- Ed Rush & Optical are two producers whose names have become synonymous with drum & bass as they've seen the many phases of the sound from the hardcore rave days, to jungle and all the way to helping pioneer the darker sounds of drum & bass in its current form. Since the inception of their Virus label, the duo's sound is instantly recognisable in the technically precise drum programming laced with dark bass tones. The duo have just completed a mix CD, Out Of The Box which embraces the Ed Rush & Optical sound featuring tunes from J Majik, Pendulum, Capone, Mampi Swift and three from the boys themselves.
Australia's Pendulum crew are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world of drum & bass and they get the mix started with their remix of Ed Rush & Optical's Bacteria. Pendulum's remix starts off with a deep and moody introduction incorporating dark techy sweeps and tribal percussion before quickly progressing to a dark, bass heavy monster with ear drum peircing horror movie strings and frantic rolling breaks. Bacteria nicely sets the tone for J Majik & Wickaman's Scooby Doo which lightens the mood slightly with a catchy melodic bassline and features the vocals of Kathy Brown who's renowned for providing vocals on the classic tune "Turn Me Out".
Ed Rush & Optical return again with Kerbcrawler which is featured with a remix done by Baron. Probably the funkiest tune in the mix, Kerbcrawler features an infectious synth hook, plenty of hoovers, and sci-fi effects.
Drumsound & Simon Bassline Smith are another duo making waves in drum & bass and they are responsible for providing three tunes to the mix. Bandsaw as the title suggests features a liquid Reese bassline that could slice through the toughest of metals. Tyrant too offers a sinister bass riff and Crossfire Danger features a sweet female vocal sample (which in some way sounds like the vocal from a Massive Attack tune) and drops a rich rolling break filled to the brim with percussion and another menacing bassline.
J Majik & Wickaman rinse out a funky tune in the form of Ska Disco dropping dubby basslines, a funky riff and female vocal stabs before tear-out pioneer Dillinja appears in his Capone guise to deliver another bumping, dubby bass line with computer generated sounds and vocodered vocals on Just Relax.
Quite possibly the biggest rock/drum & bass crossover track to emerge in 2004, Nightbreed's Pack Of Wolves rears its head on this compilation featured here as Pendulum's tempo switching remix before the mix comes to a close with the third and final Ed Rush & Optical tune, Compound. For the mix they've enlisted the skills of Gridlok to provide a remix and he gives the tune a wobbly, fluid bassline, tribal percussion and closes it off with a long winded beat drop.
What's interesting about the mix is that when artists release a mix compilation they will usually jump at the opportunity to provide their own exclusive tunes. Ed Rush & Optical have taken this one step further and provided their own tunes in remix form done by the current crop of drum & bass' elite. As per usual it's the DJ that comes out with the tunes first that is on everybody's lips and in that sense, this is where the mix can fall short as a few of the selections here have already appeared on recent mixes done by Andy C, Shimon and Grooverider. Still for those who couldn't give a rats and just love the music for what it is will love this energetic selection of tunes. It also comes with a DVD featuring live footage of Ed Rush & Optical in the mix, interviews with pioneers of the scene and studio tips for any budding producers out there!