January 27, 1999

Wormhole

A few years ago, darkcore jungle was supposedly where it was at in dance....

7 / 10 A few years ago, darkcore jungle was supposedly where it was at in dance. There was a problem, however: generally it was passionless and laborious, with no specific reason for existing other than it was noisier than the d&b which came before. So big beat arrived, everyone cheered up and most forgot all about darkcore.

But not Ed Rush, the van-driver-turned-Prince-Of-Darkcore. He didn't budge an inch and as revealed by this collaboration with relative rookie Optical - who earned his spurs engineering tracks for Grooverider - the pair have gone some way to amplifying the sound's appeal. Whereas darkcore was once heavy aggro fare which lacked either hard techno's compelling rhythms or 'ordinary' jungle's speedy funk, 'Wormhole' wields a tight grip on both.

Thus, the vivid blitz of 'Splinter' could almost be Orbital with their eco-awareness replaced by a fondness for pugilism, while 'Compound' is a super-fly soul band aboard a misfiring tractor and, strangely, a distinctly electrifying experience.

Then there's CD2, on which Rush & Optical provide a DJ mix of 'Wormhole', for those who feel up to such a thing. At 70 exacting, over-zealous minutes long, they are pushing their luck, frankly. But for the beginner's course supplied by the album proper: