writing

Famous Last Cord

Ever Onwards

Listen to an exclusive “Solo Piano Edit” of 'Them' by Nils Frahm, taken from his approaching Late Night Tales album. The original version appears on his score of the film 'Victoria'. 

"This is the main theme from my first feature film score and it soundtracks the part where they finally kiss in the club… I soloed this piano part in the track and listening to it on its own, I almost preferred it to the original version, so I was pleased that I had the chance to use this alternative version on my mix." - Nils Frahm

Follow Late Night Tales:

Web: http://latenighttales.co.uk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/latenighttales1
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LateNightTales
SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/latenighttales
YouTube: http://youtube.com/latenighttalestv
Instagram: http://instagram.com/latenighttalesofficial
Spotify: http://goo.gl/Q98T7d
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/curator/late-night-tales/1233898093
Bandcamp: https://latenighttales.bandcamp.com/

Nils Frahm - Them [Solo Piano Edit] (Late Night Tales: Nils Frahm)

Track taken from the upcoming album 'Into The Well' released through Fluid Audio, October 2015...

.....

- Music and arrangements by Dag Rosenqvist and Aaron Martin
- Vocals arranged and performed by Dawn Smithson and Jerker Lund 
- Horns performed by Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø (trombone) and Jenny Olsson (French horn)
- Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden and Topeka, Kansas
- Mixed by Dag Rosenqvist at The 63rd Link in Gothenburg
- Mastered by Taylor Deupree at 12K Mastering

.....

Aaron Martin:
Cello, bass, roll up piano, voice, vinyl, singing bowls, banjo, lap steel

Dag Rosenqvist:
Piano, pump organ, Fender Rhodes, various organs and synthesizers, acoustic and electric guitars, glockenspiel, voice and field recordings

.....

Mailing List:

http://fluidaudio.bigcartel.com/mailing-list

From The Mouth Of The Sun -  Into The Well

12k is happy to present the debut release on the label from Argentinian composer Federico Durand who has had a series of amazing releases on labels such as Spekk, Own, and Desire Path. Federico and 12k crossed paths on a tour of Japan together in 2014 where the personal friendships among the artists and the label are such a part of what 12k is about. Sharing music and ideas throughout the tour led to an invite to make an album.

It’s no accident that Federico’s music has a dusty air of nostalgia surrounding it. It has always been a very personal affair. Songs inspired family, local life and the world around him are woven by hand with a selection of very physical instruments. He works like a craftsman, piecing together fragments of sound from cassette recorders, small instruments and loopers and creates music that’s as softspoken as he is. No pretenses, no disguises, just the most honest and down-to-earth music that can be made. Broken melodies spinning from tape reels, the sounds of bells and small found objects being played with care... The music is as beautiful as it is introspective, like a small window of antique glass looking right into Federico’s soul.

In his own words:

“A través del espejo in Spanish means “Through the mirror”. I am fascinated with the experience of putting a mirror in front of another: as a miracle, the image turns in a loop that flows into infinity. Loops in the mirror get less clear with each repetition, the color becomes diffuse and greener. When these loops turn into a lullaby we can enter the other side of the mirror: a place of delight and insight.

I always make simple melodies as they are born free. In many pieces, I use cassette recorders as an instrument that play friendly with others such as piano, lyre, toys, bells or effects. I enjoy the possibilities of cutting tape and making loops, reversing, and even using many tape recorders at the same time making air recordings of the sound. The Roland Space Echo or 2880, which are loop-machines themselves, match perfectly with this way of working.

When I see an emboridery I enjoy both the front and back where a mysterious, invisible world suddenly appears. For this reason, I am grateful to the natural sounds made by the machines, the crackle of loops and other sounds that appear while working, as an unexpected gift.

A través del espejo is a dream of beauty, A love of handcrafted music.” 

