Ed Rush

Last updated

Ed Rush
Ed Rush 2015-11-04.JPG
Ed Rush in 2015
Born
London, England
Other namesBen Dylan
Occupation(s)Musician, DJ, producer
Years active1992–present
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s) Sampler, turntable, drum machine, synthesizer
Labels

Ben Settle, known by the stage name Ed Rush, [1] [ full citation needed ] is a drum and bass producer and DJ. Rush has been releasing records since 1992 primarily with Optical (Matt Quinn), his musical partner since 1997. Along with Optical, he is also the co-founder of the record label Virus Recordings, which releases his records along with other drum and bass acts. He is most associated with the aggressive styles of drum and bass music known as techstep, darkcore and neurofunk.

Contents

Early career

Rush's first releases were a pair of self-released white label 12" singles, the Prince Jammy-sampling "I Wanna Stay in the Jungle" and "Look What They've Done" in late 1992. In early 1993, Rush begun playing on the London pirate radio station Don FM, where he was to first meet future production partner DJ Trace, [2] resulting in the duo releasing the track "Don Bad Man", produced by engineer Nico Sykes. Shortly after, Rush recorded "Bludclot Artattack", which was released on Sykes' No U Turn Records. [3] This release helped to influence the rave scene away from hardcore and into drum and bass. [3] Rush's work grew increasingly uncompromising and dark: writing in the book Energy Flash: a Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture , Simon Reynolds wrote "Ed Rush's No U-Turn tracks 'Gangsta Hardstep' and 'Guncheck' took the explosive energy of hardcore and imploded it, transforming febrile hyperkinesis into molasses thick malaise." [4]

As notoriety grew, Rush continued to collaborate, such as on "The Mutant" with DJ Trace in 1995. Additional releases on Grooverider's Prototype label and Goldie's Metalheadz further helped to establish Rush's reputation as a prominent drum and bass artist. [5] In 1996, Rush and Trace coined the dense, hard style of jungle they were working on as "techstep" [6] which went on to become the dominant style of drum and bass in the late 1990s. [7] Rush's work with Trace and Nico on No U-Turn Records was compiled on the album Torque in 1997.

Together with Audio he forms the duo Killbox. [8]

Collaboration with Optical

In 1995 Rush met Matt Quinn, who worked under the stage name Optical. They met at the Music House, a dubplate mastering company in Islington, London where dubplates would be made for their DJ sets. [9] Rob Playford the owner of the label Moving Shadow gave them space in his Soho office building to allow them to build their own studio. [10] They released their debut single Funktion in 1997, and followed it up in 1998 with their debut album, Wormhole, which has been described as the greatest drum and bass album of all time [5] [11] and introduced the style of drum and bass now known as Neurofunk. [12] In 2000, DJ Craze used their track "Watermelon" in his beat-juggling routine, helping him win his 3rd DMC World Championship. [13] In 2000, they released their second album, The Creeps (Invisible And Deadly!), which broadened their palette by introducing vocals to the mix [14] Their third album, The Original Doctor Shade was released in 2003 and featured a collaboration with turntablist DJs, Scratch Perverts. [14] In 2005, they took part in the 40 Artists, 40 Days project organised by the Tate Gallery in the run up to London's successful bid to win the right to host the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. [15] 2006 saw the release of their fourth album Chameleon which saw them using a live band for the first time [16] and three years later followed with Travel the Galaxy. Their track Frontline was use in the soundtrack to the 2008 video game Wipeout HD . [17] In 2014, Ministry of Sound described them as one of the most influential artists in drum and bass. [18]

Their most recent album, No Cure, was released in October 2015. [19] The same year also saw the release of their first headline mix featured as part of the long running Fabriclive series of mix CDs, FabricLive.82. They had a long relationship with the London club Fabric having played at the opening weekend in 1999 [20] and appearing on the first drum and bass mix released by Fabric in 2002 ( FabricLive.06 mixed by Grooverider). [21] Following Islington Council's decision to revoke Fabric's licence in September 2016, Ed Rush & Optical took part in a benefit show to challenge the decision. [22] In November 2016 agreement was reached to reopen the club. [23]

In addition to many club appearances, Rush and Optical have appeared at festivals, including Glastonbury in 1999 and 2014, [10] and Bestival in 2013. [24]

They have also collaborated and remixed several other artists including: Goldie, [15] Skunk Anansie, [15] Lil' Louis ( French Kiss) [25] and Rudimental featuring John Newman ( Not Giving In ). [26] They themselves have been remixed by other artists such as Pendulum, who remixed their track Bacteria in 2004.

