Rustie (born Russell Whyte, 4 January 1983) is a Scottish musician from

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. He is associated with the

Numbers A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The most basic examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...

label collective and first received attention for his 2007 EP ''Jagz the Smack''. He signed to

Warp Records Warp Records is a British independent record label that specialises in Electronic music, electronic, indie rock and experimental music. It was founded in Sheffield in 1989 by Steve Beckett, Robert Mitchell and Robert Gordon. It has released recor ...

in 2009. His 2011 debut album '' Glass Swords'' won him widespread acclaim. His music blends disparate genres, including

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

, and electronic trap.

History

Rustie's first instrument was guitar and he bought his first decks at age 15. He is associated with the subgenre of aquacrunk, a genre described as an experimental offshoot of

that emphasises slowed down, low-slung beats, with lashings of electronic mutterings and morphing basslines. He believes his work conveys movement and fluidity, and that his creative process is an "immersive world" wrapped up in sound, rhythm, and color. Rustie's long-time interest in

video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

has influenced his approach to electronic composition. Rustie's first singles were released in 2007 and 2008. The producer signed with

in 2010 for the release of ''Sunburst'' EP. In 2011, Rustie released his first album '' Glass Swords'' on Warp Records. Widely celebrated for its meditation on everything from grime and hip-hop, to sci-fi computer games, and even prog rock, Brad LaBonte of Dusted Magazine wrote "''Glass Swords'' contains some of the freshest, most exciting electronic dance music I've heard this year. Put simply, nothing sounds like this record." Where a
Rolling Stone
proclaimed it "one of the most thrilling electronic albums of the decade." In 2012, "After Light" from ''Glass Swords'' was included in an

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

television advertisement featuring British track and field athlete Jessica Ennis prior to the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. Three tracks from ''Glass Swords'' ("After Light", "Ultra Thizz" and "Surph") were used in the soundtrack to the video game '' Sleeping Dogs''. The same year, ''Glass Swords'' won ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

s First Album Award. Rustie released his second album, '' Green Language'', on 26 August 2014 on Warp Records. In a review of the album
Pitchfork
proclaimed that “Part of Rustie's genius is the way he spun so many sounds and ideas into a bright, high-energy electro-funk whose central contradiction—brittle in sound, pliant in structure—turned out to be visionary." Two tracks from the album, 'Raptor' and 'Attak (feat.

Danny Brown Daniel Dewan Sewell (born March 16, 1981), better known as Danny Brown, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He was described by MTV in 2011 as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory". After amassing ...

)', received "best new track" awards by

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

. Following the release, a second single, "Lost" (feat. Redinho), was premiered by

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

. After a show for XOYO Loves at London's Coronet Theatre on 29 November 2014 featuring special guest, rapper

, Rustie announced his upcoming 2015, 'Green Language Live' world tour. The 'Green Language' tour is his largest to date and featured dates across Europe, Australia, the USA and Korea. The events showcased immersive 3D visuals by A-Rock including lost Egyptian artefacts, swarms of birds amongst other extravagant effects. Previously, Whyte has played live with collaborators; Redinho at his album launch party hosted at London's Oval Space on 18 September 2014, production/vocal duo AlunaGeorge, and Koreless. On 6 April 2015, Rustie announced the next North American leg of his Green Language World Tour. It included stops at a number of festivals with performances at

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and Governors Ball. At the beginning of November 2015, Rustie announced that his third album, '' Evenifudontbelieve'', would be released on 5 November. In his review in
The Fader
Selim Bulut wrote; "I want to join the cult of Rustie... On his new album EVENIFUDONTBELIEVE, the electronic producer has created a secular gospel. Is it possible to download someone’s consciousness as an album? I don't know if I believe in that, but I definitely believe in Rustie." '' Evenifudontbelieve'' was released via

, having made two of the singles taken from the album, "First Mythz" and "Peace Upzzz" available for stream only days prior to the release. Late November 2015, saw Rustie take part in a live Q&A with fans on

Reddit Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...

