Articulation

Album review

After being inducted into the label Erased Tapes’ catalogue with their EP Verneer (under the pseudonym Aparatec) in 2007, Ryan Lee West aka Rival Consoles has gradually propelled himself to the position of pioneer in his form of melancholic and spatial electronica, remixing great artists such as Clark, Max Cooper and Jon Hopkins. For his seventh album, the British producer has thrown himself into a new composition concept by drawing structure… by hand: “With a pen and paper sketch you can compose and rethink ideas without technology getting in the way, so for me it acts as a very helpful tool to refresh the process.”

After hitting play, you find yourself listening to a truly interesting record, with tracks structured differently to any other electronic music track. Vibrations, for example, unwinds a downtempo and crazed house while the title track Articulation is positioned between ambient and futuristic beats à la Four Tet from his Rounds era which symbolises the concept adopted by Rival Consoles on this record. “Its structure is very machine-like, but I was really interested in how melody and sense of story could develop out of this, and it became an exploration of mathematical structures - patterns and shapes having a conversation. I love that something on paper can appear rigid and calculated, but then take on new meaning based on the context that surrounds it.”, explains West in what seems to be a new profession of faith. With such a record, Erased Tapes continue to take centre stage of the avant-garde electronic scene. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz