Artist: Rival Consoles
Album: Night Consoles
Label: Erased Tapes
Release Date: 05/08/2016
Mini albums are a delight, aren't they? They're gifts made to perk us up when things get a little rough, or when you're contending with an August in Ibiza, which is notoriously a pretty fraught time. British producer, Ryan Lee West, aka Rival Consoles, seems to have caught on to this fact, and to help us through the heat, he's produced a little something just for us. Night Consoles is a six package beauty released on independent record label, Erased Tapes Records, known for being the home of imaginitive and innovative muscians, which describes Rival Consoles perfectly.
The album kicks off with 'Pattern of The North', a deeply textured track that has listeners digging into parts of the mind they wouldn't usually. It's a tune that hits you on a personal level - I almost felt like I was prying into Ryan Lee West's head by putting my earphones in - a technique that takes years for producers to conquer. Rival Consoles has experimented with the power of silence throughout this first track, building the atmosphere up before dropping the volume, adding intensity to the emotion that's already on display.
'Johannesburg' introduces a rebounding bounce from the first second, before dramatically throwing in a cluster of sounds that could be mistaken for a wasp nest a few yards away. A rolling, echoing sound of the xyolophone keeps us on our toes while the background floats behind. This seven minute journey intensifies towards the end, preparing us for 'Slow Song', which twists sounds into something more exotic with a light sample of Jamaican tin drums.
Track four lifts the bittersweet, eerie mood and picks up the pace. 'Lone' conjures mental images of bedroom swirling while drinking wine from the bottle - a feel-good track presented perfectly by Ryan Lee West. 'Night Melody' is the pinnacle of the 34-minute album, explaining the meaning behind 'Night Consoles', which was produced with no sunlight gracing the producer, who explains in his reason for the song title:
“I found myself in a silent home, with the days getting dark very early. I've never before in my life been affected by the lack of light so much. I just remember it always being nighttime. I would either make music into the night, go out drinking with friends, or go to parties and dance into the early hours, every day, week after week, month after month, until eventually the days became brighter again.”
The album finishes off with 'What Sorrow', yet another personal insight into West's deeply intricate mind. Night Consoles achieves what most producers aim to; taking us into a different dimension and attaching us to the producer themselves - a technique that has been mastered by this geniusly creative artist. Rival Consoles has made his way onto every bit of technology I own and it's not going anywhere fast.
Tracklist
01. Pattern Of The North
02. Johannesburg
03. Slow Song
04. Lone
05. Night Melody
06. What Sorrow
