Reviews from the media and some of Your Comments on "Virtuality". Submit your comment
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| After years as a successful film composer, Bhatia is back with “Virtuality,” another musical tour de force that takes advantage of what today’s (and yesterday’s) technology has to offer....while the album is technically impressive (it uses vintage synthesizers from the Cantos Foundation Synthesizer Museum as well as several from personal collections), that would be meaningless if it wasn’t for the fact that the music is adventurous, exciting, and beautifully recorded and produced....It’s taken a long time, but “Virtuality” is a worthy successor to the legacy of “The Interstellar Suite.”
– Craig Anderton, EQ Magazine | 
| With his sci-fi opus The Interstellar Suite, Amin Bhatia proved himself a powerful composer and craftsman; using nothing but old-school synths, he created organic textures that purred and thundered through his skillfully-orchestrated, cinematic album. Featuring guest performances from Steve Porcaro and Patrick Moraz, Virtuality journeys further into the creative stratosphere, incorporating live classical musicians into Amin's grand new composition, a multi-part exploration of virtual reality, for which the album is named. Equally impressive, the second half of the album is a vibrant synth realization of Ravel's Bolero. For anyone who wants to hear the limits of electronic music - and the territory it shares with sounds of eras past - pushed years into the future by a visionary in the field, this is a must listen.
- Michael Gallant, Keyboard Magazine, Sept 2008 |  | Anyone that has ever heard Bolero understands how the piece evolves over time. To have captured that with the historical evolution of synthesizers, from just a few individual manufactures to the opulence we have today, is just absolutely too brilliant for words. Not only is this a tribute to the late Bob Moog, but it is a tribute to the history of synthesizers in general. I do not recall anyone doing anything like this on this scale. I have no doubt "Bolero Electronica" will go down as a pivotal historical piece. Absolutely fantastic. A masterpiece! Thank you so much for creating this.
- MATRIXSYNTH
|  | It's both surprising and refreshing to hear the sounds and music Bhatia has coaxed out of over 75 years worth of electronic instruments. And "Bolero Electronica" is truly an achievement, taking the listener on a journey through synthesizer history in the best way possible!"
– Matt Friedman, The Vintage Synth Explorer | 
| At the end of 1987 one of the most impressive electronic music albums I have ever heard came out: The Interstellar Suite by the Canadian musician Amin Bhatia. In the review, Sym-Info called this widely built up symphonic album “the predecessor of TRON or a future episode of Star Wars”. I totally agree with this. For me, there are a number of electronic musicalbums that have historical value like Switched-On Bach from Wendy Carlos, Electronic Realizations For Rock Orchestra from Synergy, Snowflakes Are Dancing fromTomita, Heaven And Hell from Vangelis, Oxygene from Jean Michel Jarre, Autobahn from Kraftwerk and Erdenklang from Bognermayr en Zuschrader) and I think The Interstellar Suite also belongs to this category. Sadly it remained with this one album but Bhatia managed to make a name as composer for music of films and TV. When he finally was able to re-release The Interstellar Suite on his private label in 2003, Bhatia also started working on new music. Perhaps the music on Virtuality lacks the big impact that The Interstellar Suite had in the time it was relased but in my opinion it is a masterpiece again.
The CD contains of two parts. The first part that forms the title track, is a journey inside your computer. The second part is a special re-working of Ravel’s Bolero. Virtuality is not a complete electronic work: Bhatia also uses acoustic ensembles, soloists and a choir. The piece -not surprisingly with a filmcomposer- listens like a filmscore, just as was the fact with The Interstellar Suite, with returning themes. For instance, this is the fact with Into A Virtual World and World Wide Web, tracks that I find the work of a genius. Sometimes the music is almost like progressive rock when real drums are used. This is the case in In Search Of Lost Identities. At other moments the music is modern-orchestral, almost like a symphony, or even a little bit folk-wise (Second Life). It proves the abilities of the composer Bhatia.
