When word went out that Ed Rush and Audio were linking up to form Killbox, the shockwaves across the drum and bass scene were hard to ignore. Both legends in their own right and both responsible for dropping an unholy amount of tech-driven illness on the dancefloor over the years, the resulting collaboration continues to be a jaw dropping pairing that comes full circle with the release of their first Killbox LP.
Weighing in at 14 tracks, the red-light district inspired Pleasure Palaceis more funk than kink but delivers the goods on all fronts for those looking to get their neuro-twist on. While bits like “Cousin of Zilch,” “Witchmaker,” “Neverwhere,” and “Clickbait” featuring the bad man Rymetyme on vocals have been doing the rounds for the better part of last year, the fresh bass-blitz of bits like “Colony,” “Kasmir Uzi,” “Goldfoot,” and our favorite “Kurtz,” secure the position of the LP as a future classic for years to come.
From the old-school vibes of “Soul Eject” to the restrained aggression of “Delete Profile” and the climactic crush of “Troll Eater” and all the cuts we neglected to mention that are nestled in between, the collection is the perfect representation of the future-leaning dancefloor mayhem that the 25-year old Ram Records imprint continues to champion as it heads into the future.
To celebrate the album we got Killbox to sit down and gave them free reign to ask each other the questions on everything outside of their shared love of the studio. The album is out now via Ram Records so prepare to enter the Pleasure Palace here.
Audio:Start us off by describing your perfect weekend.
Ed Rush:My perfect weekend would consist of an amazing gig on Friday night, Saturday night off and a lovely meal with drinks somewhere alongside my wife and friends whilst winning the Sunday million on Sunday night on Pokerstars! Everything I love in one weekend. What about you? If you were guaranteed to be successful in a different profession, what would you want to do?
Audio:Probably a chef. I love cooking and eating exciting foods so definitely a chef in my own restaurant.
Ed Rush:Related to that one then, what if you could eat only three foods/meals for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Audio:Beans on toast with grated cheese. Classic. Lamb biryani. Pizza. How do you feel about marmite—delicious toast topping or black goo from hell?
Ed Rush:Delicious toast topping most definitely! I also use it for other things like adding some salty richness to spaghetti Bolognese sauce and it’s great on a melted cheese toastie, too. What about movies—which are your top three favorites?
Audio:Predator. Predator 2. Predators. You?
Ed Rush:Has to be Apocalypse Now. I have seen it so many times and never get bored of it. What about trainers? I hear you’ve got quite the collection. If you were only allowed to own one pair of trainers ever, which ones would you choose and why?
Audio:Nike Airmax 90—it’s the shoe of my childhood. It kick started my love of trainers and still is my favorite Nike shoe to this day.
Ed Rush:I guess we should talk about music at some point. If you could bring one dead musician back from the grave to work with, who would it be?
Audio:Old Dirty Bastard, a Wu Tang legend gone to soon. Tell me, who don’t like it raw, baby? What about when you and Optical were making the WormholeLP? Did you have any idea the impact it would have?
Ed Rush:We knew we were making something different because nothing else sounded like that at the time, but I didn’t expect it to resonate with people the way it did. If anything, I was nervous that it was too different sounding and that people wouldn’t understand it.
Audio:Before we go, tell us what’s the most ridiculous fact you know?
Ed Rush:Whales that sing the wrong notes get lost and live alone.