Optical

About

Matt Quinn, better known as Optical, is one half of the drum and bass duo Ed Rush and Optical alongside his long time partner Ed Rush, and together they are credited with shaping an entire corner of the genre. Their 1998 debut album Wormhole is widely recognized as the record that introduced neurofunk to the world, and Quinn's technical approach to production is a big reason why. He co founded Virus Recordings the same year, a label that went on to release music from some of the most respected names in drum and bass, including Noisia, Pendulum and Bad Company. Beyond the duo, Quinn has production credits on Goldie's Saturnz Return and Grooverider's MOBO Award winning album Mysteries of Funk, which gives you a sense of how deep his fingerprints go in that late 90s scene. Ed Rush and Optical have kept releasing records over the years, from The Creeps in 2000 through to No Cure in 2015, with each album pushing in a slightly different direction, whether that meant adding vocalists or bringing in a live band. Ministry of Sound called them one of the most influential acts in drum and bass, and it is hard to argue.