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Vincent's Synthetic Pleasure

by Virgil Work Jr.

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1.
Only A Dream 03:02
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Summer Winds 03:29
8.
9.
Daydreams 03:27
10.
Fancy-Free 03:10
11.
True Love 02:13
12.
Night Sounds 03:25
13.
14.
Phase Shift 02:48
15.
City Streets 03:30
16.
Dub At Will 03:19
17.
Busy Bee 03:17
18.
The Last Man 02:42
19.
Celestial 03:21
20.
Future Hope 03:21
21.
Deep Thought 03:16
22.
Velocity 03:26
23.
Timekeeper 03:12

about

Known especially for his rhythm programming and sound synthesis in Workdub, Virgil Work Jr.’s productions as a solo artist, while extremely prolific, remain mostly unheard and under the radar despite dozens of released and unreleased albums under various aliases. Vincent is one such musical alter-ego; focusing on the construction of sonic landscapes that provide space for his digital musings to float freely.

Selected from multiple unreleased albums and handmade tapes and CDs, Vincent’s Synthetic Pleasure compiles a decade of his compositions (1985-1995). Moving from downtempo future jazz and dub a la Larry Heard and Wally Badarou (No Looking Back; Night Sounds), to experimental ambient post-disco echoing Patrick Cowley’s soundtrack work (Deep Thought; Synthetic Pleasure), along with mellow, instrumental synth-pop that wouldn’t be misplaced on a Washed Out or Toro Y Moi release (Summer Winds; Velocity).

His early to mid-80s compositions meander through superfluid environmental soundscapes; his midi setup merging the cosmic rhythms of Craig Leon with the synth sound bath of Iasos (Phase Shift; Fancy Free). By 1987, the influence of Workdub is more pronounced in the downtempo shift and electronic percussion mastery where dynamic, non-sequential rhythms expand into exploratory digital jazz territory, incidentally emulating legions of soundtracks for virtual quests (Sound Reception; Parting Glances; BusyBee). Upon switching to Master Tracks Pro in 1992 and fully embracing PC software recording, Vincent’s non-linear compositional capabilities rendered sonic elevator tranquility.

Where Vincent’s Workdub productions merged balearic tones with the industrial landscape of St. Louis, his solo explorations often feel more like lost video game music soaked in early internet nostalgia – as if performing the start-up sound for an operating system, fluidly oscillating between the office, the club, and the bedroom.

credits

released November 20, 2020

Virgil Work Jr:
Korg Poly 61 Synthesizer
Korg DDM-110 Drum Machine
Korg DDM-220 Percussion
Korg Poly-800 Synthesizer
Korg KMS-30 Midi Synchronizer
Phase Shift & Reverb Pedals
Yamaha DX7 Synthesizer
Korg DW-8000 Synthesizer
Yamaha RX-15 Drum Machine
Sequential TOM Drum Machine
Alesis HR-16 Drum Machine
Alesis HR-16:B Drum Machine
Yamaha RX-21L Percussion
Roland JV-880 Synth Module


Mastered by James Morrison
Layout & Design by Nathan Cook

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about

Virgil Work Jr. St. Louis, Missouri

Working by day as an IT systems engineer, at night Vincent experimented with drum machine cartridges and synthesized melodies at his home studio, A Work Of Art Labs in suburban St. Louis. There, he created a steady stream of electronic compositions beginning in 1985 with dual cassette releases and never stopped. ... more

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