London-based electronic producer Ryan Lee West is notable for making
synthesisers sound both human and atmospheric under the moniker Rival Consoles.
Shying away from creating all of his sounds on the laptop, he instead molds and
shapes his melodies on his Prophet, Moog Voyager and
tape delay, the same gear he also uses on his live performances. With the
release of his 2013 EP Odyssey, Rival Consoles gained a reputation for making
thoughtful electronica that spun a wide spectrum of musical ideas. Whilst
2014’s Sonne in many ways is a continuation in
exploring sonic atmosphere and space, it’s important to West that the music
structures itself around a pulse, rather than the pulse being the defining
point.
From the distorted waves in 3 Chords, growing and shrinking, to the rhythmic
waves of constant speeding up and then slowing down in Recovery, it’s the
sythesisers that make up the core sound of the record. Whilst tracks like
Helios, Haunt and Think Tank see West play live drums and acoustic guitar.