Rusko appears to have announced his retirement.
In a heartfelt statement shared on social media today, the dubstep legend announced that he needs “to dip out the game for the foreseeable future,” due to the toll over 20 years of international touring has taken on his mind and body.’
All of Rusko’s upcoming shows will be canceled.
“When I first decided to call it a day on music and shows I wasn’t really sure how, or even if, I wanted to share more publicly,” the British producer and DJ—born Christopher Mercer—wrote. “The truth is, there was no way I could have found the words. I had simply been ignoring my brain and body for far too long. I finally hit a serious breaking point.”
“For now, I have to follow my instincts and search for healing and recovery,” he continued. “While I can’t guarantee any kind of return, I hope in my heart, one day this is not goodbye, but more ‘see ya later, alligator.’”
Hailing from Leeds, the man behind seminal dubstep tunes like “Cockney Thug” and “Woo Boost” trailblazed the harder-edged dubstep sound that took the genre global after its initial UK explosion in the early 2000s. Alongside countless other studio and live set contributions that have continued to define the scene in the decades since, his FabricLive.37 mix CD, recorded with his longtime brother-in-bass, Caspa, remains one of dubstep’s most lauded and important artifacts.
Read Rusko’s full statement in the post below.
Featured image courtesy: Rusko.