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Joey Beltram

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joey Beltram
Born (1971-09-06) September 6, 1971 (age 52)
OriginQueens, New York, U.S.
GenresTechno
Occupation(s)
Years active1990–present

Joey Beltram (born 6 September 1971) is an American DJ and music producer, best known for his pioneering singles "Energy Flash" and "Mentasm" and for remixing Human Resource's "Dominator".

Rave recordings

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"Mentasm" (is inspired by the title "Acid Rock"[1] by Rhythm Device released in 1989[2] and the title "Do That Dance" by The Project released in 1990),[3] co-produced with Mundo Muzique and released under the artist name Second Phase in 1991,[4] became iconic within rave culture, as it was the track that gave birth to the "mentasm riff" (also known as the "hoover sound"): a churning, dirgelike synth pattern that wormed into techno's communal genome and has since been mutated and reused in thousands of records.[5] The "mentasm riff" is also strongly associated with drum and bass, the Belgian techno scene (with the titles "Le Seigneur des ténèbres" by Pleasure Game released in 1991[6] and "Destiny" by Insider released in 1991),[7] and the R&S record label, as well as hardcore/hard house[8][9] in their various permutations since 1992 (with the titles "Fuckin Revenge!" by Friends Of Django released in 1992[8] and "Cosmic Trash" by Vitamin released in 1993).[9][10] Beltram was referenced as a pioneer in the late 1990s house music scene by Daft Punk, in their song "Teachers" off their 1997 debut album, Homework and author, Simon Reynolds, credited Beltram with having "revolutionized techno twice before the age of 21,[11]" when describing both "Energy Flash" and "Mentasm" in his book Generation Ecstasy.

Throughout the years, Beltram has continually toured at major festivals around the globe.[12] He has also continued releasing techno, with his 1993 and 1994 tracks "Aonox" on Visible and "the Beltram re-releases" on Trax, the "Caliber" EP on Warp, and his 1995 LP Places and 1996 single, "Ball Park" on Tresor counting among his work in the 1990s.[4] He was also invited to release another album, Close Grind, on Daniel Miller's Novamute imprint under the JB³ alias.[13]

In 1999, he launched his own label STX[14] with Arena, while he continued to release under Code 6 and JB³, as well as headlining events such as Awakenings, Coachella, Nature One, Mayday and Dance Valley. Returning to Tresor in 2004, he released the album Rising Sun. And he has kept up a busy release schedule ever since, with tracks on Womb, Harthouse, Drumcode, MB Electroniks, and Bush. Perhaps his best-selling single of recent times is his remix of Oliver Huntemann's "Shanghai Spinner," which hit the Beatport Top 10 in 2009.[15] It was also included in Simian Mobile Disco's Essential Mix at the beginning of 2010.[16]

Selected discography

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Singles

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  • "Energy Flash" (1990)
  • "Mentasm" (1991, as Second Phase)
  • "Cop Car" (1994)
  • "Caliber" (1994; UK #96[17])
  • "Game Form" (1995)

Compilations

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  • Classics (1996)
  • "The Sound of 2AM" (1999)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Joey Beltram". Awakenings. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  2. ^ https://www.discogs.com/fr/release/49437-Rhythm-Device-Acid-Rock
  3. ^ https://www.discogs.com/fr/release/18080332-The-Project-Do-That-Dance
  4. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 40/1. ISBN 0-7535-0427-8.
  5. ^ www.discogs.com
  6. ^ https://www.discogs.com/fr/release/328694-Pleasure-Game-Le-Seigneur-Des-T%C3%A9n%C3%A8bres
  7. ^ https://www.discogs.com/fr/release/32647-Insider-Destiny
  8. ^ a b https://www.discogs.com/fr/release/104907-Friends-Of-Django-Fuckin-Revenge-
  9. ^ a b https://www.discogs.com/fr/release/21112-Vitamin-The-Point
  10. ^ www.awakenings.com
  11. ^ Reynolds, Simon (1999). Generation Ecstasy. Routledge. ISBN 9780415923736. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  12. ^ "Tour dates: Joey Beltram". Residentadvisor.net. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  13. ^ "JB³, Close Grind". Discogs.com. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  14. ^ "STX Records". Discogs.com. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  15. ^ "Joey Beltram Biography on Kinetic AM". Archived from the original on 26 December 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  16. ^ "BBC Essential Mix: Simian Mobile Disco". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  17. ^ Chart statistics of "Caliber EP", Officialcharts.com; retrieved January 20, 2019
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