Tilia’s new album is the work of Alexander Peterhaensel, and Vous Rêvez/Vous Ne Rêvez Pas is a 3-track mini album, with an additional audio/video track of the same name – recorded in London and mixed in Cologne. Musically, Peterhaensal creates some fine lengthy, minimalist compositions here, using intricately placed samples and melodic piano loops.
The opening …And Coming Back is a fine example, as the song slowly evolves from its stuttering mesh of noise, clicks and cut up samples into a delicate blend of memorable electronica. Roundaround opens with more lovingly placed piano, which becomes distorted through the use of spliced vocal samples and background scratching, it’s rather like being witness to a conversation in another room, and is strangely hallucinatory. Again, the song fills out to introduce warmer bass elements.
The 12-minute track Moronic closes the album, sticking to the principles of the opening two tracks, but using sampled, guitar-sounding elements. Peterhaensal does exceedingly well in creating a richly listenable soup of ideas and instrumentations on both this track and throughout. Comparisons to Steve Reich and Tortoise have been made; and their minimal electronic influence is certainly noticeable, although Vous Rêvez/Vous Ne Rêvez Pas album has very much its own inimitable style, even if it is a little on the short side.