Virtual Anticipation

Virtual Anticipation is the first studio album by American artist Ben Aqua. It was released as a digital album on February 18, 2014 through #FEELINGS.

Background

Virtual Anticipation was in production for over three years, and included the title track from Aqua's debut EP, Reset Yourself. He described the album concept as "loosely about a sense of anxiety, happiness, fear, alienation and excitement I've felt as a result of years of endlessly analyzing how the Internet and technology are influencing ideas of self-identity, sexuality, privacy, 'immortality,' and fantasy". The album was composed of audio samples from field recordings, Nintendo DS, YouTube videos, and iPad synthesizer apps.
Virtual Anticipation was musically influenced by Frédéric Chopin, Wendy Carlos, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sega Genesis, Timbaland, and RP Boo.

Reception

In a 2014 interview with Ben Aqua, VICE Thump called Virtual Anticipation "an opus that taps everything from footwork and club to seapunk and skweee, and pulls it all together with a post-human outlook". They described the album as having a "combination of classical elements and up-to-the-minute synth sounds".

Personnel

Ben Aqua - producer, mixing, audio mastering, artwork

Guest collaborators

Joe Howe - synthesizer solo on "Virtual Anticipation"
Ojay Morgan - vocals on "Ultimate Reality"
Christa Palozzolo - vocals on ''"Neverending Beginning"''