Rusko has announced an indefinite hiatus from music, citing the need to search for “healing and recovery”.<\/p>\n
The Leeds-hailing dubstep pioneer shared an update via Instagram <\/a>on Saturday (July 18), writing: “When I first decided to call it a day on music and shows, I really wasn’t sure how, or even if, I wanted to share more publicly.”<\/p>\n “I dedicated all my life and spirit to being an artist, and have been travelling the world for over 20 years,” he continues. “I am so unbelievably lucky and grateful for every experience and the most amazing fans who have been alongside me. But it became clear I was having a breakdown mentally… and so needed to dip out the game for the foreseeable future.”<\/p>\n Read this next: The 10 best fabric mix CDs<\/a><\/p>\n Rusko, AKA Chris Mercer, became entrenched in the burgeoning dubstep scene through Sub Dub parties at Leeds’ West Indian Centre in the early ’00s before moving to London to pursue a career in music.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2007, Mercer teamed up with Caspa to release the era-defining ‘FabricLive.37’ mixtape, which proved pivotal in popularising dubstep beyond the UK underground.<\/p>\n Rusko’s work in taking dubstep from its sub-bass origins into mid-range territory, heard on his 2007 breakout single ‘Cockney Thug’, is often cited as an inspiration for Skrillex and the US ‘brostep’ sound. Mercer decried what the genre had become in 2011, admitting that he “took it there, but everyone else took it too far<\/a>.”<\/p>\n Mixmag merch is here: Shop the collection<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Mercer reunited with Caspa in 2015, with whom he regularly toured alongside, particularly in the US, until 2025. In April 2017, he was diagnosed with a “rare but treatable” form of stomach cancer<\/a> and was forced to cancel several festival and club appearances. By November 2017, Mercer confirmed the treatments had been successful and that he was “cancer-free<\/a>“.<\/p>\n Continuing his statement this weekend, Rusko said that “for now, I have to follow my instincts and search for healing and recovery. 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’.”<\/p>\n You can read Rusko’s full statement below.<\/p>\n Megan Townsend is Mixmag’s Deputy Editor, get in touch with her here<\/a>.<\/p>\n