When I was first asked to review Ruskoâs performance at the Bluestone, I appreciated the opportunity, but was skeptical about the night of music that lay ahead. After all, Rusko is the guy responsible for âbrostep,â or less pejoratively, American dubstep. The British producerâs 2009 track âCockney Thugâ is recognized as an early predecessor to the aggressive, metalesque sound that rose to prominence in the United States over the past three to four years.
Brostep is the EDM equivalent of Disturbed, Godsmack and the like, but to Ruskoâs credit, he is on the record saying, âBrostep is sort of my fault, but now Iâve started to hate it in a way⌠itâs got too noisy for noisyâs sake.â Apart from this genre, he is a solid producer. Tracks like âSomebody to Loveâ and âWoo Boost,â with their old school rave vibes via keys and sirens and âHold On,â (the Sub Focus remix), were my introduction to Rusko. Those are all great tracks and minor offenders as far as bro-ness goes.
But my skepticism about the show was misguided. It was great. First of all, the Bluestone is a fantastic venue. Secondly, the separate side room provided a nice respite from the mainstream sounds in the sanctuary room. Acts like Lower Frequency and Indirect Audio offered up some acid house and drum and bass, respectively. My only complaint of the night was the poor quality sound system in the side room. While the acts were awesome, the system didnât do their sets justice. Most importantly, though, UK DJs know whatâs up. So, expectantly, Ruskoâs set featured a diverse array including remixes ranging from dubstep to ragga, drum and bass and back again.
I canât help but get my skank on when drum and bass is playing, so I got fairly sweaty during his set. The visuals featured 80s and 90s throwback content, including Rusko sporting his keytar featured in the âWoo Boostâ video. The go-go dancers, nearing baring all, didnât hurt eyes, even if they couldnât really dance, and the sound was on point. Despite Ruskoâs skills and the positives above, my personal highlight of the night was LethalFXâs 15 minute beatbox performance introducing Rusko. The Youngstown native provided the heaviest bass sounds of the night, and all with an instrument he was born with.
 Rusko and his brostep did not disappoint at the Bluestone When I was first asked to review Rusko's performance at the Bluestone, I appreciated the opportunity, but was skeptical about the night of music that lay ahead.