Isn't it strange that we go on just the same.

Isn't It Strange

The pressure builds up in my brain, makes me want to go insane.

Pressure

The Emotions I Feel

My god don't say he needs me, he don't need to bleed me

Honest To God

Soul Slash

Eternity

We go out in the open, drifting into the ocean.

You Say

Drums keep pounding rythms in your brain.

The Beat Goes On

Waiting

Burning Karma

I wake up early all alone, I check the message on the phone... Day By Day.

Day By Day

John Ruskan originally made a splash with his indie New Wave album "I Am A Model" which got huge college airplay. In this album, John played all instruments except drums, becoming one of the first pop artists to multi-track their recordings. One reason the album was considered striking was because of John's unique approach to synthesizers, which was consistently noted by reviewers.

John was able to accomplish the multi-tracking because he was owner - engineer of a 16 track recording studio on 22nd Street in New York called Crossfire Studios. Crossfire was the second "budget" 16 track studio in New York. As studio operator, he worked with and advised tons of musicians who were now able to afford to record pro quality demos and indie records.

John completed several independent albums under the 22 Records banner, but eventually phased out of music in the late 80's to pursue a career in psychology, as an innovative author and originator of a type of East/West meditative self-therapy. His book, Emotional Clearing, was published by Random House in 2000, and has become a widely respected classic in the field.

In 1995, John happened to be living in Los Angeles. This was a particularly vibrant time in pop music, when the trip-hop genre was just getting underway, with groups like Massive Attack, Enigma, Moby, and many others blazing a new trail in the music world. It all was being broadcast by the local radio station, KCRW, before the internet, so you had to be there to hear it. It was a unique and exciting opportunity - a brand new, electronically based musical art form was being launched which totally captivated John and drew him back into music creation.

Since then, he has released several albums: Downtempo, electronic-acoustic, ambient-groove with trip-hop and post trip-hop grooves. His compositions are usually song-based, because John is primarily a singer-songwriter. The song themes are introspective and reflect John's psychology leanings, exploring the challenges and pain of personal evolution. 

John's productions are unique in the contemporary music world and represent a cultivated and mature artistic effort. He continues to create the entire production, feeling like a painter who executes a painting. There are few others who are able to combine skillful songwriting with strong artistic concept, masterful electronic and acoustic musicianship, and superb audio engineering.

All of his albums may be listened to in their entirety at his website:
http://www.johnruskan.com

John now divides his time between his two major career interests, music and psychology. His psychology work may be reviewed at:
http://www.emclear.com

John Ruskan

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