Rival Consoles (known as Ryan Lee West in real life) has a new album out, Articulations, a follow up to 2018’s Persona. The same manipulation of sound and layers of synths, intricate rhythms and ebb and flow of the music, melodies and emotion pushing through. It’s all really good stuff and shows that electronic music can be as warm and deep as anything created by people with guitars. The album can be bought both physically and unphysically at Bandcamp.
This comes recommended by Drew (of sadly recently defunct blog Across The Kitchen Table). Rival Consoles featured here a little while ago remixing The Neil Cowley Trio. Rival Consoles own album came out back in April, an introspective feast of electronic sounds, synths, drum machines, computers creating music you could dance to, and music for sitting in dim light and listening to- ambient, drones, melodies. All infused with very human emotions. You can buy it here.
In his most recent Music’s Not For Everyone radio show Weatherall played this track, released back in February. Neil Cowley made an album called Spacebound Apes, a sci fi exploration based loosely around Arthur C Clarke’s 1956 novel The City And The Stars. This remix by Rival Consoles is a joy, a beautiful, lighter than air piece of music that sounds like music made by human machines.
Bagging Area 