Virgo - Do You Know Who You Are? FLAC album

Composed by the duo Eric Lewis & Merwyn Sanders, Virgo Four (baptized on the English single as 'Virgo' only) is behind a fantastic House Music EP from 1989 - "Do You Know Who You Are?" - whose original release went out through Larry Sherman's Trax label from Chicago, and in the same year of 1989 on the English label Radical Records with much better sound quality (unfortunately, the production proceedure was far less than fair at the early times of Trax). The American pressing has four tracks, two of them present on this English pressing: "Do You Know Who You Are?" with its beautiful strings & swing mood, and the timeless classic "In A Vison" based on a perfect melodic-rhythmic hypnosis. Both tunes come with instrumental and vocal versions, the non-vocal ones being acclaimed by the dancefloors and experts of that time. As a result, the two classics were included on historical compilations, from 'Deep Heat 4 - Play With Fire' to 'Chicago Trax - The Original Sound Of House' (for "Do You Know Who You Are") and 'WARP 10+1 Classics' to 'The Kings Of House' (for "In A Vision").

Seriously amazing record, encapsulates the atmosphere of those early days superbly. 'Do You Know Who You Are?' sit's perfectly alongside M Jefferson or L Heard of the same era, killer stuff. This UK release is also the only place to find the vocal versions of both tracks, rare and essential record.

It's actually the vocal versions that are exclusive to this UK pressing. On the US Trax pressing all four tracks were instrumental.

The instrumental track perfectly reflects its title. This is an early deep house cut with a subtle sinister/haunting overtone created by the insistent synth-strings. An ambient guitar glides through it, again with a somewhat thought provoking dynamic. In this respect the music does seem to be asking, 'Do You Know Who You Are?'. Put this in the context of when it was made, as a whole new culture in Chicago was spawning, and it seems to be reaching out to the casualties of the scene who have perhaps gone too far with the decadence. However, there is a bass-line of enormous ascending power that picks you out of this mood and back into a marchin'-on vibe. It has everything that house has to offer. An under-rated masterpiece.