Nomi Ruiz: Borough Gypsy Mixtape & Interview
Jeannie Hopper speaks with singer/songwriter Nomi Ruiz about her recent Clocktower residency project. Over the course of her two month stay, Ruiz completed Borough Gypsy, her sophomore album. She talks about growing up in Brooklyn in the midst of gang culture and how that environment affected her work, particularly the recording of this album. Having taken 10 years to complete, Borough Gypsy is a combination of 90's Hip Hop, Soul, and acoustic folk that embraces the mixed tape format. In its entirety, Ruiz tells the tale of an urban gypsy who wheels and deals in sex, love, drugs, and darkness while sifting through the psychological effects of her upbringing.
Born in 1986, Ruiz released her first album, Lost in Lust, in 2005. Since its debut, she has toured with artists such as Debbie Harry and CocoRosie. She also toured with Antony & The Johnsons as part of their “Turning” project. She then received worldwide recognition for her vocal contribution on Hercules and Love Affair’s self titled debut album and live show. In 2009, Ruiz formed the group Jessica 6 with Andrew Raposo (of Automato) and Morgan Wiley. They debuted “Fun Girl” that year and released the full album 'See The Light' in 2011. She has since collaborated with The Ones, Beni, and Eli Escobar.
Jeannie Hopper with Nomi interview available for download via our Clocktower Radio SoundCloud page.
Borough Gypsy is available for download below via Nomi's SoundCloud page.
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Clocktower Exhibits & Events is home to an archive of interviews with artists, curators, musicians, organizers, and more who have participated in Clocktower exhibitions and events throughout our organization’s history.
Many of the below recordings were documented while Clocktower was in the midst of a transformation. The original name, The Clocktower Gallery, was given to the exhibition, residency, and performance space in TriBeCa, founded by alternative spaces movement pioneer Alanna Heiss in 1972. After 2001, the Clocktower Gallery re-inaugurated its exhibition programming in 2005 as part of MoMA/PS1 and, after 2008, under the auspices of Art International Radio. In 2013, we moved on from our downtown Manhattan location, and have since renamed the organization Clocktower Productions, a title which encompasses our radio, exhibition, and event programming.
For more Clocktower history, listen to The Clocktower Oral History Project, in which such figures as Vito Acconci, Bill Beirne, Colette, Jeffrey Deitch, Mary Heilmann, Jene Highstein, Ann Magnuson, Richard Nonas and Joel Shapiro reflect upon their experiences with this unique New York space. Organized by artist Nancy Hwang for the Fall 2009 AVANT-GUIDE TO NYC: Discovering Absence exhibition at apexart.
NB: Clocktower Radio was launched by MoMA/PS1 in 2004 as the Web's first art radio station. It has been independent since 2009 and is licensed to host content created under PS1 management. Programs produced prior to 2011 may refer to our earlier URLs and station IDs, including WPS1.org, artonair.org, and Art International Radio. For the complete history of Clocktower Radio, read our Mission & History section.
more Many of the below recordings were documented while Clocktower was in the midst of a transformation. The original name, The Clocktower Gallery, was given to the exhibition, residency, and performance space in TriBeCa, founded by alternative spaces movement pioneer Alanna Heiss in 1972. After 2001, the Clocktower Gallery re-inaugurated its exhibition programming in 2005 as part of MoMA/PS1 and, after 2008, under the auspices of Art International Radio. In 2013, we moved on from our downtown Manhattan location, and have since renamed the organization Clocktower Productions, a title which encompasses our radio, exhibition, and event programming.
For more Clocktower history, listen to The Clocktower Oral History Project, in which such figures as Vito Acconci, Bill Beirne, Colette, Jeffrey Deitch, Mary Heilmann, Jene Highstein, Ann Magnuson, Richard Nonas and Joel Shapiro reflect upon their experiences with this unique New York space. Organized by artist Nancy Hwang for the Fall 2009 AVANT-GUIDE TO NYC: Discovering Absence exhibition at apexart.
NB: Clocktower Radio was launched by MoMA/PS1 in 2004 as the Web's first art radio station. It has been independent since 2009 and is licensed to host content created under PS1 management. Programs produced prior to 2011 may refer to our earlier URLs and station IDs, including WPS1.org, artonair.org, and Art International Radio. For the complete history of Clocktower Radio, read our Mission & History section.
