smell of a decorated holiday home. The unisex slightly masculine leaning scent has moderate to strong sillage and good longevity. Enjoy!

Got a generous sample from a friend, he said it wasn’t a love for him, the scent has the essence of artisanal qualities, slightly in the vein of a distinctive cousin, named Mr Aramis Devin. The greenery is sharp and bright the flowers are lovely and freshly cut, the leather touches the earthy mushroom and leaves a lot more of amber space to play. The leather is the key player freshly buffed and polished. Unique clean and a bit old school.

An ode to vintage style power house parfum of the 80s meets modern Amber of the future. For me Rauque evokes reflections of past years I never lived, social class and the ideology thereof , personal dealings with self-awareness, indulgence, intimacy and leisure time. Art w/o a doubt.... Bottle 99/500

Sampling this for the second time right now. This one isn’t for me (thank goodness because I can’t get it anymore), but I do enjoy it more than Œillères (and far less than my favorite perfume of all time, Porter Sa Peau). It’s really, really hard to describe and unlike anything I’ve tried before. I’m not someone who’s familiar with a lot of vintage perfumes, but it smells vintage to me while being simultaneously futuristic. Rauque is: a bouquet of wilting flowers, crushed & compressed decaying leaves, mushrooms, your grandmother’s makeup, and a type of scene in a film noir where a mysterious brand new character passes the protagonist as she lights a cigarette.

A gloomy, greasy haired biker stands in front of an opening to a cave in a damp forest. He’s holding a bouquet of violets. He ushers you in and you sit together quietly on a leather couch listening to the sounds of the woodland. You notice some mushrooms and wonder whether you left the heating on at home.

Rauque by Roberto Greco Rauque is a true masterpiece of modern perfumery. This scent is a wild and alluring blend of contrasting notes that will captivate your senses and leave you wanting more. It starts off with bergamot and lavender burst forth, providing a fresh and herbaceous introduction. However, it’s not long before the scent takes a dramatic turn, revealing a rich and animalic heart of narcissus, osmanthus, and violet leaf. This floral trio is both lush and powdery, with a sensual quality that’s impossible to ignore. As the scent evolves, the base notes of leather, incense, and musk emerge, adding depth and warmth to the overall blend. The leather is particularly noteworthy, with a supple, suede-like quality that’s both comforting and alluring. What sets Rauque apart from other perfumes is its unique ability to balance contrasting elements. It’s a scent that’s both bright and dark, fresh and animalic, powdery and sensual. This tension creates a truly captivating experience that’s sure to appeal to fans of complex, avant-garde perfumery. It easily lasts somewhere between 8-10 hours on skin which is a plus. In short, Rauque is a must-try for anyone seeking a truly unique and alluring scent. Its wild and unpredictable nature makes it a true standout in the world of modern perfumery.