Pop/Review Ruby Tingle - Fountainia

Ruby Tingle is an award-winning audiovisual artist and performer represented by No Such Thing Records and PAPER Gallery. Her practice is concerned with the reconstruction of familiar forms and presenting the extraordinary as authentic. Expanded collage spans performance, installation, sound, work on paper, and interventions with museum collections.

Fountainia, the new EP by audio-visual artist Ruby Tingle, released under No Such Thing Records, sounds like an intriguing and immersive project. Originally created as a commission for the 2022 Manchester Jazz Festival, this EP combines various elements, including electronica, keys, saxophone, guitar, accordion, and male vocals, to create a genre described as 'gothic jazz.'

Fountainia takes inspiration from the waterways and decorative features of Manchester, as well as Ruby's personal connection to these spaces in her hometown. It transports listeners to a sonic dream space where imaginative and fantastical elements come to life. With visuals of bird people roaming the canals, gargoyles drinking from fountains, and celestial pools where manatees swim under pink skies, the EP appears to offer a rich and vibrant audio-visual experience.

Collaborating with artists and composers such as Dirty Freud, Jonoa, KINRAR, and Steven Calver suggests that Fountainia embraces a diverse range of talents, bringing together different creative perspectives to enhance the overall sonic landscape. This collaborative effort may contribute to the unique and captivating nature of the EP.

As Ruby's second EP following Lagoons and her single Familiars in 2022, Fountainia demonstrates her growth and evolution as an artist. It showcases her ability to blend genres, experiment with sounds, and create a distinctive sonic world that pushes boundaries and defies traditional categorization.