Rusko

Born in Leeds in 1985 and raised in York, Rusko, whose real name is Christopher Mercer, emerged on the British dubstep scene in the late 2000s after appearing at Leeds’ Sub Dub nights and later in London, where he worked with the Sub Soldiers label. His music blends upfront bass, choppy rhythms, ragga touches and often playful melodies, with forays into drum and bass and other forms of electronic music. Alongside Caspa, Rusko contributed to the FabricLive.37 mix in 2007, a landmark in dubstep’s expansion in clubs, and went on to release tracks like “Cockney Thug” and “Woo Boost” that helped spread his profile beyond the UK. Rusko released the album O.M.G.! in 2010 and Songs in 2012, the same year he collaborated with Cypress Hill on the Cypress X Rusko project, which features Damian Marley on one track. After releases on Mad Decent and later Owsla, Rusko continued with EPs, remixes and regular returns to a raw, direct dubstep, while at times exploring a faster, more nervous writing style close to drum and bass.