Rusko WOMP to the WOMP

Starting October 21^st, 2010, dubstep legend, Rusko will begin his conquest down the east coast.

Dubstep, probably one of the youngest genres on the music scene was born in the late 90’s. Many believe that its distinct sound shares its roots with Jamaican dub music, a subgenre of reggae of the early 60’s. The bass pounding sounds of dubstep originated across the Atlantic in the good ole’ UK, within EL-B’s recording studio. EL-B recordings, in collaboration with artists such as Steve Gurley, Oris Jay, and Zed Bias began to experiment with these unique sounds in late 1999. With the help of Londoner club Forward>>, these artists were able to promote their fresh sounds to the British party scene. Little did they know that close to 10 years later, their creation would be a worldwide sensation. I wasn’t until 2002 that the term dubstep was officially coined.

Christopher Mercer, known by his stage name Rusko, was born January 26, 1985 in Leeds, United Kingdom. Greatly influenced by his musical family, Mercer graduated Leeds College of Music with a degree in music production. Shortly after his graduation, he moved to London to pursue his dream of being a DJ and solo artist. He made some crucial friends along the way, including his harmonious sidekick Caspa, and eventually became the out of control rumble king that we know today.

Rusko hopped onto the scene in with the debut of his single SNES Dub released in 2006. Not long after, he released his fist EP, Babylon Vol. 1 in 2007.

One of my personal favorites, Woo-Boost, from the Woo-Boost EP, not to mention some great album artwork.

Many do not know Rusko solo; he is often coupled with Caspa, another Dubstep artist with hailing from London.

My ALL TIME favorite from these two, Jahova, from their album Fabriclive 37.

What a beautiful combination of bass drops and rewinds.

Cockney Thug, one of his more famous tunes, has been remixed by such artists as Diplo, Swich, and Santigold. In more recent years, he collaborated with M.I.A with the launch of her album Maya. It is also rumored that he has teamed up with some big players: T.I., Rihanna, and Britney Spears to name a few.

Rusko will begin his tour in Boston, making his way down to Philly, Richmond, Knoxville, Atlanta, and New Orleans until finally landing in the Big Apple two days before Halloween. On the thirty-first, he will be playing an epic show at the HARD Haunted Mansion in Los Angeles. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty close to dropping a pretty penny for a ticket to LAX for that one. If only…

You can check out Rusko’s tour dates and music on his Myspace page.

Let me tell you what I love about this genre… it’s ours. These sounds were born in our lifetimes and we will always be known as the generation that gave birth to these one-of-a-kind sounds. Fucking brilliant.

Until next time!