, answering questions on a range of subjects including his production techniques, his influences and previous collaborations. After seven years of silence, Sub Club hosted Rustie and other artists in collaboration with the Glasgow label,

, on 2 December 2022. On June 4, 2024, he released his first single in nine years, "Black Ice Mudra", on Warp Records.

Production

As well as his own material, Whyte has produced three tracks for

's 2013 album ''Old''.

Personal life

At the age of 15, Whyte was diagnosed with

type 1 diabetes Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic cells (beta cells). In healthy persons, beta cells produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone require ...

. In the midst of '' Evenifudontbelieve''s release cycle and tour, Whyte announced that he would be cancelling all concerts "due to addiction and mental health problems".

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

"—" denotes single that did not chart.

Remixes

* "Spliff Dub" by

Zomby Zomby is a British electronic musician who began releasing music in 2007. He has released music on several labels, including Hyperdub, Werk Discs, and 4AD. Zomby's influences include oldschool jungle music and Wiley's eskibeat sound. Car ...

on ''Mush / Spliff Dub'' (2008) * "Another Day" by Jamie Lidell on ''Another Day'' (2008) * "Let Me See What U Workin With" by Rod Lee on ''Let Me See What U Workin With'' (2008) * "Drama" by Fool on ''Drama'' (2008) * "In This" by Various Production on ''Versus'' (2008) * "In The Blood" by Pivot on ''In The Blood'' (2008) * "The Black Block" by Modeselektor on ''Happy Birthday! Remixed #2'' (2008) * "No Security" by

Crookers Crookers is the musical project of Italian DJ and producer Francesco "Phra" Barbaglia. Crookers was originally a duo consisting of Phra and fellow producer Bot, who worked together from 2003 to 2012. When the two artists met, both were trying to ...

feat.

Kelis Kelis Rogers (; born August 21, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and chef. She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Ch ...

on ''No Security'' (2009) * "Ariel" by Stateless on ''

Ninja Tune Ninja Tune is an independent record label based in London, with a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1990 by musicians Matt Black and Jonathan More, known collectively as Coldcut. The label was established as an outlet for Col ...

XX: 20 Years Of Beats & Pieces'' (2010) * "Ariel" (Second version credited as 'Rustie's Pentagram Remake') by Stateless on ''Ninja Tune XX No. 1'' (2010) * "I'm Gone" by Lazer Sword on ''Lazer Sword'' (2010) * "G41" by 8Bitch on ''G41'' (2010) * "Dominos" by The Big Pink on ''Chysalis Music 2010 Coachella'' (2010) * "Fancy Forty" by Lunice on ''Stacker Upper'' (2010) * "On My Mind" by Joker on ''On My Mind'' (2011) * "Brand New" by

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream a ...

(2011) * "Lose Yourself" by Surkin on ''Lose Yourself'' (2012) * "Love in Motion" by SebastiAn on ''Love in Motion'' (2012) * "Ratchet" by

Bloc Party Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band that was formed in London, England, London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, sampler) and Russell Lissack (lead guitar). Their first four albums all featur ...

on '' Four (Deluxe Edition)'' (2013) * "Trouble on My Mind" by

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice, Malice. M ...

feat.

Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been cited as an influential figure in alternative hip-hop during the 2010s. Tyler beca ...

via

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

(2013) * "Back Seat Ho" by Machinedrum (2014) * "Beautiful" by A. G. Cook (2014) * "Midnight" by Joker (2014) * "Hit Da Blokk" by Big Dope P (2015) * "Where Are Ü Now" by

Jack Ü Jack Ü was an American electronic dance music duo consisting of electronic music producers Skrillex and Diplo, formed in 2013. They released their first official single, "Take Ü There", featuring vocals from Kiesza, on October 4, 2014. They re ...

with

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...

(2015)

References

External links

Rustie
at

*
Rustie
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rustie 1983 births Living people Scottish electronic musicians Scottish record producers Warp (record label) artists