Rusko enlists Dirt Monkey and Boogie T for Wakaan debut, ‘Sauce’ EP

October 16, 2020

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Photo credit: Dumarys Espaillat.

The four-track EP also marks the UK dubstep legend’s first official release of the new decade.

Since his double EP release with Megabad and Genghis Danger in 2019, the world has had to wait on new Rusko music. The wait is finally over today, October 16, as the bass music icon returns with Sauce. The four-track short player boasts features from fellow bass music staples, Dirt Monkey and Boogie T. Out now as Rusko’s debut contribution to Liquid Stranger’s coveted Wakaan imprint, Sauce is mature, intelligible, and extremely palatable. In fact, the entire listening journey goes down like a smooth Béchamel sauce.

A truly innovative jack of all trades, the forward-thinking dance music trailblazer’s latest musical endeavor spans a wide gamut of electronic dance music genres such as dubstep, drum and bass, and bass house. Each track is wholly reflective of Rusko’s unique signature sound, with the wonky distorted bass he’s so well-known for audibly on full display. Rusko’s latest sonic offering follows his melodic techno alias Stonehange’s SoundCloud-exclusive album, 11-track playlist1, from earlier this April.

“Carrot Cake” starts off the project with a slow and steady beat, before the bouncy dubstep sounds take full control. Hints of reggae seep through with relentlessly high-octane production elements accompanying. “Ecstasy Dreamland” follows, maintaining the lively, propelling energy from the first track. Dirt Monkey’s influence on the next tune, “Quarantinis,” can be heard, characterized by even more hints of intoxicating wobbly dub-reggae. “Wha Gwan” tops off Rusko’s latest release, and features Boogie T’s signature heart-fluttering swampstep touch throughout its nearly four-minute runtime.

What else can one say about Rusko other than when this pioneer releases new music, he changes the current trends in bass music. Wakaan has been on the cutting-edge of bass trends itself over the past few years, so kudos to Liquid Stranger and company on welcoming Mercer into their recording family.