Rival Consoles^UK

Photo credit: Eva Vermandel

Better known under his alias Rival Consoles, Ryan Lee West crafts atmospheric IDM from the abstractions of memory under a microscope.

From an early age, West was known to experiment with the raw materials on his parent’s property, hammering nails, sawing wood, curiously exploring the sonic narratives that lay within. As Rival Consoles, he’s harnessed these investigative leanings, evoking the whole of the emotional spectrum through new-found tones. From diaphanous synth melodies to fizzing guitar timbres, his sonic touches hint at something uncanny yet intimately familiar: the cracking of ice, the buzzing of a fridge, the distant hum of the motorway.

Crafted during a time of upheaval and displacement in West’s life, his ninth studio album, Landscape from Memory, stitches together scraps of discarded audio snippets to create an archive of creativity in motion. A collection of postcards from everywhere, the album lives in a state of restlessness and emotional tug-of-war, blazing with colour and the unmistakable imprint of a sound-shaper’s love for his craft.

Arcing cinematically through the rhythmic tides of time, West’s electronic productions speak to something otherworldly yet profoundly human, articulating his rich inner world through a musical language unbound by words.

Rival Consoles
Live A/V | Canadian premiere

Always searching for unfamiliar sounds, Rival Consoles bursts forth with a cinematic blend of ambient electronica and synth-driven IDM. Cross-cutting between grainy electroacoustic vignettes and the luminous pang of sudden recall, his performances unfold with the inertia of conflicting emotion, chronicling the swish-pan motion of memory in reverse.

For his performance at MUTEK’s 27th edition, Rival Consoles will be accompanied by visual artist David Sydiongco.