Virgo Four, comprised of Eric Lewis and Merwyn Sanders, got caught up in the bloom of Chicago house in the late ‘80s. As childhood friends turned music collaborators, they started producing tracks in high school. Originally calling themselves M.E., Sanders and Lewis approached Larry Sherman, the labelhead of Trax, with their first productions in 1984, but were initially declined. Then in 1989, they went back to Trax with loads of new material that caught Sherman’s attention. With that, Trax released their Do You Know Who You Are? EP and their full length Virgo, the latter of which was later licensed to Radical Records. Upon Sherman’s suggestion to associate them with Virgo (Marshall Jefferson, Vince Lawrence and Adonis) who also appear on Trax, their EP was released under the name Virgo Four, which comprised half of their full length, while the other half was released under their name M.E.

On top of the confusion with their names, Lewis and Sanders’ work was mostly kept in the underground as a result of limited promotion and networking. Recently, however, their small discography has received a lot of praise after Netherland based record label Rush Hour reissued Virgo in 2010. In fact, the deep, smooth and soulful music they produced was so forward thinking that 20 years later they’ve become recognized as classics.

Taking timelessness into consideration—and that the duo have yet to release what they claim to be their better tracks—their live set at the Public Works Oddjob Loft might be the next best thing to catching any other well-known house duo in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. After all, what could be better than catching a live set from a couple of producers who have yet to release their full potential?

Virgo Four play with No Way Back and Honey Soundsystem this Friday at Public Works with support from Conor, Solar and Jason Kendig. Tickets are $10 to $15.

• Tag: Audio, Clubs, Electronic Music, honey soundsystem, house, No Way Back, Public Works, Video, virgo four