Ed Rush & Optical

Ed Rush & Optical

Ed Rush & Optical are a drum and bass group from London, United Kingdom. Active since 1997, they work in drum and bass, electronic and techstep, and co-head the London label Virus Recordings.

Background

Both artists build separate reputations as well as a partnership. Optical engineers tracks on Goldie and Grooverider’s albums and also releases solo material on labels including Prototype, 31 and Metro. Ed Rush has a large number of releases of his own, with notable work on No U-Turn, where he and Nico help define the darker period of drum and bass with the album Torque, and on Metalheadz, where he produces tracks such as “The Raven” and “Locust”.

Albums and releases

Their 1998 debut album Wormhole is regarded as a genre classic. They follow it with The Creeps in 2000 and The Original Doctor Shade in 2003, both of which gain a strong reputation on the dancefloor. In 2004 they release the mix CD Out of The Box, which draws on the contents of their record bags at the time and includes a DVD of interviews and videos. In 2005 they issue Virus Vaults, a compilation of unreleased tracks from the period 1996 to 2005. Their 2006 album Chameleon uses a different approach, with the intention of performing the new material live.

Live activity

They also perform as DJs, both separately and together, and continue to headline festivals and events.