· stream & pre-order the 2LP · CD · DL: https://idol-io.link/NowIs

London-based musician and producer Ryan Lee West, aka Rival Consoles, is back with the euphoric, pulsating title track to his upcoming record Now Is — bursting into colour like the appearance of the summer sun.

Now Is marks a new chapter in an ongoing quest for refinement and evolution. More playful and melodic, the album draws from much experimentation in minimalist songwriting and seamlessly blends synthesisers and acoustic instruments.

“There are some pieces that are influenced quite strongly by the isolation and anxiety of these times. There are also pieces which are more optimistic and vibrant, which I think is a consistent attitude of my records, as I want art to express many aspects of life.”

Rival Consoles is set to appear live at festivals this month, with headline shows expected to follow around the album release in the autumn.

Now Is

Rival Consoles - Now Is

Alex Banks releases ‘A Way Out’ on Mesh. The track stands as the first single from his anticipated third studio album ‘Projections.

‘A Way Out’ is a heady dancefloor track with a foot in breaks and techno alike. Flanked by the artist’s signature pads and synths, it balances melancholy and optimism with stirring effect.

A stunning video for ‘A Way Out’ has been created by award-winning motion graphic designer Matthew Clugston. He illustrates the track’s contrasting moods with dynamic images of hectic man-made cities, manipulated and warped in time with Banks’ hectic breakbeats. When the emotive pad sounds join the melee, images of mountains and lakes take the place of the concrete streets and buildings, representing serenity in contrast. 

Written, mixed and produced by Alex Banks
Album artwork by Michael Bodiam
Graphic Design by Colin Droz.
Mastering by Bo at Calyx Mastering
℗ 2022 Mesh © 2022 Just Isn't Music Ltd

Projections

A Way Out

Electronic innovator Max Cooper steps up to Atomnation with one of his standout remixes.

https://atomnationrec.lnk.to/EveMaxCooperRemix

Cooper is someone who combines his academic background and science PhD with high concept electronic music-making. He has worked with machine learning specialists, often uses video to enhance his music and is someone who brings personal emotion as well as technical skill to his work. It comes on his own Mesh label as well as Fields and most recently in the form of his acclaimed Unspoken Words album back in March.

His take on Awe Kid's 'Eve' is built on breakbeats that float through space. Plunging bass dives down deep as the celestial ambient pads float up top. There is tension in that duality that tugs at you both emotionally and physically as well-crafted synth patterns unfold in their midst.

This is a heady, pensive track that is perfectly suited to those late-night moments on the dance floor and compliments Awe Kid's lush debut LP 'Body Logic' that was released in April this year.

Awe Kid - Eve (Max Cooper Remix)

Buy Projections Double LP vinyl / Stream / Download: https://ffm.to/projections

Respected producer, DJ and sound designer Alex Banks presents his third studio album ‘Projections’, returning to Max Cooper’s Mesh imprint. The work follows up critically acclaimed releases on Modeselektor’s Monkeytown, Ninja Tune, where he remixed Bonobo, and his sublime sophomore album ‘Beneath the Surface’ from 2019.

Produced in his studio in Brighton, UK, the album is an immersive nine-track masterstroke covering the gamut of electronica, techno, breakbeat, bass and IDM, fit for clubs and home-listening alike. The project was born in the early stages of 2021. With little outside stimulation to draw inspiration from, Banks
invested in new gear including a Moog Matriarch, DFAM and a host of Eurorack Modules - and set about immersing himself in the possibilities of his new semi-modular synths. In terms of sonic reference points, he found himself in new territory, too. “Usually going to a club night, or concert, or even the
simple things in life that you take for granted all feed into a melting pot of things that inspire me to create. But without these, I instead found myself drawing on memories of experiences, and imagining new ones for the future to come. I began to feel like these were projections, almost like memories of experiences I had been projecting via the music I was creating,” he shares, adding that memories of clubbing trips to Berlin, London and Brighton fuelled his vision for the album.

Furthermore, the seclusion we collectively experienced allowed Banks to philosophise on the nature of human connection, which fed into the album concept: “I started to think about how during our period of relative isolation, we are all projecting into the digital ether, searching for a connection in an increasingly virtual world where shared human contact and experiences have
become scarce.”

Resonate

What We Have

Recall Mindset

Into The Realm

Transition

Before The End

A track that didn't make the album 'Now is' but I like some moments in it, so wanted to share this demo. 

Enjoy!

untitled_2022_demo

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Upon Waking By Your Side

Buy/Stream

Upon Waking, By Your Side

Alex Banks is a DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist from Brighton, UK. Praised by the likes of BBC Radio 6, Mixmag, Clash and Uncut, he makes music aimed at the dancefloor that thrills with its sonic intricacy and warm human feeling.
His prismatic sound design decorates rhythms influenced by jungle, broken beat and dubstep, while techno effects hiss and clank, and off-world IDM melodies snake around the arrangements. Bank’s sound carries instantly recognisable motifs and an impressive quality. All the while he consistently pushes the envelope with an adept technical skill and sound design which commands repeated listens.
‘Projections’ is the title of Banks’ third studio album that is set for release on Max Cooper’s Mesh in summer 2022. Characterised by his passion for analogue gear and experimentation, the work is a pure distillation of his production expertise and love for emotive synth sounds. The project includes visual collaborations with award-winning motion graphic designer Matthew Clugston and Tosh Fieldsend from renowned VFX house The Mill.
His other work includes critically acclaimed releases on Modeselektor’s Monkeytown, Ninja Tune and Hunter/Game’s Just This. Remix credits have seen brilliant re-works of Bonobo, RY-X and Raven Bush. On the collaborative front Banks is just as selective, linking with Max Cooper and Sasha respectively, the latter set for an April release on LNOE as part of the ‘TEN’ compilation. 
A musical polymath, when not immersed in the electronic world, Banks works as a sound designer, composing for film, TV and advertising campaigns. Notable achievements include projects for Global brands such as Nike, Heineken and Honda. 
Alex Banks is entering a fresh and exciting chapter in 2022. A master craftsman in the studio pushing his sound into inspiring new directions, he'll augment the eclectic  'Projections' project on Mesh with a new live AV set up, taking his creative output to a new level.

Into The Realm

Alex Banks

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