Virtual Boy

Virtual Boy’s stylishly oddball set of influences is what happens when two talented young classical musicians discover their shared passion for dusty vintage synthesizers, new electronic-music genres, classic formalwear, and girls that look like they could star in a ‘60s Godard movie. Founders Henry Allen and Preston Walker met freshman year at Chapman University’s Conservatory of Music based in California’s famed Orange County. Henry arrived from his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico as a classical guitar virtuoso. Preston, a Southern California native, became part of the Chapman University Choir, with which he toured Italy and sang for Pope Benedict XVI in the Sistine Chapel. But it was when Henry and Preston began composing together in their Music Technology class that their sonic potential revealed itself. Owing as much to Bach and Mozart as they do to Ratatat and evoking Air as much as Nosaj Thing and The Glitch Mob, Virtual Boy developed their own signature sound while producing their weekly composition assignments. The duo released their coursework as EPs, which reached audiences outside academia’s ivory towers. After making their live debut at notable Los Angeles weekly Low End Theory, they were approached by its founder Daddy Kev to release their subsequent EP, Symphony No. None in February of 2011 on Kev’s own Alpha Pup Records. Post graduation, Virtual Boy are in the process of finishing their first full-length record, expected to release on Alpha Pup Records in early 2012. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.