- Federico Durand

A Través Del Espejo

El jardín encantado (The enchanted garden)

Timestretched to the length of the longest recording. Now available for download / vinyl: https://heyexit.bandcamp.com/album/every-recording-of-gymnopedie-1

buy the vinyl

Every Recording of Gymnopedie 1

Preview of the upcoming remix vinyl for Arovane & Hior Chronik's album, In-between. Featuring six takes on the originals the EP is available now in 175gm black vinyl in spot-gloss sleeve (250 copies worldwide). http://asip.me/asipv003r

Arovane & Hior Chronik - In-between (Remix EP 12") Preview

Pre-order Peter's 'Grunewald' EP – out December 9 – on 10"/CD/DL here: phonofile.link/grunewald

Not long after the release of Peter Broderick’s seventh solo album ‘Partners’, the composer closes 2016 with his equally exceptional ‘Grunewald’ recordings, out on December 9th via Erased Tapes.

Born in just one night inside the four walls of the discrete yet majestic Grunewald Church, situated on the outskirts of Berlin, this five-track EP is an exploration of the alluring partnership between the acoustic space and Broderick's solo performance on piano and violin. Reflecting the grandeur of the room and the natural interaction between the instruments and their surrounding environment, 'Grunewald' pays homage to a very unusual space that's become a haven for an entire generation of contemporary composers.


Words from Peter, October 2016:


“In the few years between 2008 and 2011 or so, the Grunewald Church in Berlin was something of a hotspot for a group of us musicians. It started when Nils scouted it as a location in which to record The Bells . . . and then it seemed like we were in there every month or two for a while, either for recordings or for concerts.

There was a lady living just down the street from the church, and we’d just knock on her door, give her a couple hundred euros, and then she’d hand over the keys to the church! To be given unsupervised access in a space like that is really quite unheard of most of the time… For anyone who likes reverb, the Grunewald is a dream come true. That in combination with the beautiful old Bösendorfer piano made it the perfect place for both recording and performing.

When mixing the recordings that comprise this EP, simply titled Grunewald in homage to that old haven of ours, there were no artificial reverbs or delays used . . . only the natural sound of that epic space. Originally these piano recordings were released as part of a split album on a small Japanese label, and the violin piece was included on a compilation, also Japanese . . . but all these pieces were recorded on the same night, in the same space, and it is with great pleasure that I see them reunited for this release.”

TRACK LISTING:

1. Goodnight
2. Low Light
3. Violin Solo No.1
4. It’s A Storm When I Sleep
5. Eyes Closed And Traveling

www.peterbroderick.net · www.erasedtapes.com

Grunewald

Peter Broderick - It's A Storm When I Sleep

Improvised, recorded and produced in Berlin by Sebastian Plano and Tom Adams.

2am is an improvisation for two pianos performed using a Yamaha CP80 and a C.Bechstein Mark B grand piano. It was recorded late at night as part of a longer series of piano improvisations by long time friends and collaborators Tom and Sebastian. 

Sebastian Plano: http://www.sebastianplano.com
Tom Adams: http://tomadams.eu

Image by: Hara Katsiki (FCB @HaraKatsiki, www.harakatsiki.com)

Berlin, 2am - (Tom Adams X Sebastian Plano)

Written, recorded and mixed by Janek Sprachta at Einraum Studio.
Mastered by Andreas Bonkowski.

Grow

Buy GROW

Watch the stunning new video for the title track from Daniel Brandt's solo debut album 'Eternal Something', directed by Bertil Nilsson and featuring choreographers Fukiko Takase and Mbulelo Ndabeni, premiering now over on NOWNESS: https://www.nowness.com/series/just-dance/daniel-brandt-eternal-something-bertil-nilsson

Order 'Eternal Something' on LP/CD/DL from our store: www.erasedtapes.com/store/releasetr…ks/153/ERATP094

Daniel Brandt, co-founder of Germany’s electroacoustic ensemble Brandt Brauer Frick, joins the Erased Tapes family with his solo debut album Eternal Something – available worldwide now.

What started off as a more simplistic idea soon evolved into something a lot more complex as the London and Berlin based music producer travelled across the world, experimenting with various other artists and different instruments. From his father’s cabin based in the German countryside with access to nothing but cymbals, to being surrounded by guitars in Joshua Tree, his unexpected journey soon progressed into what became his first solo album.

Daniel played nearly all instruments himself with the only exception being fellow musicians Florian Juncker on trombone, Manu Delago on hang drum and Andreas Voss on cello. Using his Berlin studio as his main base for recording, Brandt created an album that encapsulates the idea that despite setting out with a particular creative vision, external influences and environments will always shift the process, and create an Eternal Something.

