Name: Optical & Fierce - Side Effect (1997 Virus dubplate) by Optical ☣ in techstep
Duration: 7 min 59 s
Description: One of my favourite tracks in my career, made in Soho, London in 1997 with DJ Fierce...it had only 4 parts to it and most of the way it builds was done by hand by driving an eq slowly more and more and changing the settings on the reverse reverb...an experiment that worked out nicely.

thats bad a** Metro sound...pioneers 4 real

Remember this track from an old mix tape, sure grooverider played this on radio1 years back, sick!!!

techstep

Thunder - Dom & Roland (1998) AShadow16

Listen to an amazing one off b2b with two legendary Virus family members, Calyx and Matrix recorded at the SOLD OUT Virus night at Steelyard, London on the 6th November 2021

Calyx B2b Matrix - Virus Steelyard 06 - 11 - 21

Optical - Listen

One of my favourite tracks in my career, made in Soho, London in 1997 with DJ Fierce...it had only 4 parts to it and most of the way it builds was done by hand by driving an eq slowly more and more and changing the settings on the reverse reverb...an experiment that worked out nicely.

Optical & Fierce - Side Effect (1997 Virus dubplate)

Kyrist - Let It Roll 2022 - (Dj Set)

ED RUSH - Critical Music XX @ Le Bikini Promo Mix

This is a live recording of Ed Rush & Optical with Rymetyme taken from day 2 of the Virus Weekend at Steelyard in London. 08/10/22

We are releasing this mix to celebrate our 25th Virus anniversary in 2023!!

Ed Rush & Optical feat. Rymetyme - Virus Weekend - Day2 - Steelyard London 08/10/2022

Alongside Ed Rush, Matt Quinn (who you’ll undoubtedly know better under his DJ name, Optical) has helped sculpt the drum & bass scene’s multifarious experimentations for nearly two decades now. As producers they pioneered the techstep sound, making crisp and explosive d&b sing on the defining <em>Wormhole</em> album, but as bosses of Virus Recordings they’ve managed to continually stay propulsive releasing music from people like Audio, Optiv & BTK, The Upbeats, Noisia and many many more. A mainstay here, the duo’s forceful and dominating sets are always surefire highlights which is why, ahead of their set headlining Room Two this Friday, we asked Optical to put together an hour long mix which demonstrates a) why we hold them in such high regard and b) why Optical’s still one of the most quietly inventive production forces in modern drum & bass.

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Tickets/info: http://bit.ly/FABRICLIVE1104

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No tracklist given.

Optical - FABRICLIVE Promo Mix

Live recording of Ed Rush and Optical DJ set from Let-It-Roll Festival, Prague 2014.

Ed Rush & Optical @ Let It Roll 2014 (01.08.2014)

Tracklist:
Audio - Marauder [Blackout]
Ed Rush & Optical - Chubrub [Virus]
Full Kontakt & Vegas - Terrahawk [Bad Taste]
Audio - Ultrasonic [Snake Pit]
Bad Company UK - The Nine (Remastered) [Bad Taste]
Usual Suspects - Killa Bees (Optical & Fierce Remix) [Renegade Hardware]
Usual Suspects - Killa Bees (Audio Remix) [Dub]
Optical & Rymetyme - Twisted (Audio Remix) [Virus]
Bad Company UK - Torpedo [BC Recordings]	
Ed Rush & Optical - Pacman [Virus]
Bad Company UK - 4 Days [Bad Taste]
Bad Company UK - Snowcat [BC Recordings]
Ed Rush - Scarabs [Piranha Pool]
Bad Company UK - Planet Dust [BC Recordings]
Audio - Jibba Jabba [Virus]
Ed Rush & Optical - Goodfoot [Virus]
Black Sun Empire & Noisia - Lead Us (Audio Remix) [Blackout]
Ed Rush & Optical - Space Monkey [Virus]
Ed Rush & Optical, & Matrix - Perfect Drug [Virus]
AKOV & Vegas - One [Bad Taste]
The Prototypes & Elle Exxe - Paradise (Audio Remix) [Blackout]

Hype Mix

Let It Roll: Ed Rush & Optical B2B Bad Company B2B Audio @ Hospitality Hype Mix

Next Event Info > www.dnbclassics.com
Follow us on
www.instagram.com/drumandbassclassics + www.facebook.com/drumandbassclassics + www.tiktok.com/@drumandbassclassics

