Rival Consoles in Conversation

Rival Consoles is a name familiar to many, we have covered his Fact Mag against the clock video many moons ago. Here he is in conversation with Audiotree, with a live performance following up. He makes a unique blend of melodic-trance-like arpeggios, and serene cosmic landscapes through his music. Highly recommended if you're not familiar with his work... 

Rival Consoles, the moniker of Ryan Lee West, is an electronic musician from England who creates driving, experimental dance tracks primarily with analog equipment. West has always searched for new ways to approach his synthesizers. Over the course of his career, his music has ranged from hard edged IDM (intelligent dance music) to more overtly club-oriented electro-house.

West made his debut in 2007 as Aparatec with the glitchy, acid-tinged "Vemeer". Later in 2007, he premiered his Rival Consoles moniker with his EP, "Decadent", which combined galloping breakbeats with increasingly complex and dramatic synthesizer melodies and arrangements. As West has matured as an artist, his work has become more conceptual, with works like 'Howl' (2015) consisting of intricate compositions focusing on a restricted amount of sounds, and 'Overflow' (2021) focusing on the societal effects of technology and social media. West's most recent album, 'Now Is' (2022) takes a more minimalist route, blending acoustic and electronic instruments.

It was an honor to witness Rival Consoles' painterly, atmospheric production style first hand.  Watching West daisy-chain effects pedals and modular synths feels akin to watching a master  execute a masterpiece out of a palette of stuttering synths, sparse rhythms, and reverberating flourishes.

We're very grateful to share this special performance from Rival Consoles on Audiotree From Nothing!

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