RIVAL CONSOLES profile picture

RIVAL CONSOLES

About Me


CINEMATIC DANCE MUSIC FOR THE MORE DISCERNING FLOORS
RIVAL CONSOLES is youthful purveyor of intelligent dance music Ryan Lee West. With his highly anticipated debut album, West, the first born and long-standing artist on Erased Tapes, has crafted an electronic record to transcend the discerning and flirt a little with the club culture of summer 2009. I–II–III– IO !
Born November 10th, '1985', Ryan Lee West grew up in the small city of Leicester in the midlands of England. Fascinated by sound from an early age, Ryan chose to dedicate his time to studying, experimenting with and producing sound at De Montfort University Leicester.
West strives to humanise and at the same time emphasise entirely computerised sounds to defy categorisation in modern electronic music. Rival Consoles combines a clever and complex mix of hard-hitting beats with catchy acid melodies.
Or as he describes it in his own words: ‘Rival Consoles is a musical project where I take ideas which are cheap and processed, and combine them with rich, unpredictable patterns – resulting in music which appears commercial yet typically against commercial music at the same time.’
Earlier EP releases clearly define his progression from ‘The Decadent EP’ and the follow-up 7-inch ‘Helvetica’, where instead of X-Box vs. Playstation, classical theory meets dance. More recently West contributes three album tracks, ‘Milo’, ‘Func’ and ‘ARP’ to his 12-inch split EP with Ólafur Arnalds’ minimal-techno outfit Kiasmos.
There is more to this freshly graduated 23 year-old than meets the eye, for those not content with 4/4 beat dance floor stormers; West is fast establishing himself as both a sound designer and programmer. Having repeatedly performed at the Tate Britain Museum in London, where he drew over 2000 visitors into his unpredictable, yet detailed sound drawings ‘…using self-created sound manipulation tools in MAX/MSP and Super Collider’. New York based composer Nico Muhly , known for scoring the Oscar-nominated The Reader and his collaborations with artists from Björk to The National, is amongst one of the first to receive West’s trademark remixes.
After having supported his city neighbours and label comrades Kyte on a first extensive European tour last winter, Rival Consoles will embark on a first headline tour throughout the UK and Europe later this year.
VISUAL MEDIA
AGENDA (live in Munich)
HELVETICA (video trailer)
THE DECADENT EP (video trailer)
SEVENTEEN (video by Robjn)
DOWNLOAD FROM BEATPORT IF YOU MUST

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 03/05/2007
Band Website: erasedtapes.com
Band Members: Ryan Lee West

Label/Management
Licensing/Remix Requests:
Robert @ Erased Tapes , London.

UK/EU Booking Agent:
Naomi @ Elastic Artists , London.

Discography:

IO
(ERATP016)

CD in Digisleeve
incl. 1985, Milo, Func & ARP

Preview // Pre-Order // Out July 13.

'The music of Ryan Lee West writhes in a field of its own, twitching and buzzing like little else... One of the best releases of its kind this year.' – Clash Live Preview

'Thrilling stuff, primed for the more discerning floors...' Top Download – Bleep.com

'It creaks, it rattles, it makes a horrible noise and sometimes sounds a bit like ancient Nintendo games. It's like nothing you've ever heard before!' – Musikexpress (DE)

'Rival Consoles is one very hyper man amalgamating the progressive beats of LCD Soundsystem with the wicked techno chaos of Aphex Twin. It's apparent that this is an act which it's totally cool for you to like!' – Rock Sound

'Two words: Electro Genius.' – BBC Radio

'An inventive use of machinery all-round, reaching a peak with the flood of analogue goodness that is 'ARP'.' – Boomkat (UK)

'It’s deep and dark like a half-filled mineshaft but still as pepped and cheeky as a chimney-sweep. If you’re after a fully-restored taste of the past that’s ready to take on the future, this’ll do you some serious good, trust me.' - Cokemachineglow.com

'The attack of the console warriors!'
- White Tapes (DE)

MILO/65
(ERATP013)

12" Split Vinyl incl. DDC*
incl. Milo, Func & ARP.
65 & Walled by KIASMOS.

Preview // Order // Download

'Killer five track electro workout from Kiasmos and Rival Consoles. West's Rival Consoles contribution is a sleek and tidy affair laced with clean lines and Detroit pads and acid flecks. On the remainder, Icelandic producer Kiasmos strips reduces the matter down to elegant, deep bass tones and excellent use of space and delay.' Top Download – Bleep.com

'Extremely elegant and addictive, sharp and hypnotic. Worthy of the best underground clubs around!' (4.3/5) – The Milk Factory (UK)

'A well-suited pairing on Erased Tapes, Kiasmos and Rival Consoles team up for some stirring electro-tinged synth and drum machine collisions.' – Boomkat (UK)

'Minimalist techno soundscapes that still include the post-rock sensabilities and emotive song composition abilities that Ólafur is known for. West is in full-on techno mode. It’s hard to tell prior to knowing this where the Icelandic ends and the Leicester man begins as both have a flare for experimentation as their beats and their melodic and rhythmic synths flow seemlessly together.' (8/10) – Drop-D (IE)

'Sweet, sultry and seductive neo-romanticism between electro and IDM brands them as both recognisable and unique.' – Beat Magazine (DE)

HELVETICA
(ERATP012)

Limited 7" Vinyl incl. DDC*
incl. B-Sides Indie Is Dead, Holste & Seventeen (IO RMX)

