About

“Erased Tapes is best known for its releases by composers like Nils Frahm, Oláfur Arnalds and Michael Price, who blur the lines between classical and pop, as well as bona fide classical musicians such as Lubomyr Melynk. But it's also been putting out a steady stream of electronic releases since its inception six years ago, most of them by Ryan Lee West, both under the Rival Consoles alias and as one half of the techno duo Kiasmos, with Oláfur Arnalds...”

“…In line with the label's aesthetic, Rival Consoles' music is melodic and textural rather than beat-focused. Rich, glassy synths bubble on "Rebecca," a nice foil to the gritty pads, while a crackling sheen coats the languid beats of the title track. On the EP highlight "Philip," West draws together fragments of string noise, plucked chords and faint chattering into a surprisingly dramatic piece, with plump low-end that saves it from being too polite. That same cinematic feel is central to the Plaid-indebted "Voyager," where synths swarm over a jaunty loop and simple drum pattern. The closing track "Soul" would work beautifully as an instrumental, but the call-and-response, double-tracked vocals of Peter Broderick are an unnecessary ornament to West's glitchy electronics.” - Resident Advisor 

“Every element of the producer's sound is light enough to feel easy to manage, and almost poppy, but at the same time absorbent enough to draw in every ounce of your attention and emotion. At times it can feel similar to Fuck Buttons, just with all the fat removed. The downfall of many an electronic album is the lack of space to breathe, creating a suffocating mix of sounds that, although pleasing, become too much, too quickly. Odyssey manages to use as vast a range of sounds as any album of this genre, but sparingly enough to not become overbearing. It's a skill that he's perfected, and it makes Odyssey beautifully listenable.” - The Four Oh Five