As well as his work with Optical, Rush has also released house music under the name Ben Dylan. [16]

Ed Rush is a play on the phrase "head rush", which was slang in the rave scene for a temporary whiteout caused by too many Es. [4]

Discography

Solo discography

Albums
Singles

With Ed Rush & Optical

Albums
Singles
DJ Mixes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LTJ Bukem</span> British musician, producer and DJ

Daniel Andrew Williamson, better known as LTJ Bukem, is a British drum and bass musician, producer and DJ. He and his record label Good Looking are most associated with the jazzy, atmospheric side of drum and bass music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grooverider</span> Musical artist

Raymond Bingham, better known as Grooverider, is a British drum and bass DJ. He and DJ partner Fabio are regarded as "originators" of the scene.

Techstep is a dark subgenre of drum and bass that was created in the mid-1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam F</span> English record producer and DJ

Adam Fenton is an English record producer and DJ who has worked across various genres. He is also the co-founder of the drum and bass label Breakbeat Kaos along with DJ Fresh. He found initial success with the 1990s drum and bass singles "Circles", "Metropolis" / "Mother Earth", and "F-Jam", before releasing his debut studio album Colours in 1997. In 2001, he transitioned into hip hop music, producing the album Kaos: The Anti-Acoustic Warfare, featuring collaborations with LL Cool J, Redman and De La Soul. He later released a remix album, Drum and Bass Warfare, and collaborated with DJ Fresh.

The Freestylers are a British electronic music group, consisting of producers Matt Cantor and Aston Harvey. They have released five studio albums and a number of mix compilations for, among others, Fabric and BBC Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dieselboy</span> American DJ and producer

Damian Higgins better known by his stage name Dieselboy, is an American drum and bass DJ and music producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Contrast</span> Welsh musical artist (born 1979)

Lincoln Barrett, better known by the stage name High Contrast, is a Welsh electronic music producer, DJ and record producer. He produces drum and bass music, and his 2009 album Confidential reached BPI gold certification.

Neurofunk is a dark subgenre of drum and bass which emerged between 1997 and 1998 in London, England as a progression of techstep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Wink</span> American electronic music DJ and remixer

Joshua Winkelman, better known by his stage name Josh Wink, is an American electronic dance music DJ, label owner, producer, and remixer. He is a native of Philadelphia, United States. A pioneering DJ in the American rave scene during the early 1990s, Wink was the most prominent exponent of the tribal forms of techno and house in the U.S. In 1995, he released several hits, including "Don't Laugh", "I'm Ready", and "Higher State of Consciousness," which topped the dance charts in Europe. He has had many club hits such as "How's Your Evening So Far?" and "Superfreak (Freak)" and has also gained much attention for his remixes of Stabbing Westward, FC Kahuna, Paul Oakenfold, Moby, Towa Tei, Ladytron and Depeche Mode, among others.

Jamie Quinn, better known by his stage name Matrix, is a British drum and bass producer, DJ, and founder of record label Metro Recordings in London.

Matthew James Firth Coleman, better known by his stage name MJ Cole, is an English garage DJ, record producer and remixer.

<i>FabricLive.18</i> 2004 compilation album by Andy C and DJ Hype

FabricLive.18 is a DJ mix compilation album produced by Andy C and DJ Hype, as part of the FabricLive series. It was released on 18 October 2004 by the Fabric record label. The album is the second in the series to be produced by DJ Hype, who also produced FabricLive.03.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mocean Worker</span> American musician

Mocean Worker is the recording alias of jazz musician and producer Adam Dorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanton Warriors</span> British DJ and production duo

Stanton Warriors are a British DJ and production duo consisting of Dominic Butler and Mark Yardley. Originally from the West Country, the duo have performed internationally with their infamous Stanton Sessions parties in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Their name was taken from a manhole cover, made by Stanton Ironworks. Stanton record player needles are popular with DJs for their ability to scratch records.

Drumagick are the brothers JrDeep and Guilherme Lopes. They are DJs and drum 'n' bass producers who live in São Paulo, Brazil.

