photo by Brian Barbieri

Ruth Mascelli (he/him) is perhaps best known as one quarter of the notorious synth-punk supergroup Special Interest. Coming of age in the gritty, Dionysian world of the New Orleans DIY scene, Mascelli was involved in countless collaborative projects before finding his most impactful outlet in 2016, when he began crafting the industrial rhythms and corrosive synth textures that became central to Special Interest’s anthemic sound.

Since 2020, Mascelli has released a string of solo records on the UK-based Disciples label. Following a deliberately non-linear aesthetic trajectory, 2021’s A Night At The Baths offered a club-ready evocation of the pleasures and sorrows experienced at gay bathhouses. By contrast, 2025’s collaborative album with saxophonist Mary Hanson Scott, Esoteric Lounge Music Now, marked a left-field turn, blending haunted jazz, trip hop, and hypnagogic lounge lizardry.

Mascelli continues to perform live, both as a solo artist and with Special Interest.