Debut album from the only act signed to Stones Throw on the strength of an unsolicited demo. He has a knack for etching out songs memorable on their own merits When he sings, it comes off as not just sincere but tender, too.� � The Village Voice Vex Ruffin makes hypnotic and minimal electro-punk music that summons the spirit of early proto-punk pioneers like Suicide, combined with the electro disco of label mate James Pants. Drawing on new wave, �60s psychedelia, proto-techno and rock �n� roll, Vex Ruffin produces tracks that are simple in construction, but dense with attitude. Though he includes Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle as influences, Vex Ruffin also uses a sampler in his songwriting, a purchase inspired by his Stones Throw label-mate Madlib. Vex Ruffin, his debut album, is preceded by the No Escape EP, offered as a free download on the Stones Throw website. He has also released two other EPs for the label, as well as a split 7� single with his label-mate James Pants. �Take It�, from the No Escape EP, has been featured on the hit HBO television series Girls . Vex Ruffin is due out on Stones Throw, the cult independent label whose recent successes include releases from Anika, Quakers, Quasimoto, Mayer Hawthorne and Karriem Riggins.