Ruthlss emerges from the shadows with Dark Angel, a single that marks a turning point in her evolving musical universe. Drawn from the forthcoming Quantum Sound album by Mastery X Houndstooth, the track is both deeply personal and conceptually expansive, positioning sound not as spectacle but as a gateway into altered states of feeling and perception.
Built around recurring piano motifs, slowly unfurling strings and evolving synth drones, Dark Angel resists immediacy. Instead, it breathes. The composition unfolds patiently, guiding the listener through darkness toward something quietly radiant. There is a cinematic sensitivity to its structure, less concerned with drops than emotional gravity, aligning Ruthlss’ work with film scoring and contemporary classical traditions while retaining the physical resonance of electronic sound.
As the artist explains: “Built around recurring piano motifs, with strings and slowly evolving synth drones, Dark Angel unfolds gradually toward a sense of transcendence. It marks the beginning of a more expansive, piano-led ambient electronic direction in my music, brought to life through my new live show. This single is shaped by a quietly luminous, protective, feminine presence that allows self-discovery to emerge from darkness.”
Dark Angel arrives as the latest single from Quantum Sound, Mastery’s first recorded music release following two years of pioneering immersive live experiences. Founded in 2023 by curator Bianca Mayhew alongside LWE’s Will Harold and Paul Jack, Mastery operates at the intersection of sound, neuroscience and consciousness. With Quantum Sound, the studio extends its exploration of sound as both meditation and live electronic ritual into a landmark, multi-artist album designed explicitly for eyes-closed listening.
Released on 12th February via Houndstooth, Quantum Sound spans ambient and transcendental terrain, featuring contributions from Jon Hopkins, Hannah Holland, Wata Igarashi, Manami, Jennifer Loveless, Djrum, Alessandro Cortini and more. The project is anchored by a sixty-minute continuous mix from Hannah Holland and a sound meditation by Cherub Sanson and Tim Wheater with Rommek. Most notably, the vinyl edition opens with a twenty-minute sound meditation and breathwork piece by Jon Hopkins, available exclusively on the format, positioning the record itself as a physical gateway into altered states.
Beyond the album, Quantum Sound unfolds as a live and scientific experiment. Launch events at Fabric in London on 10th February (tickets here) and Funkhaus Berlin on 14th February (tickets here) transform iconic venues into listening laboratories. In London, neuroscience researchers from Creative Empirical, Goldsmiths University and the University of Cambridge will record the brain activity of audience members using portable EEG, studying how communal immersion and vibration shape conscious states. In Berlin, the focus shifts to performers, with artists’ brain activity captured during improvisation inside Monom’s 4DSound system, including live performances from Ruthlss and William Russell, a spatialised playback of Jon Hopkins’ Embodiment Breathing, and a long-form piano improvisation with Hopkins, Maddie Ashman and Leo Abrahams.
Within this expansive framework, Dark Angel stands as a deeply personal signal. It marks the beginning of a more piano-led, ambient electronic direction for Ruthlss and a vital chapter in Quantum Sound’s wider vision. It is a reminder that revolution does not always arrive at full volume. Sometimes it invites you inward.