Words from Daniel, January 2017:

“The initial idea was to make a cymbal album. I wanted to surround myself with all types of cymbals. I locked myself into my father’s cabin in the woods for three days. That was the moment I realised it was not possible for me to make an album just with cymbals because other ideas and instruments imposed themselves on me. I had a clear sense of what I wanted to do now. The intention was to let the songs evolve by themselves and not edit too much, keep it raw and have an explosion-like energy to them. I wanted to create a different sound, songs that build up like dance tunes but don't feel like club music at all. Travelling around in California for two months gave me the possibility to deeply get into this concept outside my normal environment. Robert Raths, who served as a great motivator throughout the whole process (I guess he had listened to the record more than I ever had) came up with the perfect order for the songs. This record is about failing to make the original plan happen, but then the discovery of something I couldn't even think of before.”

Prior to being enlisted to create the album artwork, Iranian artist Shaz Madani coincidentally had also planned a trip to Joshua Tree where she documented her own experience of Eternal Something, forming the visual counterpart to the record.

TRACK LISTING

1. Chapparal Mesa 
2. FSG 
3. The White Of The Eye
4. Turn Over 
5. Kale Me
6. Eternal Something 
7. Casa Fiesta 
8. On The Move

Eternal Something

Daniel Brandt - Eternal Something

Pre-order 'Everything' on LP/CD, or buy now digitally here: http://phonofile.link/blb-everything

**The physical LP and CD only contain the carefully compiled 10 tracks by label founder Robert Raths, but will come with a download code to retrieve all 43 tracks digitally. **

Enter the all-encompassing universe of Everything, a score by Ben Lukas Boysen and Sebastian Plano – available worldwide via Erased Tapes on July 28th 2017.

Game creator David OReilly has built an interactive world for you to explore at your choosing. Whether you decide to take the role of a microbe inside a plant in the desert, or a star in the furthermost galaxy, each layer of the game is coated with ambience which takes the simulation even further into the limitless boundaries of each world. Composers Ben Lukas Boysen and Sebastian Plano have shaped this experience with their intricate 4-hour soundscape, alongside the continuous narration by philosopher Alan Watts. 

Though the score has an important part to play in heightening the atmosphere of the game, it has the capability of being a standalone album – carefully sequenced down to a 10-track selection by label founder Robert Raths. There is a considerably therapeutic quality about it, allowing the audience to transcend into a meditative state, which is what makes it a perfect partner for Everything. The music is a whole world of its own, yet part of the game’s universe.

Words from Ben and Sebastian, April 2017:
 
“Composing something quite modular yet coherent that connects with the idea and fabric of the game was quite a task. We discussed many approaches, from really mathematical and direct, to abstract and philosophical, and we ended up with a mixture of both. Every element depends and builds on another and connects to previous and following songs. May it be on a compositional or on an abstract and conceptual level, the game and the music follow the same path and shares almost the same inspirational DNA.“ — Ben Lukas Boysen

"Working on the soundtrack has been a truly inspiring collaboration. What fascinates me about the game is the self-exploratory approach it allows the player to experience; there is no purpose other than just being. This concept gave us wonderful freedom in searching for sounds and ideas that would fit the game. Throughout the score there is a subtle level of drama which gives depth to the game, yet the music never becomes predominant taking the player away from the main experience of being anything. Honest, simple and beautiful, Everything has been a rewarding creative journey to contribute to." — Sebastian Plano

The cover image features multiple components of the Everything universe, meticulously pieced together by David OReilly himself, in collaboration with designer Torsten Posselt at FELD.

“Creating the score for Everything was a colossal undertaking. Its scope is as wide as the game itself. The music encompasses a vast range of sound and texture, held together by the immense skill and talent of Ben Lukas Boysen & Sebastian Plano. Together they created an extraordinary library of music which gives this game great dignity and depth, and elevate the experience beyond what I could have imagined.” — David OReilly

Track listing:

1. Opening		
2. We're Here
3. Winding And Unwinding
4. Eisenach
5. An Infinite Day
6. Opening Light
7. Aalystice
8. Inside Air
9. After Our Efforts
10. Reaching Light

Watch the game trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYHp8LwBUzo

Ben Lukas Boysen & Sebastian Plano - Winding And Unwinding

Pre-order 'The Imperfect Sea' on Vinyl, CD and DL here: phonofile.link/the-imperfect-sea

The iconic Penguin Cafe join the Erased Tapes family and open a brand new chapter to their unique world with new album The Imperfect Sea – out on Erased Tapes 5th May 2017.

