Kapow Ep – Rusko [free Dl]

Man, it’s been years since I first heard “Woo Boost” from Rusko.  It might have even been the first dubstep track I heard from the British mad-man, but now-a-days things have changed quite a bit in the music world.  When dubstep first emerged names like, Benga, Skream, Digital Myztiks, Caspa and Rusko were leading the way for a genre that would explode unlike any other in recent years.

Rusko has been on top of his game since he first broken into the new bass music market at a very young age, and you’d probably be hard-pressed to find many people that are avid bass music fans but don’t know the name Rusko.  Fabric Live .37 paved the way for a ton of artists and those tunes are still on repeat in some people libraries, but artists also grow and change with time.  Rusko is one artist that i feel is constantly reinventing himself and trying out new sounds.  Rusko started with a strictly bass-englufed binge and then moved to a different side with O.M.G. then went back to his roots a bit with Songs, and now we have the KAPOW EP.  Along the way we also heard tracks along side Caspa, Cypress Hill, unforgettable remixes and many others;  Rusko is no stranger to attempting new ways.    The Kapow EP might be Rusko’s newest experiment in sound.  The EP doesn’t really sound like anything he’s done before except for “BOOYAKASHA”.

The first track on the EP, “BOOYAKASHA” feels like “Somebody To Love” re-imagined with the addition of a lot of bleeps and bloops.  It’s a bass driven tune with a 128 BPM, giving the track a rushed feeling, but still great nonetheless.  The second track, “Bring It Back” is a departure from what we’ve previously heard from Rusko.  A familiar 140 BPM track but with so many aspects of house/trance filtered into the tune.  We’ve heard Rusko go the more pop route, in terms of sound and lyrics in his tune, “Thunder”, but this feels even more mainstream-ish.  In my opinion, biggest departure from Rusko’s familiar sound would be “Like This“, the third track on the EP.  ”Like This” is essentially a glitch-hop/dub-hop tune, and I am not a huge fan of this bass sub-genre, so I can’t really say much about it.  Rusko did collaborate with Cypress Hill on an EP, so it might be a little biased for me to say it’s my least favorite track.  The final track on the KAPOW EP is “Yeah“.  This tune is my favorite on the EP and probably the most familiar to hardcore Rusko fans.  On this track you’ll hear  heavy bass, a 140 to 128 transition for a extended interlude, and then some more great bass.

The entire EP might be a departure for Rusko, but that’s what happens for many musicians.  Each wants to prove themselves different and still inspiring, and many choose to show this by re-inventing themselves through music.  Rusko will continue to always be a favorite of mine solely because he introduced me to the entire genre of bass music, and while his newer material is not my favorite, I still give him kudos for trying out new sounds.  Download this free EP right here and tell us how you felt about this EP!