London-based producer Ryan Lee West better known under the name Rival Consoles, is notable for making synthesisers sound human and atmospheric. Over the course of a critically acclaimed fifteen-year career, Rival Consoles’ music has diversified from the challenging electronic output of his early EPs to gradually become more conceptual and metamorphic, such as Articulation (2020) which used drawings and sketches to imagine and develop each track, to Overflow (2021), which explored themes of the human and emotional consequences of life surrounded by advancing technologies including social media. Rival Consoles' 2020 studio album Articulation was followed by a sold out UK Tour and the release of Overflow — a resonant and explorative soundscape of original music, composed for renowned choreographer Alexander Whitley’s contemporary dance production of the same name.
His consistent desire to create a more organic, humanised sound sees West often draft early ideas on traditional, acoustic instruments like the guitar or the piano; forming pieces that capture a sense of songwriting behind the electronics. Considered one of the UK’s most influential creators of electronic music, lee West is marking a new chapter in an ongoing quest for refinement and evolution. More playful and melodic in nature and style to previous years, his latest album draws on outside influences including music, art and film alongside colours, shapes and human emotions.