A penguin stands in the middle of a scorching desert, far away from its natural habitat. This mirrors composer Arthur Jeffes’ journey and exploration into a new musical territory. Penguin Cafe have evolved into something of their own at the hands of Arthur who started the band in 2009 with the continuation and homage to his father’s legacy, to the late Simon Jeffes’ Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Now, their upcoming album echoes reminiscent sounds that embrace the new.

The album title refers to a saying by his father that “we wade in a sea of imperfections…”, reflecting upon the idea that beauty can be found amongst the chaos. “If there is a narrative to the album it’s coming to the acceptance of the imperfections in all aspects of life; moreover, the recognition that these imperfections and tiny randomnesses are in fact what make up the best parts”, Arthur explains. This has also been highlighted by the striking cover artwork designed by FELD under the art direction of label founder Robert Raths, resembling a lone figure adapting to and accepting its surrounding environment.

Predominantly self-composed, the new album also features covers of electronic works by Simian Mobile Disco and Kraftwerk, along with a re-working of Simon's 'Now Nothing'. Arthur has developed from the traditional folk and jazz heritage Penguin Cafe Orchestra is known for into another realm of blissful ambience and dance music, recreated using strictly acoustic elements.

“For this album I wanted to effect a departure from where we’d been up to now. The idea was to create a musical world that would feel familiar to an audience more used to dance records but stay true to our own values. So we replaced electronic layers with real instruments: pads with real string sections, synths with heavily-effected pianos, and atmospheric analogue drones with real feedback loops ringing through a stone and a piano soundboard.”

On the day of release, the band will play a headline show at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge, commencing the beginning of this new adventure for Penguin Cafe.

The Imperfect Sea

Buy LP/CD/DL

Penguin Cafe - Ricercar

Pre-order 'Eulogy For Evolution 2017' on LP/CD/DL here: http://phonofile.link/eulogy-for-evolution

Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds reissues and revives his debut album in form of a special remastered 10th Anniversary edition titled Eulogy For Evolution 2017 — available worldwide via Erased Tapes on August 25th. 

Following its initial release in 2007 and coinciding with Ólafur’s 30th birthday, label founder Robert Raths gifted the chance for this record to shine a second time. 

'Eulogy For Evolution' is a journey from birth to death, transporting the listener through life itself. Originally written as a teenager, the record has now been restored with the help of his friends, remixed by Ólafur himself and remastered by Nils Frahm. The cover art was redesigned and enhanced by Torsten Posselt at FELD using the original photographs taken by Stuart Bailes during a trip to Ólafur’s home in Iceland in 2007.

To experience the record in the present day is not only to experience the past, but also the sheer timelessness and relevance of these compositions, and the ambition Ólafur has had from the very beginning. “Fast forward 10 years, our relationships and knowledge in sound have matured, but you can still hear this urgency in Óli’s songs that caught my ears to begin with”, states Robert Raths.

Words from Ólafur, June 2017:

 “I spent a couple of weeks in some sort of a time machine, opening up and working on 12-year-old recordings. There was noise in the microphones, some channels seemed accidentally muted, but sometimes I found myself admiring what my teenage self was capable of. It was somehow charming. Well, most of it. So I fixed the stuff that wasn’t before sending it off to Nils Frahm for remastering. 

It was an ambitious outing. When I was 18 my uncle passed away from cancer. It was the first time I had experienced the passing of someone close to me, so I dedicated my work to him. Around the same time his first grandchild was born, and was named after him. I was inspired by the joy and positivity he brought, and saw that somehow life was extended after our death. So I set out to create a solid piece of music that would take us through the circle of life. 

