Ruby was the alias of singer Lesley Rankine, previously the frontwoman of Scottish noise-provocateurs Silverfish. After leaving the group in the wake of their 1993 LP f**in' Drivin' or What, Rankine relocated from London to Seattle to collaborate with producer Mark Walk, with whom she'd previously worked on material for the industrial collective Pigface. Dubbing the project Ruby -- a name shared by both of their maternal grandmothers -- Rankine and Walk created a sonic backdrop closer to ... Show more...

Ruby was the alias of singer Lesley Rankine, previously the frontwoman of Scottish noise-provocateurs Silverfish. After leaving the group in the wake of their 1993 LP f**in' Drivin' or What, Rankine relocated from London to Seattle to collaborate with producer Mark Walk, with whom she'd previously worked on material for the industrial collective Pigface. Dubbing the project Ruby -- a name shared by both of their maternal grandmothers -- Rankine and Walk created a sonic backdrop closer to electronica than the abrasive rock of the singer's past work, with the acclaimed LP Salt Peter appearing in 1995. The remix EP Stroking the Full Length followed a year later. Rankine returned to the outskirts of Scotland to make her follow up record, released in 2001. The album, Short Staffed At the Gene Pool saw Ruby on a new English label, Wichita Recordings and on Thirsty Ear in the US. The song "Grace" was mixed by several abstract producers including Warp Records artist Mira Calix. Later in 2001, Altered & Proud gathered more remixes from luminaries such as Max Tundra, Kid 606, Console and Dot Allison. ~ Jason Ankeny& Diana Potts, All Music Guide