Ed Rush and Optical’s esteemed drum and bass imprintVirusmade a return to Steel Yard for a one-off London show. Launching in 1998, Virus is known as the label that first started neurofunk; the raw, dark and intense subgenre of drum and bass, where heavy drums and rich complex synth sounds are fair game. Virus released the first neurofunk album, Ed Rush and Optical’s Wormhole, and has since seen releases from Matrix, Audio, Cause4Concern and InsideInfo.
Following on from their stellar 2018 show that celebrated their 20th anniversary, there was a lot of hype around this year’s August event, especially as the special guest last year was Andy C. Virus didn’t disappoint as Ed Rush and Optical, Circuits, Matrix, Audio, Prolix and Touch were on the bill, with a special classic set from the legendary Pendulum. With Steelyard’s powerful Nova system in check, Virus was set to be one of this year’s defining drum and bass events.
Known for his work on Viper Recordings alongside Futurebound,Matrixstrayed away from the uplifting dancefloor sound and drew for otherworldly heavy drum and bass, which
included tracks from his Virus releases. With the crowd hyped from the start, Matrix set the stage for what was to come in a suitable fashion; playing fast, loud and heavy. Next up were the label-bosses themselves, Ed RushandOptical. The hour was an onslaught of aggressive, cutting-edge neurofunk anthems, with next to no downtime. The duo tore through tracks from their decade-wide Virus catalogue, through to more recent music from Killbox; Ed Rush and Audio’s collaborative alias.
At midnight, Ed Rush and Optical joined forces with Circuits (recently formed by Kasra and InsideInfo), for a world exclusive back-to-back. This performance featured the sounds of old and new, with Circuits letting loose their razor-sharp percussive sounds against Ed Rush and Opitcal’s progressive rolling beats.
Circuits continued into the next hour solo, with a much more varied selection. This set saw tech drum and bass doubled with rollers, which made for some inventive and outrageous blends. From Circuits’ own twisted remixes of Spectrasoul and Mefjus tracks, to Bou’s Scorpio, to InsideInfo’s tempo changing track Airwaves - this set showed how versatile the sub-genre can be.
Special guest Pendulum rolled through with their old-school classics only, taking the Steel
Yard back to the 2000s. It was interesting to hear the difference in production as the music had a low-fi quality but stood up well on a modern sound system. Pendulum’s mixing style was much more progressive and drawn-out, taking the ravers on a journey through the sounds of early neurofunk and techstep. Conveniently, a track list is available here.
In the penultimate set,Audioopened with a quick introduction and drove head-first into relentless hard-hitting drum and bass. Audio’s selection and mixing skills were stronger than ever as he ripped through tracks from his latest release, including Darkseid; a frantic synth-heavy banger released on his new label Snake Pit Records. Audio’s groundbreaking sounds were much appreciated on the Nova System and was rewarded with some of the biggest crowd reactions of the night.
Stepping up for the final hour was the Trendkill records bossProlix. Towering over the decks, Prolix closed the night with a blow-for-blow performance spinning tracks from his new album Murder Mile. In typical Prolix fashion, the weighty and punchy drum patterns complemented the earth-shattering synthetic riffs. This was a violent closing set and was the perfect end to the night.
Steel Yard’s room two was ruled by the sounds of dark minimal rollers, which served as an alternative to the heavier rhythms in the main room. Three 90-minute sets from Hydro,Bailey and Mark Dinimal provided more atmospheric low-end beats.
Virus at Steel Yard was a monumental night and a much-appreciated change from some of the regular drum and bass events. The no-nonsense approach each artist took in their performance made for a celebration of the true sound of neurofunk in all its glory. The inclusion of a classics set was an ideal way to hear the sub-genre at its inception, making for a wholesome rave experience of old and new styles. It’s a shame that this was Virus’ only London show of 2019 as few other raves have the potential to match this energy.
Check out upcoming events by Free From Sleep here.
Photography - Cathy Whatever
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