This work by a highly emotional teenager has been revived, matured and, I hope you’ll agree, improved by some of my favourite people in this world. I’m grateful to see it get another chance to shine and I hope you will enjoy this journey to the past.”

Tracklisting:

1. 0040		
2. 0048 / 0729
3. 0952		
4. 1440
5. 1953		
6. 3055
7. 3326
8. 3704 / 3837

Ólafur Arnalds - 1440

Pre-order 'Blurred' on LP/DL: http://phonofile.link/blurred

Kiasmos mark their return in 2017 with a new 12” EP titled Blurred — available worldwide on October 6th via Erased Tapes.

Since their 2015 Swept EP, the duo have been performing shows extensively across the world. After writing and recording together in their native Iceland this year, the pair will be bringing a glimpse of light to a particularly gloomy time of year as their light sounds are brighter than ever.

Words from Ólafur and Janus, August 2017: 
￼ 
￼￼“To write new material felt like a new beginning for us after two years of touring. The plan was to ￼write something a tad darker than our previous stuff. Spring in Reykjavík had other plans though, as this turned out to be our brightest release to date.” — Janus Rasmussen

￼“Stimming was one of the reasons we started making four-on-the-floor music and we have been listening to Bonobo since we were young, so it was a great honour that they wanted to contribute remixes for the EP.” — Ólafur Arnalds

￼The EP closes with remixes from British producer Bonobo and German electronic musician Stimming, taking tracks Blurred and Paused into different coloured realms.

The cover art featuring the iconic Kiasmos symbol is by long-time Erased Tapes collaborator Torsten Posselt at FELD.

TRACK LISTING

1. Shed 
2. Blurred
3. Jarred 
4. Paused 
5. Blurred (Bonobo Remix) 
6. Paused (Stimming Remix)

WEBSITE: www.kiasmos.is

Kiasmos - Blurred

Order 'Blurred' on LP/DL: phonofile.link/blurred

Kiasmos mark their return in 2017 with a new 12” EP titled Blurred — available worldwide on October 6th via Erased Tapes.

Since their 2015 Swept EP, the duo have been performing shows extensively across the world. After writing and recording together in their native Iceland this year, the pair will be bringing a glimpse of light to a particularly gloomy time of year as their light sounds are brighter than ever.

Words from Ólafur and Janus, August 2017: 
￼ 
￼￼“To write new material felt like a new beginning for us after two years of touring. The plan was to ￼write something a tad darker than our previous stuff. Spring in Reykjavík had other plans though, as this turned out to be our brightest release to date.” — Janus Rasmussen

￼“Stimming was one of the reasons we started making four-on-the-floor music and we have been listening to Bonobo since we were young, so it was a great honour that they wanted to contribute remixes for the EP.” — Ólafur Arnalds

￼The EP closes with remixes from British producer Bonobo and German electronic musician Stimming, taking tracks Blurred and Paused into different coloured realms.

The cover art featuring the iconic Kiasmos symbol is by long-time Erased Tapes collaborator Torsten Posselt at FELD.

TRACK LISTING

1. Shed 
2. Blurred
3. Jarred 
4. Paused 
5. Blurred (Bonobo Remix) 
6. Paused (Stimming Remix)

WEBSITE: www.kiasmos.is

Kiasmos - Blurred (Bonobo Remix)

An improvisation as part of Erased Tapes 10th birthday celebrations at the Southbank Centre on Friday 8th September 2017.

Watch the video on YouTube here - https://youtu.be/h9Txg7mgyCo

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http://www.michaelpricemusic.com

Southbank (Feat. Peter Gregson)

Pre-order 'All Together Again' on LP/CD/DL: phonofile.link/all-together-again

There is no end to composer Peter Broderick’s creative output, and so we present to you his new album titled 'All Together Again' — available worldwide on November 17th 2017 via Erased Tapes.

Words from Peter, October 2017:

"Ever since I started releasing records in 2007 (10 years ago now!), people have contacted me periodically to ask if I’d be interested in making music to accompany their projects. Most of these projects have been things like films, dance pieces and theatre plays . . . but every so often I get the odd request for something a little different. Peter, would you write a song for my wedding? My one year anniversary? A ferry boat ride?