Preview // Order // Download

'A 7" on Erased Tapes has fallen into my fat lap and it's a beauty. 'Helvetica' spills with that melodic, scattershot breaks stuff, dramatic harpsichord synth lines crying over playful, erratic drum patterns to make wondrous childlike sonic architecture.' Single Of The Week – Norman Records

'Traditional concepts quickly become null and void on this EP. Although this EP was not recorded as a concept piece, like many compilations of classical pieces it could easily be interpreted as such, not so surprising seeing as this guy has also repeatedly performed at the Tate Museum.' (7/10) – Drop-D (IE)

'The next Ólafur Arnalds record... sounding like an uptempo Mr. Oizo remix. Easily one of the most interesting releases of 2009 so far.' – Zombie Attack

THE DECADENT EP
(ERATP005)

Limited 10" incl. DDC*
incl. Kitsch & Seventeen

Preview // Order // Download

'Another impressive feather in the Leicester boffin’s cap!' – Rock Sound

'Ryan Lee West crafts here a splendid example of modern electronic music at its most interesting and yet, he manages to keep his work accessible and enjoyable.' (4.3/5) – The Milk Factory

'The sound of a drum machine smacked by a serial killer invades these harrowing instrumentals making your every waking moment like walking down a darkened street to the sound of rustling bushes. An impressive selection!' – New Noise

Other Releases:

APARATEC
Vemeer EP
(ERATP002)

Limited Edition 7" incl. CDR
{Less than ten copies left!}

Preview // Order // Download

'Kraftwerk meets Jacques Lu Cont. Electro rhythm with crafted quirk!' – Channel 4 Music

'Try listening to this extremely late at night while walking down a dark and deserted street and see how many times you look over your shoulder afraid that you are being followed. The music only adds to the paranoia.'
– Delusions Of Adequacy (US)

'Bendy as heck acid electro, that's really bloody accomplished and fresh. He's the first person I've heard to utilise that sound and for him to be progressive with it without resorting to plagiarism earns him big brownie points. I bet even AFX would be impressed with the lad's fantastic efforts. It's his keen ear for warm melodies and tidy, playful beats that makes this such a damn treat.' – Norman Records

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Erased Tapes Collection I - At the end of all music happiness will be erased (ERATP010)

FREE Digital 11-track Erased Tapes compilation featuring Rival Consoles remixes of Canon Blue Odds & Ends & The British Expeditionary Force A Long Way From Home.

This is Erased Tapes 10th release - available as a FREE DDC * Voucher with every purchase of physical Erased Tapes releases to celebrate the label's 1st anniversary! Preview

For your FREE copy visit ddc.erasedtapes.com and type in MY-FREE-ERATP010 together with your email address to receive our official newsletter.

'Essential listening for sonic explorers!' (9/10) – Rock Sound

'What sets Erased Tapes apart from many other DIY labels on the scene is their no-holds-barred approach to providing an almost unparalleled library of eclectic sounds.' (8/10) – Drowned In Sound

'What unites these artists is gently dreamy euphony.' – Spiegel (DE)

*DDC: Digital Download Code that allows customers to download a free digital version of the release from the Erased Tapes online store.

Influences: Aparatec
Sounds Like: kick - snare - kick - snare

Record Label: Erased Tapes Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

June 22 LONDON SHOW - CLASH Live Preview

65DAYSOFSTATIC (DJ SET) PLUS SUPPORTRival Consoles, worriedaboutsatan, Digitonal, Clash DJsLONDON: The Social, W1MON 22ND JUN, 2009 7pm - 12am65DAYSOFSTATIC (DJs)65days will be dropping in to deliver ...
Posted by on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:43:00 GMT

Free Audio Tool!!!

part of a series of free audio tools I have made in MAX/MSP which will be free. Here is the first...and it is called...BINSCAPE~you don't need MAX/MSP to run this because it is a stand alone At the mo...
Posted by on Tue, 26 May 2009 13:12:00 GMT

12" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12" Split featuring 3 tracks. Milo.Func.ARPOther side of vinyl features 2 tracks by Kiasmos - minimalist techno.All tracks can be heard at the following link in full, for Free!!!http://www.last.fm/mus...
Posted by on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:45:00 GMT

Helvetica review...

...
Posted by on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 04:00:00 GMT

LIVE SET free online...

Here is a link to a set I did for Different Class Radio - you can stream or download for free at the following link.http://www.differentclassradio.co.uk/?page_id=76Track List;Clip IV SeventeenAgenda A...
Posted by on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:41:00 GMT

Rock Sound Review and the borderline totalitarian remark

Here be a review of the most recent Erased Tapes label night held at Monto Water Rats. This might seem ok and even nice - but if you take a closer look you notice something very strange..."t...
Posted by on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:37:00 GMT

RIVAL CONSOLES + KYTE tour...

KYTE announce second EU Tour for November! Special Guest: RIVAL CONSOLESAfter a successful first European tour in September, supporting our self-titled debut in Germany, Switzerland and Poland, we wil...
Posted by on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:31:00 GMT

WHITE NOISE CHRISTMAS - Leicester

This a real exposition of Leicester's current music scene - which I might add, is now lifting itself out of the creative toilet into something worth considering, and who knows even enjoyable?Please ch...
Posted by on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

the Demon Interview

For the full edition click here page 16
Posted by on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:11:00 GMT

Lilian Baylis Theatre

Despite the fact the venue was amazing the audience was, how shall I say? a little C of E in their actions or lack of. Thanks to Ben at Arctic Circle.
Posted by on Mon, 26 May 2008 06:06:00 GMT