The Bolero is a piece that has a repetitive theme and it is perfectly suitable for what Bhatia had in mind for it. Every theme is played on another classic electronic music instrument. So, this track can be regarded a historical journey of electronic music instruments. For this, Amin is accompanied by the big names Patrick Moraz and Steve Porcaro (formerly of Toto). It starts with the ancient instrument Ondes Martenot and moves until the virtual synths of today. Virtual, so we return to the subject of the CD. The journey can be followed in the CD-booklet with a text by Mark Vail, known from Keyboard Magazine.
Again, this has become an important album in the history of electronic music. And I am sure we don’t have to wait another twenty years for the next album by Amin.
Paul Rijkens, Iopages Magazine, Netherlands, Sept 2008 | | | When a musician such as Amin Bhatia reaches such a high level of professionalism, as he has done with his brilliant version of Bolero from his CD ' Virtuality ', it can't just be called ' talent '...It must be called GENIUS! - Legendary composer and performer, Jean-Jacques Perrey | | | What a treat and a thrill - I'm thoroughly dazzled and engrossed. And such a leap you've made musically, sonically, artistically; there's such an amazing vocabulary of styles, sounds, phrases, rhythms, transpositions and arrangements and more than that, it's so tasteful - it's played with such lovely expression, and the production is simply stellar.
I can't imagine the hours to distill this into something so comprehensive; what to leave out, what to keep experimenting with. And it's one thing to do the architecture, and another to actually perform the music. I love the nice touches like the "orchestra" tuning up in track 11....
The other thing that stands out for me is that you've tapped into a deep tenderness in the music; letting gentle parts breath without clutter.
So many evocative moods and colours; a rich, rich tapestry.
Bolero is magnificent as well - I was completely intrigued with the idea when you mentioned it, but it's so much more than a gimmick. I think, in a satisfying way, you've not only managed to echo what Ravel aimed for - exploring textures, but you convey such a deep love of "future" sounds and the world they inhabit that it's like walking into culture comprised of animated machines.
Kurzweill wrote about the Age of Spiritual Machines, and that once computers can emulate every aspect of our thinking we will need to refer to them as having a consciousness. The sound I'm hearing is like some kind of divinely awakened circuitboard that sings the praises of the body electric.
-Allen | | | With a glass of Remy in hand and the lights turned low I listened to it last night and was blown away. It touches on so many of the emotions one goes through in working with systems and I love the sense of awe evoked in "Into the Virtual World" and the whimsy of sound affects for "Need for Speed". I was glad to see that the hidden bonus track on Interstellar Suite was given identity on Virtuality. I always loved that track. This will be played often and I'm glad CD's don't wear out like LP's did.(I had to replace my original copy of Interstellar Suite as it developed too many pops from too much play). You breathe new life into Ravel's Bolero, among my favourites of contemporary classical music, and it's great fun trying to identify the various instruments as the piece progresses. I had no idea there were so may different types of synthesizers! Kudos, Mr. Bhatia; you delivered on your promise of a sequel to The Interstellar Suite. It is a fabulous work you should be proud of and it was, for me, worth the wait.
-Bill | | | So I got home and immediately put on the Bolero. Amin, from the first note to the last, EVERY hair on my body stood on end. It's spectacular. And exciting. And by far the most intelligent and still listenable piece of music I've EVER heard. I relished every choice you made at every turn, and marvelled in the mix.
-Annelise | | | Having been a LOVER of "Interstellar Suite" for many years, I was highly anticipating the release of Amin's follow-up CD. I LOVE the original compositions, but as a "purist" of electronica, I'm a bit disappointed at the use of actual instruments on the recording. Bolero was nice, but it had been done electronically before on the album "Everything You Always Wanted To Hear On The Moog (but were afraid to ask for)". I love your inclusiveness of the synthesizers through the ages, including the Theramin!
-Tim |  | Once again, I am listening to "Virtuality" and it is beyond a doubt one of the strongest albums I have heard.
Amin, your compositions are rich and intelligent. Your use of electronics is bold and supports your compositional ideas (which would be equally strong on ANY instrument). I am sure that your album will be
continual source of inspiration.
To be included on your album is a real honor. I enjoyed working with you and hope that we will have the opportunity to work again in the future.
All the best!
-- Kevin Kissinger
(Featured Theremin player for Bolero Electronica) | | | | | | Submit your comment
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