When news broke that Ed Rush & Optical were behind the controls of Fabriclive 82, it made even the most hardened D&B fan giddy with excitement.
With a career spanning well over 15 years, the duo were present at Fabrics first ever D&B line-up, so it was only a matter of time before they were put to the Fabriclive test. 39 tracks of raw, unbridled power, they certainly didn’t disappoint.
To mark the launch of the release, the duo are headlining Fabric this Friday and will be joined by the likes of Dillinja, Optiv & BTK, DC Breaks and more. To celebrate, they’ve prepared a Fabriclive Promo Mix and gave us the exclusive! We caught up with the guys for a chat about the release, the mix, and more. Check it out below, but first – press play, step away from any fragile objects, and brace yourselves for a truly monstrous mix!
Big up fellas! What were you doing 5 minutes before we rudely interrupted?
Pan-frying a Dover Sole with butter and garlic.
Sounds delish. We hope you saved us some. Straight to it: Your Fabriclive mix is simply badass. What kind of approach did you take when tackling the mix?
We tried to create a mix that represents our DJ sets and features as many of our favourite artists as we could. We didn’t want to hold back as our sets are pure full-on, future-bass madness!
You’re not wrong! What did you both bring to the mix separately?
We each did one half of the mix but we have DJ’ed together for nearly 20 years so our styles always work together perfectly.
That they do! To celebrate the launch of the mix you’re appearing at Fabric this Friday – what can people expect from you on the night? Any exclusives?
We always play a mixture of up-front dubs and the best of the current DnB Neurofunk and party tunes. Our style is always go big or go home!
You’re joined by a stellar line-up including Dillinja, Optiv & BTK, Insideinfo and more… Will you take the opportunity to catch some sets yourselves on the night?
We will be down there all night to have fun and listen to all the great music and hang out with our fantastic crew of Virus peeps!
You were on Fabrics first ever line-up – has much changed since then do you think?
As far as D&B styles… There has been so many different takes on what the genre sounds like and it has diversified in many directions but we think that has helped to keep the scene healthy and always sounding fresh.
Did you have a feeling the club would reach such a legendary status back in the day?
After the success of The End as a true bass music club and home to London D&B in the late 90’s it was always going to be difficult to take that crown but as soon as we got on the decks the first time in Fabric… we knew it was going to be very special and it has become our spiritual home in London now…we are part of the fabric at Fabric!
Any interesting stories/ pieces of trivia from behind the scenes from back then? 😉
We had a fire at our studio in SOHO in 1998 and no-one came to put it out so we put it out with jackets and bits of carpet…then we moved our studio into the Icelandic Embassy buildings in Barnes a year later and two Fire Engines showed up on the first day because we smoked a cigarette so they kicked us out…shortest studio experience ever!
Haha there in a flash for a cigarette eh?! Tell us about the exclusive Fabric promo mix you’ve prepared, it’s an absolute beast!
It features the best musicians in our scene and is a taste of the vibes we create when we DJ. It’s not meant to be for those who want to be too serious… it’s for headbanging and some good old fashioned jumping around.
It’s huge! I’m jumping this very moment! My loungeroom is now trashed. You owe me a new coffee table. 😉 Do you ever mix in your spare time anymore or do you focus on production a lot more these days?
We never plan our sets and we treat them like a friendly battle… That way we push each other to perform better and it keeps it interesting. Most of our time outside of family is making music.
You’re both dads now, would you support your kids getting in to production?
No! They need to be doctors or lawyers as we will be poor old musicians when we get older and they need to take care of us! (Joke kids!)
No pressure kiddies! What’s coming up next for you guys for the rest of the year?
Our LP titled ‘No Cure’ will finally be released on Virus in early October…it’s been a long time in the making but we think it’s been worth it.
Can’t wait for that! Final words of wisdom?
An apple a day….no….respect your inner-self….no…ummm…damn you don’t get any wiser when you get older. Perhaps we could take tips from those more sensible than us?
No one here like that… Big up guys!
Catch Ed Rush & Optical at Fabric this Friday August 21. Tickets and info available here.
Fabriclive 82 is out now. Get it here.
