RUBY SAFA

​SkullBox Records was not something I created on a whim. It began as a small business idea for an assignment, and rapidly brewed into an integral piece of my puzzle as I grew into a professional.

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During my music studies, I often found myself the only woman in the room - be it the studio, the classroom, or in discussions. Raised by a single mother in an all-girls household and attending an all-girls secondary school, I grew up surrounded by powerful female role models and peers who instilled in me that I could pursue any career I could dream of, unapologetically. I wanted to succeed at everything, because I was told that I could.

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I began classical training in piano at age three taking lessons from my neighbour, and later completed my ABRSM Grades. Along the way, I picked up the djembe, guitar, and drums; I just couldn't satisfy my appetite for music. By the time I was studying Music GCSE, I had become addicted to producing tracks inspired by movie clips, gameplay, and art - I would dream up stories alongside my compositions, later learning to write for films and games in real time during my Extended Level 3 Diploma in Music Production and Performance. It was here that I began to find myself the only female producer in my classes, feeling the pressure to thrive alongside my male peers. I realised that the working world would not be so forgiving as my upbringing, that I would have to make my own space in a music industry that would not make space for me.​ 

 

My journey continued nonetheless, as I worked relentlessly to pave my way into London's top music production institute ICMP (Institute for Contemporary Music Performance). Here, I fell in love with horror, thriller, and science fiction...

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Suffering with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder since before I can remember meant that much of my mental strength was sucked up by graphic intrusive thoughts and time consuming compulsions. I began to utilise horror and thriller media as tools to manage my anxieties; with little/no control over disturbing intrusive thoughts, my mindset has towards absurd media has since been, 'This scene is uncomfortable to watch, but I can turn it off at any time. I am in control here.'

My work became a vessel for my struggles, as I poured every fragment of anxiety into the sonic arts. The sounds I designed became concoctions of monsters I would hear in my thoughts and dreams. The compositions I produced became funnels for my fear, anger, disgust, and exhaustion. 

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Once I made this connection, I was like a runaway train. 

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I'd found my purpose in creating music and sound, but still felt alone as the only woman during my Bachelors Degree in Music Production for Film, TV & Games. SkullBox Records was born in my penultimate year; what seemed like a pipe dream while designing its aesthetic and context rapidly became a reality as I pressed on in my final year, longing for a community of like-minded women in music. I chiselled away at the industry, creating networks of talented female and gender-minority sound professionals looking for their own footing in the working world, directors and game developers looking for dedicated composers and sound designers, and anyone else I could grab the attention of.

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The dream was always to find somewhere I belong, both as a woman, and just a bit of a weirdo. I created that somewhere, and welcome anyone who longs for a similar place.

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Be yourself. Be brave. If you can't find somewhere you belong, make somewhere you do.

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