- Talent without self-belief burns like a flame starved of oxygen, a lesson Vincent Floyd has learned the hard way. An experienced multi-instrumentalist and session player, Floyd released three house EPs of impressive musicality in the early '90s (including two on Dance Mania). They were dance records of uncommon calm and emotional depth, far removed from the white-hot acid of Armando, a childhood friend, and other Chicago peers. They might have been too delicate for local DJs and radio stations at the time. "Back then, I believed people thought I sucked," Floyd said last year. "I never got any feedback whatsoever. [My music] was never played. I never heard it." After two more EPs in the mid '90s, a discouraged Floyd moved on.
The wounded, softly lit guitar of "Your Eyes" is one of several highpoints in Floyd's catalogue, and Vault One: Love's Pain suggests there may be more to come. A collection of unreleased tracks made in the late '90s, the EP swings between nocturnal piano ballads ("Joyful Gain"), Balearic sunsets ("Love's Pain") and tougher DJ tools in the classic Chicago mould. On "Authentic Style" and "Curves For Corners," Floyd's music is remarkably tender as it intensifies, a balance he hasn't always managed to get right on tracks like "Cactus Juice" and "Heart Attack." But he sounds more comfortable on "Curves For Corners," whose grit-speckled cello glides mournfully over sharp Casio keys and a frenetic 130 BPM beat.
The Spanish guitars and plangent pianos on the A-side are beautiful, but the B-side offers insight into how Floyd developed his sound even after no one else was listening. The crisp percussion of "Authentic Style" and the careering "Curves For Corners" sound as if Floyd has found new ways to express himself. It's a shame he had to wait this long for the opportunity to share it with everyone.
TracklistA1 Love's Pain
A2 Joyful Gain
B1 Authentic Self
B2 Curves For Corners