Ruby Francis: “The questions just lead to more questions”
Ruby Francis takes us from London to Reykjavík, following her curiosity wherever it leads. Along the way, a J Dilla beat led to a DM from Jazzy Jeff, a retreat left her with five newly adopted “uncles”, and a chance airport encounter with Gilles Peterson came just after she’d been talking about wanting to play We Out Here.
A year on from Pages of Philosophy, Ruby is still asking questions. Lately, one from Florence Given’s podcast has stuck with her: “What am I pretending not to know?” We talk about the people she’s met along the way, learning to trust her own voice and her second home, Reykjavík, before following her lead through the city.
Pages of Philosophy feels like an extension of that questioning. Has that always been part of who you are?
I think it’s always been there. I’ve always been really intuitive but also questioning everything. I was speaking with my mum the other day and she said she’d get really annoyed at me when I was about five years old because I’d constantly be like, “Why? But why? Why does it rain?” And she’d have to think about why it rains. And I’d be like, “But why does it do it like that?” Always asking the why of the why of everything. Working in music as an art form, you’re working with something you can’t see or touch. It can only really be experienced internally, through feelings and emotions, or physically in your body through dance and movement. It’s a way of understanding the world, contemplating life, and a language to communicate and express yourself through — very philosophical stuff!
I do find music really visual, though. Certain textures feel like certain colours to me. A buzzy sine-wave synth playing a sexy chord could feel really burnt orange or peach, for example. It’s always been in my blood.
What are some of the questions you’ve been sitting with, both around the record and more recently?
I philosophise about life a lot, and I’m very interested in not just the physical realm that we’re in, but more spiritual realms and all these things that are going on that we can’t necessarily see. Also just human behaviour and psychology and how we deal with being alive really interests me. Around the time I was making the record, I was going through a lot of heartache and my perception of reality shifted a little bit because I was looking at the world through so much pain. But before that, there had been so much love and I’d been so in love. Having to heal through that process helped me gain perspective on life. The questions just lead to more questions. It’s not like, “And now I’ve found the answer.”
There’s so much pressure for artists to constantly put things out. How do you stay true to what you actually want to do?
It’s hard. I think it comes through experience and learning to block out the noise. I’m still figuring it out. I think you have to keep asking yourself, “What do you want, and what’s actually important?” It’s a practice of saying, “What voices are mine? What voices are not mine?” I need a lot of space and stillness. I don’t really like being back-to-back busy because that’s also noise.
You ended up at Jazzy Jeff’s retreat last year. How did that even happen?
It was kind of crazy. In February last year, I put out a video on J Dilla’s birthday of me making a J Dilla-style beat and, in honour of him, I thought, “I’m going to post it that day.” Jazzy Jeff found it and DM’d me saying, “Love this.” He followed me and started commenting on videos and I was like, “What the fuck is going on?” Then I started releasing music from the album, so I’d DM him and say, “I’ve just released this,” and he was loving it. Then he said, “Can you send me the files so I can play them out?” I said, “Yeah, that’s so cool,” and then he said, “Keep September free.” I was like, “Why?” I did a bit of research, realised he does this retreat every September, and I got invited to go.
I went there not knowing anyone and left with this whole extended family. There were a lot of people there where it felt like there was a bit of a soul connection — we don’t really know each other, but I felt so seen and understood. Musically, people were really able to hold me in that and I made some beautiful friends. I have five uncles now — I called it the uncle adoption centre. Even just knowing that exists and knowing those people are there makes me feel really seen & supported.
Have there been any other moments recently that have taken you by surprise?
I got invited to Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM show for an interview and an on-air performance, which was really exciting. The story of how we met is kind of crazy as well. On the journey to the airport, we were talking about We Out Here Festival and how Gilles is a friend of IG Culture’s (big up IG!), and I told IG that I really wanted to play at We Out Here. Then, when we were waiting to board our flight, Gilles Peterson happened to be there! We were like, “What the fuck?” IG introduced us, we swapped details and realised we have loads of mutual friends, so we were almost connected but had never officially made the connection. That’s how that whole story unravelled. I then got invited to play at WOH this year and did a wicked DJ set at Near Mint Records.
