Rival Consoles  – Sudden Awareness of Now – Listen to the new single

RIVAL CONSOLES

UNVEILS BRAND NEW SINGLE

‘SUDDEN AWARENESS OF NOW’TAKEN FROM HIS FORTHCOMING ALBUM ARTICULATION OUT 31 JULY ON ERASED TAPES

“Like the best club music, Articulation produces an expansion of generosity, a oneness not only with the next dancer, but all of creation” — A Closer Listen

“An almost investigative view of rhythm and the sonic potential of electronics” — Electronic Sound

Rival Consoles (aka Ryan Lee West) unveils ‘Sudden Awareness of Now’ today, the third single taken from his forthcoming six-track album Articulation, out on Erased Tapes on 31 July 2020: https://youtu.be/eoL6YhWxFwE 

 Rising out of birdsong heard from his studio window, ‘Sudden Awareness of Now’ – the album’s euphoric closer – has a particular urgency about it that seems to perfectly capture a longing for escape. Ryan explains; “This is a song I created late at night, I wanted to make something full of momentum and mood. The bird song that appears at the beginning of the piece was actually a very late idea in the creating process. My studio is surrounded by a lot of trees and there is always bird song, which I love but normally don’t consider wanting to use in my music.

However one day when I was working on the piece, I kept noticing that the birds, were singing perfectly in tune with the song, so much so that it sounded like one of the little melodies that appears at the end of the song. I quickly recorded it on my phone and it just felt right in the music. I think it grounds the song and also plays with the idea that at the beginning of the piece is bird song, and at the end of the piece is a kind of electronic bird song. The end is something I have been longing to make for a long time, which is the closest I have gotten to synths coming in and out of picture like choreography, the synths are having a conversation, and it’s very fluid. The mood of the piece to me, is a kind of bittersweet blend of hope and nostalgia.

”

Articulation (which follows 2018’s Persona) was conceived with a very visual way of thinking, unusual for the London musician and producer. During the writing process Ryan drew structures, shapes and patterns by hand to try and find new ways of thinking about music, giving himself a way to problem-solve away from the computer. The album title references a piece by the avant-garde contemporary composer Györgi Ligeti, though not for its music, but for the non-traditional graphic score that accompanied it.

You can see some of these drawings here: http://www.rivalconsoles.net/diagram

Since the release of Persona, Ryan Lee West has taken his captivating live A/V set to all corners of the world. Last seen live on stage with 17 players of the London Contemporary Orchestra for a sold-out orchestral performance at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in January 2020, live announcements will be made as soon as the current situation allows for safe event planning.Meanwhile West has kept busy. After contributing an exclusive track titled ‘Them Is Us’ to Adult Swim’s coveted Singles series, he recently shared the beautifully textured solo piano piece Winter’s Lament on this year’s Piano Day. He has also been in high demand as a composer, scoring Charlie Brooker’s much talked about Black Mirror episode Striking Vipers, composing original music for Secret Cinema presents Stranger Things as well as renowned choreographer Alexander’s Whitley’s groundbreaking new work Overflow which was set to premiere at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre this spring.

ARTICULATION TRACKLIST

1. Vibrations on a String

2. Forwardism

3. Melodica

4. Articulation5.

5.Still Here

6. Sudden Awareness of Now

PRE-ORDER ARTICULATION: https://IDOL.lnk.to/articulation

VINYL / CD / DIGITAL – ERATP133

Listen to ‘Sudden Awareness of Now’ on YouTube

PRAISE FOR 2018’S PERSONA

“Album Of The Day” — BBC Radio 6 Music“West has made a career out of evoking human emotions with digital sounds” — Pitchfork“Ambient leaning, mind expanding electronics” — DJ Magazine “Unequivocally Rival Consoles’ finest work to date” (8/10) — Loud & Quiet“Without doubt Rival Consoles’ best yet” (8/10) — Crack Magazine“Arguably Rival Consoles’ Magnus Opus, this is one of the Albums of the Year” — Electronic Sound“The strongest album of his career” — A Closer Listen

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