Alveol & Genoveva - Sleeping Flower EP

  • Share
  • The press release for this collaboration between Alveol and vocalist Genoveva Kachurkova, their first for the nascent Stem label, calls the record "interesting, tripped-out material." That description is only half accurate. Sleeping Flowers is indeed strange and difficult to fully comprehend, but it's about as interesting as a play-by-play of someone's first mushrooms trip. At moments across Sleeping Flower it feels like two records are playing together, mashed in an uncomfortable mix. To let "Sleeping Flower" roll on for almost 10 minutes is overly indulgent, particularly since by the time its synths fade out it's difficult to actually remember anything about the track. Both versions of "Close" are equally empty, and would fit comfortably onto a late '90s chillout compilation. A resonant bassline at least offers some structure to the Herzel and Genoveva remix, but the "Veil Of Maya" version stretches a handful of ideas out into an aimless 12 minutes that feels twice as long. The one light in the dark is Lake People's sparkling remix of "Sleeping Flower." The fat is trimmed, the wooliness is discarded, and from what was indistinct emerges a slab of atmospheric techno that's locked in place with a snare drum like a blacksmith's hammer. It probably still doesn't need to run for seven minutes, but compared with its neighbours it seems pleasantly brief.
  • Tracklist
      01. Sleeping Flower 02. Sleeping Flower (Lake People Remix) 03. Close (Veil Of Maya Remix) 04. Close (Herzel & Genoveva Remix)
RA