Comparisons to avant-garde electronic sentinels like Nils Frahm often accompany discussion of West, who has been releasing works with Erased Tapes since 2007. I find it fascinating to come across insights into how different artists use a cross-pollination of creative techniques and methods from varied mediums to help them achieve their goals.
West’s album is definitely worth a listen if you have any leanings toward electronic music. – Rafe Arnott
According to the label, 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 West 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. “I love that something on paper can appear rigid and calculated, but then take on new meaning based on the context that surrounds it, or how it changes over time,” said West.
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.
West added that “I find electronic music is often battling to say something with integrity because technology and production can easily get in the way. I think the goal of a lot of electronic composers is to find a balance between the vision of the idea and the power of possibilities on the computer. With a pen and paper sketch you can compose and rethink ideas without technology getting in the way, so for me it acts as a very helpful tool to refresh the process.”
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