Ruth Goller

Ruth Goller is a bassist, vocalist, composer, environmentalist, and solo artist who is one of the low-end pillars of UK’s creative music community. She came up as part of the beloved punk-jazz outfits Acoustic Ladyland and Melt Yourself Down, establishing herself as an in-demand bassist. Her credits speak to a malleable collaborative spirit and authoritative artistic instinct. She’s worked with everyone from modern jazz trailblazers like Sons Of Kemet, Marc Ribot, and Alabaster DePlume; veritable rock stars like Paul McCartney and Damon Albarn; and a startlingly diverse array of acclaimed songwriters, folk artist Sam Amidon, Malian singer Rokia Traoré, and Serbian pianist Bojan Z.

Her 2021 album SKYLLA found Goller returning to the pure untaught instincts that drove her as a teen punk musician. She revels in exploratory uncertainty, undertaking fresh tunings for each improvised composition. As Goller puts it: “at that point muscle memory doesn’t work anymore so I have to trust my ear completely.”

The Quietus described SKYLLA as “an entwining of bass and voice that feels like pure science fiction,” while the BBC praised its “lush textures to bathe in.” The Guardian commended her “rounded tone and springing attack that constantly underpins the musical shape and character” and summed it up as “a deep experience.” ECM Reviews remarked that the album plumbed “an intimacy so deep it felt almost blasphemous to be privy to its wonders.”