Noisia were a Dutch electronic music trio consisting of members Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger from Groningen, Netherlands. They produced a wide variety of music including drum and bass, dubstep, breakbeat and house, releasing music under labels including Skrillex's Owsla, deadmau5's mau5trap and Jay-Z's Roc Nation. Noisia previously combined with the group Foreign Beggars to form the supergroup side project I Am Legion. They released their collaborative self-titled album on 2 September 2013. Noisia also have production credits under the pseudonym Nightwatch, such as for their work with Alexis Jordan, Hadouken!, Wiley and Wretch 32. They produced Hadouken!'s album For the Masses that charted at number 19 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Split the Atom</i> 2010 studio album by Noisia

Split the Atom is the debut studio album by Dutch drum and bass trio Noisia. The album was released on 5 April 2010 as a full-length CD as well as two double 12" EPs; the Vision EP includes four drum and Bass songs whilst the Division EP includes four electro house/breakbeat songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camo & Krooked</span> Austrian electronic music duo

Camo & Krooked are an electronic music duo from Vienna, Austria with their musical roots embedded in drum and bass, consisting of Reinhard "Camo" Rietsch and Markus "Krooked" Wagner.

<i>Wormhole</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Ed Rush & Optical

Wormhole is the debut album by the English drum and bass act Ed Rush & Optical. Recorded between 1997 and 1998, the album was issued on 16 November 1998 through their self-run Virus Recordings label on vinyl and CD formats. The CD edition was a double disc, the second disc containing an hour-long continuous mix while the LP was a five-disc boxset, with a single track per side. On 26 November 2012 the album was reissued on both formats with new artwork, the LP edition being pressed on green vinyl.

Matt Quinn, known by his stage name Optical, is a British musician, producer and DJ. He is co-founder and owner of Virus Recordings, a widely regarded drum and bass record label. He is best known as one half of drum and bass duo Ed Rush and Optical, whose debut album Wormhole has been described as one of the most significant LPs of the drum and bass genre. He is also the brother of Jamie Quinn also known as Matrix.

References

  1. ↑ "Ed Rush - Biography".
  2. ↑ "Databass - Artist Profiles - Ed Rush & Optical". Databass.co.uk.
  3. 1 2 "RA:Ed Rush". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  4. 1 2 Reynolds, Simon (4 July 2013). Energy Flash. Faber & Faber. ISBN   978-0571289141.
  5. 1 2 "ED RUSH:Information". The DJ List. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  6. ↑ The Popular Music Studies Reader. Routledge. 2006. ISBN   0415307104 . Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  7. ↑ "The history of (dark) Drum and Bass". darkdnb.com. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Killbox | Artist | Dark DnB". www.darkdnb.com. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  9. ↑ "Interview with Ed Rush & Optical". DNBPortal.com. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  10. 1 2 "5 Steps with Ed Rush & Optical". Datatransmission.couk. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "FABRICLIVE.82". FabricLondon. Archived from the original on 3 November 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "22 REAL Drum & Bass Pioneers". Complex.com. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  13. ↑ Sutton, Matthew. "Watermelon". Dnb365. Matthew Sutton.
  14. 1 2 "Ed Rush & Optical feat. MC Ryme Tyme" . Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 "Ed Rush & Optical 40 Artist, 40 Days". Tate.org. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  16. 1 2 "Ed Rush & Optical still big in the game". DJ Mag. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  17. ↑ "Three Speech » WipEout HD Soundtrack Announced". Three Speech. 26 February 2008. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  18. ↑ "These are the masters of Drum & Bass". Ministry of Sound. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  19. ↑ "theartsdesk on Vinyl: Volume 11". The Arts Desk. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  20. ↑ "Hi-Five:Ed Rush & Optical". XLR8R. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  21. ↑ "Insider Interview #008:Ed Rush & Optical". UKF News. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  22. ↑ "Fabric throwing benefit Concert, Art Exhibition". Pitchfork.com. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  23. ↑ "Fabric to reopen after deal struck with Islington Council". 21 November 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016– via Evening Standard.
  24. ↑ "Bestival stage times:who's playing when". Gigwise.com. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  25. ↑ "Lil' Louis". OriginalHouse.org. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  26. ↑ "Rudimental – 'Not Giving In' ft. John Newman & Alex Clare [Video] + Ed Rush Remix [Track]". Thinksoul25.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  27. 1 2 "Ed Rush & Optical:full official chart history". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.