VIRTUALITY by Amin Bhatia

"It’s taken a long time, but Virtuality is a worthy successor to the legacy of The Interstellar Suite.” Craig Anderton, EQ Magazine

Amin Bhatia’s “Virtuality” is both orchestral and vintage electronic, with guest appearances by Steve Porcaro and Patrick Moraz.

As in the days of progressive rock LP’s “Virtuality” is a double concept album featuring two “sides”. “Side A” is true to Bhatia’s eccentric obsession with orchestral music and science fiction. Tracks like “World Wide Web”, “Virus Attack” and “Second Life” explore the wonder, complexity and chaos that exist inside your computer. Instruments used are both virtual and real using state of the art software synthesizers, as well as soloists from the Toronto Symphony and Opera Orchestras. The acoustic sessions were orchestrated and conducted by Jamie Hopkings.

‘Side B’ features “Bolero Electronica” an innovative realization of Maurice Ravel’s well-known work performed using vintage synthesizers dating back as far as 75 years. Everything from the Theremin and the Ondes Martenot, through generations of Moog, Roland, and Yamaha equipment to modern day software from Arturia and Spectrasonics are featured verse by verse, culminating in a musical and historical journey through time. Many of the rare instruments came from the National Music Centre, as well as from personal collections of friends and colleagues worldwide.

“Virtuality” is dedicated to synth pioneer Bob Moog, and was released on the anniversary of his birthday, May 23, 2008. Bob Moog, was involved in the production and was scheduled to provide a narration track for Bolero Electronica until his passing in 2005. This album is dedicated to him for his vision and support. A portion of every album sale goes to the Bob Moog Foundation.

Amin was thrilled to collaborate with legendary keyboardists Steve Porcaro and Patrick Moraz. Other synth virtuosos include Thomas Bloch performing the Ondes Martenot and Kevin Kissinger on the Theremin. Session players and other A-list musicians include Byron Wong, Dave Gross, Tom Szczesniak, Rick Gratton, and Lindsay Hilliard.

The album was recorded by Amin Bhatia and mixed by award winning producers David Greene and Jeff Wolpert. The album cover art "The Return To Abalakin” is by artist Alexander Preuss.The comprehensive liner notes includes a timeline of the over 100 synths used in the production of Bolero Electronica and features additional liner notes by synthesizer historian Mark Vail. The result is an illustrated guide which allows the listener to follow along stanza by stanza through Bhatia’s elaborate rendition, complete with a timeline chart of every synthesizer used.

“The Timeline of synthesizers in Bolero Electronica looks like the Moog Legacy to me and I only wish Dad were around to hear this project come to fruition.” Michelle Moog-Koussa, daughter of the late Bob Moog, Bob Moog Foundation.

Award winning composer Amin Bhatia has written music for film, television, and albums, for several decades. His solo albums Interstellar Suite, Virtuality and Requests from the Vault pay homage to his love of science fiction and neo-orchestral synthesis. Scoring projects include Anne with an E, Flashpoint, The Handmaid’s Tale, Queer as Folk, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, and Iron Eagle 2.

aminbhatia.com