In early 2015 I was asked to perform 12 minutes of music during a runway show as part of New York Fashion Week. I agreed and began composing a 12-minute piece which I could perform on my own with a few different instruments and some looping pedals. I made a recording of the piece and sent it over to my contacts at the fashion show . . . but a few days before I was to fly out to New York, they wrote back and told me they actually just wanted me to play a few older songs that they were already familiar with. Feeling slightly disappointed, I shelved the other piece, giving it the title If I Were A Runway Model.

It is with great pleasure that I now present this piece in a collection of commissioned works spanning the last decade . . . it’s All Together Again. This group of oddball works does indeed include a couple pieces written for weddings (Our Future In Wedlock and The Walk), and a song someone asked me to write as a gift for his wife on their first year wedding anniversary (Emily). And indeed, there’s a 17-minute piece written to accompany a ferry boat ride in Istanbul (A Ride On The Bosphorus). A few of the pieces were written for films (Robbie’s Song, Atlantic and Seeing Things), and one for a kind of interactive installation (Unsung Heroes).

In my early days of recording, I took pride in playing all the different instruments myself and doing the recording myself as well. And then at some point I started branching out, working with other musicians and recording engineers. But this record is very dear to me in that it’s a return to that original approach . . . playing all the different instruments myself, working with my limits on each one, and my own limits in recording and mixing. I’ve always held a broad curiosity for all different instruments and all different styles of music, and if nothing else I hope this record will portray that curiosity, and my pure love for this thing we call music. Can you dig it?"

The cover art was made by Peter himself in his hometown of Portland, Oregon, by cutting and sticking different coloured paper fragments to depict the individuality of each track.

TRACK LISTING

1. If I Were A Runway Model
2. Robbie’s Song
3. A Ride On The Bosphorus
4. Emily
5. Our Future In Wedlock	
6. The Walk
7. Atlantic 
8. Seeing Things
9. Unsung Heroes

WEBSITE: www.peterbroderick.net

All Together Again

Peter Broderick - Robbie's Song

Erased Tapes rounds off a jubilant year of tenth anniversary celebrations with a very special release, 1+1=X, a set of exclusive music from every artist on the label. Featuring never before heard tracks from Nils Frahm, Kiasmos and A Winged Victory For The Sullen, 1+1=X sees Erased Tapes artists come together to make an album as a collective. Sharing the same space, instruments and each others’ capabilities during a residency at Vox-Ton studio in Berlin, they recorded 20 songs to mark the label's 10-year history. The 3-LP box set, produced by label curator Robert Raths, is released on Record Store Day, April 21st 2018.

“I suppose finding words and meaning to describe this release would be next to impossible. It was a real joy to go back to our humble beginnings, to have the freedom to create art only for ourselves was truly sublime” — Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie of A Winged Victory For The Sullen

“It was important to create something communal and reflective of our time, to capture something of value using traditional recording techniques, experimenting and reacting to each other in real time, sharing the same space,” says Raths.

Between August 2016 and 2017, each artist arrived with a new composition or an improvisation to record at Vox-Ton. Run with much love and care by Italian engineer Francesco Donadello – who has worked on many Erased Tapes recordings before including A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Michael Price and Lubomyr Melnyk – it is one of the few studios left where it’s still possible to record fully analogue, isolated from the city noise and in a room that can fit a large ensemble. Reflective of the communal spirit, 1+1=X is the result of an ambitious undertaking; to create a singular record as a collective, not just a compilation of songs, that celebrates the benefits of community over individuality and improvisation over rigorous planning.

“As much as Erased Tapes probably wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the digital age, we should also remind ourselves of what we are capable of without it,” adds Raths. “1+1=X is a testament of what can be achieved when we work together as a collective, which is more than the sum of what we can achieve as individuals.”

The majority of songs on this album feature contributions from multiple performers. It is also no coincidence that the album opens with ‘Brutal Moderna’ by Qasim Naqvi (Dawn of Midi) and A Winged Victory For The Sullen’s ‘Long May It Sustain’, which were both recorded on the day the U.S. election results came in.

