Rival Consoles is 21-year old IDM-smith Ryan Lee West from Leicester in the Midlands of England. After having supported his city neighbours and label comrades Kyte on an extensive European tour in November 2008, West locked himself away all winter to finish his first full-length album, set to see the light of day in mid 2009. In the meantime fans of his debut ‘The Decadent EP’ will be pleased to hear that on February 23, 2009 Erased Tapes Records will release an exclusive 4-track 7” single / download bundle – Rival Consoles' take on classical music entitled 'Helvetica'. Instead of X-Box versus Playstation, here West plays classical against dance music!

Influenced by impressionists like Claude Debussy and modern electronic artists such as Autechre and Daft Punk, Ryan Lee West created a unique signature sound for Rival Consoles. A playful and brutal mix of electronic beats, emotive piano melodies and warm synth string arrangements. Ryan repeatedly performed at the Tate Britain Museum in London where he drew over 2000 visitors into his unpredictable, yet detailed sound drawings. He was the first to represent Erased Tapes Records at the British Music Week 2007 in Cologne, Germany.

In February 2007 he released and toured the more quirky ‘Vemeer EP’ under his second musical alias Aparatec, which sold like hot cakes and earned him IDM, acid and electro fans alike – Brian at Norman Records was ecstatic:

‘Bendy as heck acid electro, that's really bloody accomplished and fresh. He's the first person I've heard to utilise that sound and for him to be progressive with it without resorting to plagiarism earns him big brownie points. I bet even AFX would be impressed with the lad's fantastic efforts. It's his keen ear for warm melodies and tidy, playful beats that makes this such a damn treat.’

New York composer and film scorer Nico Muhly, Daniel James aka Canon Blue from Nashville as well as fellow countrymen The British Expeditionary Force are amongst the first to receive Rival Consoles’ trademark remixes. As the last title on ‘Helvetica’ implies, West added a remix of his debut EP track ‘Seventeen’ to prepare everyone for something extremely more dance-orientated coming up next…


RIVAL CONSOLES
HELVETICA
(ERATP012)

PRE-ORDER your copy of the hand-stamped limited 500 edition 7" record incl. DDC (Download) now!

‘Two words: Electro Genius!’ – BBC Radio

'One very hyper man amalgamating the progressive beats of LCD Soundsystem with the wicked techno chaos of Aphex Twin. It is apparent that this is an act which it’s totally cool for you to like!’ – Rock Sound

'The sound of a drum machine smacked by a serial killer invades these harrowing instrumentals making your every waking moment like walking down a darkened street to the sound of rustling bushes. An impressive selection!' – New Noise

'West crafts here a splendid example of modern electronic music at its most interesting and yet, he manages to keep his work accessible and enjoyable.' (4.3/5) – The Milk Factory

’Another impressive feather in the Leicester
boffin’s cap!' – Rock Sound



enjoy,

Erased Tapes