Optical

Quinn, working under the name Optical, explores the atmospheric edges of neuro-funk drum'n'bass, mirroring the uneasy visions of several heavy-hitting British producers such as Ed Rush, Source Direct, and his brother Jamie, who records as Matrix. From a West London base, the siblings launched their own Metro Records imprint, issuing Matrix's "Double Vision" and Optical's "Shining" as the first releases. Optical placed material on roughly six other labels as well, including Goldie's Metalheadz and Grooverider's Prototype. His two tracks for those imprints—"To Shape the Future" and "Grey Odyssey," respectively—lifted his standing after they resurfaced on the compilations Platinum Breakz II and The Prototype Years. Already viewed as one of the most closely watched producers of 1997, Quinn achieved wider notice when the further Prototype single "Moving 808s" achieved strong results late in the year. By 1998 he had been enlisted to handle engineering duties on two widely anticipated jungle albums, Goldie's SaturnzReturn (taking over from Rob Playford) and Grooverider's Mysteries of Funk. He also received co-production credits on Dom & Roland's Industry and kept issuing successive singles of taut, Predator-styled drum'n'bass. After starting the Virus label with Ed Rush, the founder of No-U-Turn Records, Quinn shared billing with Rush on the five-LP collection Wormhole, the first full-length issued under Optical's name.