Ed Rush and Optical

Jungle aficionados need no introduction to the work of Ed Rush and Optical. Over the past decade, the two have blazed a trail of far-out freak funk as DJs, producers and heads of the seminal jungle label Virus. Their heavy-duty, brutal take on jungle has been hugely influential, giving rise to the suitably sci-fi-sounding subgenres of techstep and neurofunk. Those sounds take jungle's blueprint of hyper-speed breaks and funky bass lines and warps it through the introduction of influences from industrial, techno and watching bad sci-fi flicks on a head full of drugs. That translates to arrangements full of dark, claustrophobic ambience spliced with squelchy, zapping space noises and abstract electronics. It's dense, intense and unrelenting, the perfect sound to pump you up as you fly into battle against an alien armada on the dark side of the moon — and it works pretty damn well on the dance floor too. Find out for yourself on March 21, when Sonus Music brings Ed Rush and Optical to town. (Call 720-878-2442 or visit www.sonusdnb.com for more info.)