Ed Rush + Optical x Ryme Tyme - Drum + Bass Classics Brighton - Feb 2024

Black Sun Empire - Arrakis [Black Sun Empire]	
Bad Company UK - Spider (Optiv & BTK Remix) [Bad Taste]	
Loxy & Ink - Symbiote [Renegade Hardware]	
Calyx - Thru Your Eyes [Moving Shadow]
Loxy & Resound - Psyche [Dispatch]	
Calyx - Illusions [Moving Shadow]	
InsideInfo, Kiro & 59Crime - Response [Ammunition]	
Black Sun Empire - Feed the Machine [Black Sun Empire]		
Telemetrik & Black Sun Empire - Magnet [Bonzai Classics]	
Ed Rush & Optical - Sick Note [Virus]	
Matrix - Asylum [Virus]	
The Clamps - Dvouglas [Citrus]	
Loxy & Phobia - Excalibur [Renegade Hardware]	
Technical Itch - Soldiers (Dylan & Robyn Chaos Remix) [Tech Itch]
Optical & Ryme Tyme - White Lightning [Virus]	
Bailey - African Descent [Metalheadz]	
Gridlok & Prolix - Revenge [Trendkill]	
DC Breaks & Prolix - Infinity [RAM]
The Clamps - Terror Machine [Kosenprod]
enta - Chemistry [Biological Beats]
Ed Rush - Rub A Dub [C4C]	
enta - Discipline [Audioporn]	
The Clamps - S & A [Kosenprod]	
Black Sun Empire - Don't You [Black Sun Empire]	
The Clamps - Nerves [Trendkill]	
Insideinfo & Mefjus - Pulsation [Viper]
Ink - Headz Roll [Metalheadz]	
Signs - Vermin [Eatbrain]	
BTK - VSound [Dispatch]
Total Science - Street Level (Loxy Remix) [Renegade Hardware]
Ed Rush & Optical - Watermelon [Virus]
enta - Bit Death [Biological Beats
Calyx - True ID	[Metalheadz]
Zero T - Guessing Games (Bailey Remix) [Dispatch]	
Insideinfo - Honey Bee [Viper]
Prolix & Nocturnal - Crater [Renegade Hardware]	


Hype Mix: Virus London 05.03.25

Cause4Concern x Ryme Tyme - DNB Classics Feb 2025

Stomping remix from Fierce and Optical of 'Bye Bye Lover' by The Chemical Pilot...released in Dec 1998 on Eruption Records.

The Chemical Pilot - 'Bye Bye Lover' (Optical & Fierce Remix)1998

An unreleased track from 1997 made in Virus Studios in SOHO, London by Optical and Trace. A first experiment with formant filters on a bass sound to make it talk. The full version will be on the 20YearsOfOpticalLP out on Virus in May 2016.

Optical And Trace - 'Switchblade' (20YearsOfOpticalLP) 2 Min Promo

Dubplate special VIP mix of Dom & Optical - 'Quadrant 6'. Made in Virus Studios in SOHO, London in 1997 by Optical and Fierce. 

#20YearsOfOpticalLP Vol.1 is out on Friday: http://smarturl.it/VRS014LP1

DOM & OPTICAL - 'QUADRANT 6' (FIERCE VIP MIX UNRELEASED 1997)

Optical is owner of Virus Recordings, Music Producer and DJ from England.
Bookings: UK/ROW: mark@esp-agency.com
USA: saleem@amodeagency.com

This page is dedicated to my sons: Aidan and Solomon, they are the inspiration for everything I do in life now.

"He is best known for his work with Ed Rush, fellow head of the Virus Recordings label, and as a pioneer of the techstep and neurofunk sound. His first single for Metalheadz, 'To Shape the Future'/'Raging Calm' (1997) and his collaborative material with Ed Rush, such as the Wormhole, album (1998) were archetypal developments in the style. The duo followed this debut album with The Creeps (2000) and The Original Doctor Shade (2003), as well as countless singles and remixes. More recently, the duo have returned to form with their (2009) LP 'Travel The Galaxy' containing the modern classic 'Chubrub' and 'No Cure' LP in 2015."

"He also notably did all of the engineering and production work for Grooverider's album Mysteries of Funk, and work on Goldie's 'Saturns Return' LP. In addition, he has produced solo for many labels including Virus, Metalheadz, Prototype, 31 Records, Metro and released in collaboration with many artists, including Ed Rush, Trace, Dom and Roland, Fierce, and his brother Matrix. The first Optical release was in 1996."

"Matt Quinn's savage dance floor productions as Optical (for, among many others, Groove's own label Prototype) have earned him a place in drum'n'bass's premier division.”

"Optical's pure, unchallenged talent shines through on his solo tunes, showcasing an artist well ahead of his time. No doubt the modern sounds of the likes of D-Bridge, Instra:mental and the rest of the minimalist dark revival heads, draw heavy influence not only from Optical himself, but from his inspirations in Jazz, such as Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. His ability to blend Jazz, Funk and futuristic, technical soundscapes is masterful. From his early work on Metalheadz and Prototype Recordings to his collaborative work on Virus Recordings and the classic Mysteries of Funk (Grooverider's landmark LP), Optical can perhaps qualify as one of the most underrated musicians of the modern era. His mind has crafted sounds which were never before heard, moods which were completely original, and his vision of the future, although ultimately dark and disjointed, is beautifully vivid and addictive. Its a world he pulls you into with each and every track and only a handful of artists can begin to dream of being this successful in their work."

Virus Recordings has become a DnB scene favourite and continues to release the ultimate in DnB vibes, with artists like C4C, Audio, Optiv & BTK, The Upbeats, Noisia, Gridlok, Ram Trilogy, Matrix, Rymetyme, Sonic & Silver, Pendulum, Mefjus,  InsideInfo

Optical & Fierce - Side Effect (1997 Virus dubplate)

Optical ☣

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