Rusko (musician)
Encyclopedia
Christopher Mercer, more commonly known as Rusko, is an English dubstep
record producer
and DJ
who was born on 26 January 1985 in Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England.
with a degree in Music Performance. Immersed in the world of Dubstep
through Leeds based event "Sub Dub" and the closely connected Northern counterpart of Digital Mystikz
"DMZ" events, which were both held at the West Indian Centre, Rusko moved to London to work with the record labels Sub Soldiers and Stingray Records, and connect with now no longer associated act Caspa
.
Rusko made his production debut in 2006 on Dub Police with the song SNES Dub. By 2007 he released Babylon, Vol. 1 with Sub Soldiers. Steering away from the darker side of Dubstep
, Rusko brought an upbeat sound to the scene that appealed to many outside the community. Rusko's extremely successful hit Cockney Thug has appeared on various DJ sets and mixes including Pete Tong
, Switch
, M.I.A.
and Santigold. His music has been remixed by artists Buraka Som Sistema
as well as Drop the Lime
, Scratch Perverts
, Sub Focus
and fellow act Caspa
. Rusko also did his own productions and remixes of artists like Adele and A-Trak featuring Kid Sister.
On November 8, 2010 Rusko's house and production studio in Silverlake flooded. The flood started when his wife Belinda accidentally left the backyard hose running all night. He managed to save the hard drives from the water.
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
who was born on 26 January 1985 in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England.
History
Rusko graduated from Leeds College of MusicLeeds College of Music
Leeds College of Music, located in Leeds’ Quarry Hill cultural quarter, is the largest music college in the United Kingdom, with over 1,000 full-time and 1,000 part-time students. The college is best known for its leading role in jazz education and started one of the first jazz degrees in Europe...
with a degree in Music Performance. Immersed in the world of Dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
through Leeds based event "Sub Dub" and the closely connected Northern counterpart of Digital Mystikz
Digital Mystikz
Digital Mystikz are a dubstep production duo from the South London suburb of Norwood. Along with Loefah and Sgt. Pokes, they operate the DMZ record label and host the influential bimonthly nightclub DMZ, held at the Mass club complex in Brixton, London...
"DMZ" events, which were both held at the West Indian Centre, Rusko moved to London to work with the record labels Sub Soldiers and Stingray Records, and connect with now no longer associated act Caspa
Caspa
Caspa is the stage name of Gary McCann, a Dubstep music producer from West London.-Biography:McCann's creative involvement in music began after a promising basketball career was cut short by a shoulder injury...
.
Rusko made his production debut in 2006 on Dub Police with the song SNES Dub. By 2007 he released Babylon, Vol. 1 with Sub Soldiers. Steering away from the darker side of Dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
, Rusko brought an upbeat sound to the scene that appealed to many outside the community. Rusko's extremely successful hit Cockney Thug has appeared on various DJ sets and mixes including Pete Tong
Pete Tong
Peter "Pete" Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for...
, Switch
Switch
In electronics, a switch is an electrical component that can break an electrical circuit, interrupting the current or diverting it from one conductor to another....
, M.I.A.
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
and Santigold. His music has been remixed by artists Buraka Som Sistema
Buraka Som Sistema
Buraka Som Sistema is an electronic dance music project from Portugal, specializing in a fusion of techno beats with the African kuduro genre, and are generally credited with creating the "progressive kuduro" variant and have been awarded an MTV European Music Award.-Origins:Buraka Som Sistema was...
as well as Drop the Lime
Drop the Lime
Drop the Lime, is an electronic producer and DJ and founder of dance label Trouble & Bass. Drop the Lime's new material and DJ sets also feature live vocals on original compositions....
, Scratch Perverts
Scratch Perverts
The Scratch Perverts are a collective of turntablist DJs from London, formed in 1996 by Tony Vegas, Prime Cuts and DJ Renegade.-Biography:The Scratch Perverts originally consisted of 4 members; Tony Vegas, Renegade, First Rate and Mr Thing. The Scratch Perverts later expanded to an 8-member...
, Sub Focus
Sub Focus
Nick Douwma, better known by his stage name Sub Focus, is an English Electronic Music record producer. He has been releasing records since 2003. On 12 October 2009, he released his self-titled debut album.-Chart success:...
and fellow act Caspa
Caspa
Caspa is the stage name of Gary McCann, a Dubstep music producer from West London.-Biography:McCann's creative involvement in music began after a promising basketball career was cut short by a shoulder injury...
. Rusko also did his own productions and remixes of artists like Adele and A-Trak featuring Kid Sister.
On November 8, 2010 Rusko's house and production studio in Silverlake flooded. The flood started when his wife Belinda accidentally left the backyard hose running all night. He managed to save the hard drives from the water.
Albums
- CaspaCaspaCaspa is the stage name of Gary McCann, a Dubstep music producer from West London.-Biography:McCann's creative involvement in music began after a promising basketball career was cut short by a shoulder injury...
& Rusko - FabricLive.37 - December 2007 - O.M.G.!OMG (album)O.M.G.! is the debut album by British dubstep musician Rusko. It was released May 3rd 2010 for the UK, and May 4th 2010 for the US. The first singles from the album are Woo Boost and Hold On.-Track listing:# "Woo Boost"...
