KAPOW! British Dubstep (or “Brostep” if you wanna get into a debate about it) producer extraordinaire Christopher Mercer, aka Rusko, is back and as stellar as ever with this four-song EP released today for free to fans on his email list (also being released on iTunes on November 6th). This is Rusko’s first release since he put out his full-length masterpiece Songs back in March of this year and it builds perfectly onto that collection of Reggae-infused, melodic music that sees no shortage of his signature wobbles.
My early vote for favorite of the EP is the opening track “Like This”. This jam has a nice driving beat, plenty of vocal samples including one that goes “Wow” – which is what I said to myself when I first heard it – and sharp crispy wobbles that fall under some layered synths. I think there’s also a DMX sample with him saying “What?!”. What’s interesting to note about “Like This” is it clocks in at 110 BPM which is where Moombahton usually falls, although this track definitely doesn’t have a Moombahton feel to it.
“Booyakasha” is another fun one that has a more traditional Dubstep feel to it, although again this is plenty more melodic than the Rusko of old (thinking of songs like “Mr. Chips“). I can already see Rusko boppin’ around stage and putting his hand up when the “Booyakasha” vocal sample drops in. “Bring It Back” is a song that most closely fits with the Songs LP in that is has more vocal work and could even open up for a crowd singalong.
All in all the EP is a fantastic effort by one of our favorite producers in any genre of dance music but make sure to check out the tracks for yourself and see what your thoughts are. Also be sure to catch Rusko on tour this Fall/Winter because he puts on some of the most fun shows I’ve been to. He’ll be in Boston on December 28.
Rusko – Like This
Rusko – Booyakasha
Rusko – Bring it Back
Rusko – Yeah
***Grab the full Zip file HERE***