Name: Howl
Brand: Rival Consoles

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

CD-ERATP-076

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

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Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2015-10-16

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Redeye

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

4050486110850

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "4050486110850"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Rival Consoles

Genre US

Electronic

Label US

Erased Tapes

Spanning over ten years, Erased Tapes has nurtured avant-garde artists from all around the world whilst remaining a genre-defying and truly independent label.

Founded by German-born Robert Raths in 2007, the London-based label has grown and extended across the world, establishing satellite offices in Los Angeles and Berlin. 2015 saw BBC 6 Music radio presenter Mary Anne Hobbs stage a sold out Erased Tapes evening featuring Nils Frahm and A Winged Victory For The Sullen at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the prestigious BBC Prom series. Shortly after Erased Tapes was awarded Best Small Label at the 2015 AIM Awards.

With a current roster including the likes of <a href="https://roughtrade.com/us/artist/nils-frahm">Nils Frahm</a>, <a href="https://roughtrade.com/us/artist/peter-broderick">Peter Broderick</a>, <a href="https://roughtrade.com/us/artist/hogni">Högni</a>, <a href="https://roughtrade.com/us/artist/penguin-cafe">Penguin Cafe</a>, and <a href="https://roughtrade.com/us/artist/kiasmos">Kiasmos</a>, the label continues to go from strength to strength.

Rough Trade's Emily Waller sat down with Robert to talk about the history of the label, as well as some of his favorite projects so far:

To celebrate Erased Tapes being our Label Focus, we have the following special editions available now at Rough Trade, all purchases also come with a free Erased Tapes CD sampler:

<a href="https://roughtrade.com/us/music/all-melody">Double LP plus Rough Trade Exclusive LP <i>Encores 1</i> featuring 5 extra tracks. Comes housed in a tip-on sleeve with photograph including 12-page photo booklet and download code. Limited Edition - One Off Pressing.</a>

<a href="https://roughtrade.com/us/music/two-trains">LP+ - Rough Trade Exclusive. 250 Copies only on Transparent Green Vinyl with Download.</a>

Label Focus - Erased Tapes

<p>Rival Consoles is an acclaimed electronic music artist known for his unique blend of melodic techno and ambient soundscapes. With a career spanning over a decade, he has released several critically acclaimed albums and EPs on renowned labels such as Erased Tapes and Ninja Tune.</p>
<p>His music is characterized by intricate rhythms, emotive melodies, and immersive textures that transport listeners to ethereal sonic landscapes. Drawing inspiration from various genres including classical music and IDM, Rival Consoles creates captivating compositions that resonate with both the mind and the body.</p>
<p>With his mesmerizing live performances, Rival Consoles has captivated audiences around the world, showcasing his mastery of electronic music production and creating an immersive audiovisual experience. His innovative approach to sound design pushes boundaries and continues to redefine the possibilities of electronic music.</p>

oremost a guitarist, growing up listening to rock rather than club music, West continues to strive towards finding a more personal balance between music for home listening and larger spaces. The title track was inspired by the howl-like tones he developed by running synths through guitar pedals. "By slowly drifting the pitch through distortion and delays, the result sounded like vocal cries - something which was perfect for the song and this inspired me to take on a darker set of tones across the whole album. It was made over the past few years, inspired by capturing small performances on synths, touring with some of my musical heroes, playing with feedback when I should have been catching a train, sampling my voice in unexpected conditions and recording textures in different countries." The album explores a wide range of emotions; from the dissonance eruptions and primal rhythms in 'Howl', to the mournful improvisations of '3 Laments', which features a sample of his own voice. Alongside his performances on Moog, Prophet, tape delay and guitar, West enlisted the help of drummer Fabian Prynn for 'Low' and cellist Peter Gregson for 'Walls', both long-time collaborators of Erased Tapes peers Douglas Dare and Michael Price."This album features a lot of my own recordings, rather than simply using samples that I have sitting on my computer. This gives the album a more personal feeling, which is very important to me because I think we live in a time where there is just so much recorded material out there, and accessible at a click of a button, that the joy of recording your own drum sounds, your own percussion, your own claps, seems redundant - but it's not! That should be a priority because its often more interesting and makes you choose a different creative path."It's rarely reported that Rival Consoles was Erased Tapes' very first signing, with a CDR of early demos under the name Aparatec that inspired founder Robert Raths to start the label. Indeed West has more in common with his contemporaries Nils Frahm and Peter Broderick than some might think. His consistent desire to create a more organic, humanised sound sees West often draft early ideas on traditional, acoustic instruments like the guitar or the piano; forming pieces that capture a sense of songwriting behind the electronics. "I try to create atmosphere and mood throughout with a less-is-more approach to composition. I'm always trying to find an exciting reaction from a few ingredients, because that is magic to me. To make something interesting with tons of layers of effects just doesn't excite me. But to make something interesting with just three layers requires a special alignment of sounds, ideas and timing. This is my most personal work to date, following on from 'Odyssey' and 'Sonne' which gave me the confidence to continue exploring my own ideas and approach to sound. The essence of this album was made with a few synths, some guitar pedals and lots of cups of tea. I hope you'll enjoy it."Having repeatedly performed at such prestigious venues as the Tate, and having created a bespoke audio-visual performance for Boiler Room at the V&amp;A Museum, the blueprint for West's current live A/V show was formed. Featuring self-programmed visuals in Max/MSP has earned him appearances at music festivals around the world including Mutek, Decibel, Big Ears and Berghain's Pop-Kultur Festival, as well as tours in support of Clark, Nosaj Thing, Luke Abbott and Kiasmos.