Has anything you’ve heard or read lately shifted the way you’re thinking?
I’ve been listening to Florence Given’s podcast. She wrote Women Don’t Owe You Pretty. In one of her latest episodes she asks herself the question, “What am I pretending to not know?” That’s been sitting with me. What things am I actually avoiding in life? I like that as a check-in because we’re always avoiding things that scare us, or if we open it, we’re opening a bit of a can of worms that we’re going to have to deal with. So it can be like, “Let me just put that away for a second.” I think it’s good to try and be mindful of that stuff, which I’m still learning to do. I’m probably locking a lot of things away at the moment just to deal with the things in front of me. But I think it’s a good practice to face things and deal with them.
Where do you find that sense of creative community outside of making music?
There’s a spot called Unit 3 in Tottenham. I used to live there for a little while and I actually run a night at Unit 3 with my cousin Cousin Shannon Rae (DJ) and Geo Jordan (DJ/ Musician) called No Phones. When you come in, you get a sticker for your camera and we just DJ and have fun. It’s very simple. Unit 3 is this beautiful space in a creative, warehouse-y area. They do everything from food markets and art to live music and DJ sets, and they’re a cafe in the day, always playing banging music. Every time I go, it feels very family, like you’re part of it. It’s so welcoming and warm. No Phones finishes at 1am because we all like to sleep. We’re not really down for the 5am, 6am vibe. Even 1am, we’re like, “Ooh, it’s a little bit late for us.”
And where do you end up when food’s involved?
There’s a place called 89 Social in Finsbury Park. It’s an Italian spot and it’s banging. It’s a wine bar and I think they change the menu either every day or every week, so there’s a small selection rather than a whole bible of food. Last time I went with my friends, they did a deal that was, I think, 50 quid for two pastas and a bottle of wine. I had one with pesto and another with Italian sausage, and it was really good. I’m also partly Italian, so I’m a little bit biased towards Italian food. Pasta is my favourite food and I love good wine, so it’s the perfect spot.
Is there anywhere else in the world that feels like home?
Yes, Reykjavík. My dad lives there with his Icelandic wife. This is like a whole other section of my life, but I go there a couple of times a year. I’ve performed out there and I’ve got a whole community of people there. All the videos for the album were filmed there, so it’s like a second home for me now. Obviously everybody knows about Iceland, but I think for a lot of people it’s still a bit untapped. It’s an amazing place. I saw Björk last time I was there. She just walked into the bar I was in, no one was fazed as she's a local.
Okay, first up: where are we heading?
Vínstúkan Tíu sopar is very cosy cute wine bar and restaurant — romantic and candle lit.
Where are we digging for records?
Smekkleysa Coffee & Record Shop where you will find my vinyl Pages of Philosophy! Björk was one of the founding members of this spot!
Know a good spot for live music?
Iðnó is a bigger space that hosts all kinds of events. I’ve performed there before, but I also once went to a daytime sober rave at lunchtime. They served fruit, tea and coffee. It was amazing!
We can’t do Iceland without a dip — where are we going?
Vesturbæjarlaug or any of the local pools, cheap, accessible, no frills! But open all day and evening — part of Icelandic culture.
Where are we getting our culture fix?
Kjarvalsstaðir. There are lots of cool galleries in Reykjavík, but this one is my fave. It’s also in a lovely park.
And for shopping?
Hringekjan is a secondhand thrift shop— great for buying and selling.
Who are you spotlighting?
I’d like to spotlight Reuben J Green. He’s a beautiful person and a wonderful friend, always bringing people together through doing cool stuff. He’s an amazing tastemaker, radio presenter and event curator, with his label Groove School Records and events Sol de Groove and Dance Floor Education — a weekly jam night in Brixton that I play keys in. He works incredibly hard and is the most organised person I’ve ever met. Might I add, he’s a badass dancer and fashionisto. He deserves all the attention.