British producer Rusko played a major role in popularizing dubstep during the 2000s and 2010s, elevating it from a niche U.K. club style to a festival-ready international phenomenon. He’s also responsible for helping push the genre to its extreme, with his fierce, wobbly bass lines paving the way for the more aggressive style of dubstep pushed by North American producers such as Skrillex and Datsik. However, Rusko’s work has always remained true to U.K. sound system culture and its roots in reggae, hip-hop, and the rave scene, and he’s always pursued his own artistic vision rather than merely following the latest trends. After creating an underground buzz with early tracks such as 2007’s “Cockney Thug,” Rusko and then-associate Caspa mixed the acclaimed FabricLive.37, which helped gain the fledgling dubstep scene a wider audience. Aligning with Diplo‘s Mad Decent stable, Rusko released 2010’s O.M.G.! and 2012’s Songs, a more eclectic effort described by its creator as an “anti-brostep album,” in reaction to dubstep’s more commercial variant. Since then, he’s primarily operated independently, releasing several EPs exploring garage, drum’n’bass, electro, and other styles.