- May 2010 - DJ REYVA - Unreleased - 2012
EPs and Singles
- "SNES Dub" 2006 (Dub Police)
- "Acton Dread" 2007 (Dub Police)
- "Cockney Flute" 2007 (Dub Police)
- "Babylon: Volume 1" 2007 (Sub Soldiers)
- "BetaMax" 2007 (Veri Lo Records)
- "William H Tonkers" 2007 (2nd Drop Records)
- "Roma" 2007 (2nd Drop Records)
- "Dubstep Warz" 2008 (Dub Files)
- "Get Your Cock Out" 2008 (Dub Files)
- "Acton Dread Remix" 2008 (Dub Thiefs)
- "Gone 2 Far" 2008 (Sub Soldiers)
- "2 N A Q" 2008 (Sub Soldiers)
- "Mr. Chips" 2008 (Sub Soldiers)
- "Hammertime" 2008 (Sub Soldiers)
- "Cockney Thug" 2009 (Sub Soldiers)
- "Woo Boost" 2010 (Mad Decent) #194 UK
- "Hold On (feat Amber Coffman)" 2010 (Mad Decent) #96 UK
- "Everyday" 2011 (Mad Decent) #106 UK
Remixes
- 2007 Mike Lennon - "When Science Fails Remix" (Z Audio)
- 2008 Kid CuDiKid CudiScott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...
- "Day 'N Night" - 2008 D. Kay - "Fire Remix" (Not on Label)
- 2008 Audio BullysAudio BullysAudio Bullys are an electronic music group from London, consisting of Simon Franks and Tom Dinsdale. The group were once managed by DJ and presenter George Lamb....
- "Flickery Vision (Ruskos Staying Awake Remix)" (Vizo Records) - 2008 HK119HK119HK119 is the alter ego of Finnish multimedia artist, singer and recording artist Heidi Kilpeläinen, who lives and works in London, UK.-Career:...
- "C'est La Vie" (Rusko Masher) (One Little Indian) - 2008 L-Wiz - "Girl From Codeine City" (Dub Thiefs)
- 2009 The ProdigyThe ProdigyThe Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
- "Take Me to the Hospital" (Rusko Remix) (Ministry of SoundMinistry of SoundMinistry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
) - 2009 Skunk AnansieSkunk AnansieSkunk Anansie is an English rock band whose members include Skin , Cass , Ace and Mark Richardson .Skunk Anansie formed in March 1994, disbanded in 2001 and reformed in 2009...
- "I Can Dream Remix" (One Little Indian) - 2009 Lady GaGaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
- "Alejandro (Rusko's Pupuseria Remix)" (Not on Label) - 2009 Basement JaxxBasement JaxxBasement Jaxx are a British electronic dance music duo from London, England consisting of Felix Buxton born 1971 and Simon Ratcliffe born 1 December 1969. They first rose to popularity in the late 1990s...
- "Feelings Gone (Rusko Remix)" (XL Recordings) - 2009 Little BootsLittle BootsVictoria Christina Hesketh, also known by her stage name/pseudonym Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter. Her stage name comes from a nickname given to her by a friend, a reference to her unusually small feet...
- "RemedyRemedy (Little Boots song)"Remedy" is a song by English recording artist Little Boots from her debut album, Hands. Written by Boots and RedOne, the song was released as the album's second single on 17 August 2009 in the United Kingdom, becoming her most successful single on the UK Singles Chart to date. A remix EP of the...
(Rusko's Big Trainers Remix)" (679) - 2010 Kid SisterKid SisterMelisa Young better known by her stage name Kid Sister, is a rap artist based in Chicago, Illinois, well known for her single "Pro Nails", featuring Kanye West.-Background:Melisa Young was born July 3, 1980 in Markham, Illinois...
- "Pro Nails (Rusko Remix)" (Asylum Records) - 2010 KelisKelisKelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...
- "4th of July (Rusko Remix)" (Interscope Records) - 2010 Rusko - "Bionic Commando (Rusko Remix)" (Not on Label)
- 2010 Sub FocusSub FocusNick Douwma, better known by his stage name Sub Focus, is an English Electronic Music record producer. He has been releasing records since 2003. On 12 October 2009, he released his self-titled debut album.-Chart success:...
- "Splash" (RAM Records) - 2010 Rusko - "Gadget GoGo" (Not on Label)
Appearances
- License To Thrill: Part Two 12" - Dub Police (2007)
- Tempa Allstars Vol. 4 12" - Tempa (2007)
- Rinse: 01 - Rinse Recordings (2007)
- C'est La Vie 12" - One Little Indian (2008)
- Cold Shoulder 12" - XL Recordings (2008)
- Watch The Ride - Harmless (2008)
- Exclusive Mix for Fenchurch - Sub Soldiers (2008)
- Radio 1 Essential mix (13/12/2008)
- НАБЛЮДАЙ 13 - МИШКА (2009)
- Amnesia Studio Mix - Zeno Dub (2008)
- Beatdown - Fabric Records (2009)
- Goresteps Most Hated - BorgoreBorgoreAsaf Borger , known professionally as Borgore, is an Israeli dubstep producer and disc jockey . He is the founder of Buygore Records and former drummer of Israeli death metal band Shabira. Known as Gorestep, his music incorporates triplet drum patterns with heavy metal influences. Some songs have...
(2009) - Neonspread 2 - EMI Music Japan Inc. (2009)