As far as Breakcore goes, it’s a sound that while it may not appeal to everyone, it’s adored by it’s ardent followers. You either get it or you don’t and the same can be said for a lot of things though and as with any genre, you have those that push the boundaries of the sound. Ruby My Dear is doing just this for Breakcore. Hailing from France, he first really came to attention with last years Gingko, an E.P. of cathartic beauty and mayhem that I absolutely loved so anything he was going to release I was naturally going to lap up.
Remains Of Shapes To Come is his latest offering released on the excellently obscure Ad Noiseaum, a label that doesn’t shy away from the more leftfield side of things, with the likes of Iiigor, Larvae and Mobthrow all on the imprint’s roster.
It’s an album that’s full of Gabba energy mixed with all the delights of Dub and I.D.M.
From opener Maiden, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a new Plaid E.P. with the quiet shriek and hip hop beat that is a million miles removed from the relentlessness of Breakcore. It’s a true testament to his production though as Rubber’s Head soon sees to the melody and goes straight for the gulliver with spazzed out rhythms interjecting with wobbly bass-lines.
As with all his stuff, each tune is consistently changing every few seconds and that’s what I love about it. Just when you think your going in one direction, he turns it around and brings you down a lovely forest lane on an autumn evening.
Uken takes that famous sample you may know from Damian Marley’s singalong classic Welcome To Jamrock. It still manages to retain that lovely reggae swagger albeit some serious extra crunch.
It really is the percussion though that I find the most enjoyable. Every click and clack is done with precision and turns nicely around in my brain. While there are some lovely swaying synths and quietness, the percussion always flows abrasively underneath.
And that’s the real beauty of Remains,it can sway from the achingly beautiful to the devastatingly fierce without batting an eyelid and Ruby My Dear is equally as comfortable with either without ever making it sound forced. The resonance of his native France can even be heard on Pannonica summoning romantic visions of strolling down the Champs-Élysées with the wind in your hair and an Amen Break in your heart.
The album closes nicely with L.O.M (Loutre a slice of Boisterous French fun, just like all his stuff.
It’s not for everyone though and I can see how it can be too manic for some people at times. I love it though, there is not a single second of music on it that I don’t enjoy and I feel it establishes Ruby My Dear as a producer that is more than is more than capable of holding his own alongside the likes of Venetian Snares. Allez La Bleu!!