Ruins is a Japanese music duo composed only of drummer/vocalist Tatsuya Yoshida and a bass guitarist (there have been four such bassists in the band's history).[1] The group, formed in 1985, was supposedly intended to be a power trio; the guitarist, however, never showed up to the band's first rehearsal so the group remained a duo. The music touches on progressive rock, jazz fusion and noise rock.[2]
Background
The French progressive rock band Magma is the group's most important influence, to such an extent that Ruins' original lyrics are written and sung in an invented language which, at first glance, resembles Kobaïan, the language invented by Christian Vander of Magma.[3] Ruins' material (which Yoshida, who composes the majority of their pieces, writes out in score form) is generally of extreme complexity and thus is often described as inaccessible; potential listeners may be bewildered by the band's unrestrained yet disciplined approach.
In addition to the "prog rock" label, the group's music has also been described as "math rock" and "zeuhl". That said, Ruins' style has consistently evolved since the band's beginning, often changing according to the bassist that Tatsuya was collaborating with at the time.
Bassist Hisashi Sasaki left the band in 2004, and since then Yoshida has been touring solo under the name Ruins-alone (Ruins Alone).[1] He has also performed as Sax Ruins with alto saxophonist Ryoko Ono. He was chosen by Matt Groening to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival Groening curated in May 2010 in Minehead, England.
On September 6, 2016, Tatsuya announced via his Facebook that third period bassist Ryuichi Masuda would be rejoining the band for a show in December and shows throughout the spring.[6]
