A few months back Rush Hour Records released something very special indeed. Any fan of the early Wax Trax sound NEEDS this incredible release…it’s simply Chicago at its best.
Below is the lowdown courtesy of Juno Records…
"Major props should go to Rush Hour for their single-minded obsession with celebrating the work of underground Chicago house pioneers Virgo (occasionally better known as Virgo Four). Re-releasing their long-forgotten 1989 album Virgo was a masterstroke (some would argue that it was one of the great ‘lost’ house sets), but little did we know that it was just the beginning. Somehow, they’ve persuaded Eric Lewis and Merwyn Sanders to trawl through an attic’s worth of dusty shoeboxes to rescue a whole box set’s worth of unreleased, unheard music. Any lover of electronic music should be thanking them.
Resurrection is quite stunning on many levels. The five record vinyl box-set contains a staggering 30 tracks, all previously unreleased, all recorded between 1984 and 1990 at various home studios around Chicago. To say they were recorded on cheap equipment, straight onto four-track tape (and then transferred to DAT), the sound quality is amazing. Sure, they’re raw and hiss a bit in places, but they still sound unbelievable – indeed that’s part of the charm.
Then there’s the small matter of the music itself. It’s no over-exaggeration to suggest that the tracks showcased here (and in particular the 16 tracks featured on the digital download/CD release) should be considered long-lost house classics; from the rubberband synths and mournful metallic strings of “Boing”to the industrial drum machine thump of “Crayon Box” and key-driven dancefloor melancholia of “Forever Yours”. Perhaps best of all, however, is the epic cowbell/string combo on “I Have Always Wanted”.
Certainly, the mix of early deep house, slinky vocal numbers, next-level acid experimentation and raw, midtempo dreamscapes is the equal of anything that emerged from the Windy City in that productive period from 1985-1990. For those with a passion for house music, it’s a rare treat."
As mentioned above the vinyl boxset features 5x12"s with a total of 30 tunes…AND…every tune is pure quality. I just can’t get over how these were never released??? They’re from 84-90 and they still sound totally fresh yet capture the time. Virgo are legendary and true Chicago Jedi Knights. As I mentioned…any folk who love that old skool Wax Trax sound should pick this up immediately…it’s sublime.
Here’s a few tunes from Resurrection…
Silence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmiqQ-pmrA4
Let The Music Play
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA8iHw8BTFA&feature=related
Crayon Box
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6BbY9NnW-U
Lost Inside Of You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD9w83Xr7Ms
Sexual Behaviour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg6PYkaQ-Y0
I Have Always Wanted
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hYfeDrDpDs