“Qasim asked me to read the news headlines with a stutter over the top of his piece. It was an oddly beautiful experience which brought all of us together on a day when spirits were otherwise a bit low,” says Peter Broderick. “I thought this residency was a wonderful idea. In fact I would have loved to be there for more of it. I made some amazing new friends, some stronger bonds with old friends and some wonderful pieces of music that I’m honoured to be a part of. Robert has often described Erased Tapes as a family, and perhaps above all else this was just his earnest effort to bring the family together. I hope we’ll have some reunions in years to come!”

Designed in collaboration with Torsten Posselt at FELD, the 3-LP set is accompanied by a book of photographs documenting the recording process. It is housed in a bespoke, hand-assembled white box — with a recessed X — that slides open to one side, and is limited to 1000 copies worldwide.

1+1=X

Long May It Sustain

Buy 3LP/2CD/DL

A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Long May It Sustain

Released on March 29 in celebration of Piano Day 2018.
Pre-order the album 'Persona' here: http://phonofile.link/rivalconsoles-persona

Ryan Lee West aka Rival Consoles has announced his fourth full length album 'Persona' will be released on 13th April via Erased Tapes.

The title 'Persona' was inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s film of the same name, specifically a shot in the opening credits of a child reaching out to touch a woman’s face on a screen, which is shifting between one face and another. This powerful image struck Ryan and it inspired the album’s main theme — an exploration of the persona, the difference between how we see ourselves and how others see us, the spaces in between; between states, people, light and dark, the inner persona and the outer persona. 

"My music is generally is generally inward looking. I like finding something about the self within music, that doesn't have to be specific but maybe asks something or reveals something. This record is a continuation on the self through electronic sounds. Like Legowelt once said ‘a synthesiser is like a translator for unknown emotions’, which I think sums up what I am trying to do. I think all these emotions we have make up our persona. So in a way by finding new ones you alter or expand your persona. And that is what I want my music to try to do. I deliberately aimed to be more sonically diverse with this record. I wanted to experiment more. I wanted to create new sounds and new emotions.”

Recorded at his studio in south-east London, ‘Persona’ benefits from Ryan’s exploration of a dynamic production process that combines analogue-heavy synthesisers, acoustic and electric instruments with a shoegaze-level obsession with effect pedals. A greater depth of emotion and confidence can be heard across the album. From the deconstructed movements on ‘Unfolding’ that starts the album with a snap of delayed snares, the apocalyptic drones of the title track and thundering drums in ‘Phantom Grip’ to more  restrained ambient feels of ‘Dreamer’s Wake’, ‘Rest’ and ‘Untravel’. The latter transverses six beatless minutes of undulating melodies representing “a limbo space, a feeling of ennui, of not really ever being known to others and others not ever really being known to you”.

'Be Kind' reveals a musical connection with fellow Erased Tapes artist Nils Frahm, with its minimal approach and improvisational nature. On the more complex sounding ‘I Think So’ Ryan aims to replicate a colour collage with sound. Like a musical kaleidoscope, a flashing and convoluted mass. Written after he saw Slowdive perform live last year, ‘Hidden’ builds from whispers to landscapes of controlled noise. In an interview with XLR8R magazine, Ryan explains: “once you start trying to make a sound loud, then you turn your back on thousands and thousands of sonic possibilities. One of the best things to do is to start a track with a really quiet, weak sound.” Taking this idea to its ultimate conclusion, ‘Fragment’ closes the album as an innocent sounding ambient piece, almost nursery rhyme like, yielding time for reflection on how the persona has changed.

'Persona' follows the success of a series of releases — the ‘Odyssey’ and ‘Sonne’ EPs, long player ‘Howl’, and 2016’s mini album ‘Night Melody’ — that saw Ryan mature into what Pitchfork has called a “forward-thinking electronic musician with his own ideas about sound”. Atypical of instrumental-electronic music, Ryan has achieved a signature sound that’s unmistakably identifiable as Rival Consoles. Going beyond typical electronic music production, Ryan defines it as “songwriting with an electronic palette of sounds”.

The increasingly dynamic live audio-visual show, born from bespoke performances at the Tate and for Boiler Room at the V&A Museum featuring self-programmed visuals in Max/MSP, has propelled him to play around the world. Ryan launches ‘Persona’ at London’s XOYO on 12th April with further dates to be announced.

writing

cberret