Joey Beltram
b. c.1971. Widely considered to be one of the gurus of New York hardcore, Beltram's 1991 release Energy Flash (R&S) was a milestone in the genre, providing a bass-line that has re-emerge countless times (not least on Beltram's own recordings). By the age of 16 he was recording for New York labels like Nu Groove as Code 6 and Lost Entity. 'Initially producing records was my way of getting better DJ jobs.' At school he had saved his dinner money in order to buy records at the end of the week to make mix tapes. He certainly boasts eclectic tastes in dance music, at the last count owning over 60,000 records. The follow-up single, Mentasm, was credited to Second Phase, a collaboration with Mundo Muzique, and was one of several nom de plumes which include Final Exposure (Vortex, on Plus 8), Disorder (Panic/Groove Attack, on Rhythmatic Rage) and Program 2 (The Omen, on R&S). He has also recorded in a less frenetic house vein. His work on the Cutting label (Vice Tribe's Something Unreal) is a good example of this, while under his own name he has also provided a three-track EP (BELTRAM PRESENTS…ODYSSEY NINE—DRUMS OF ORBIT) for Visible, which dabbled in trance. However, his best recent work is undoubtedly the CALIBER EP for Warp, which saw many critics drawing comparisons to the mighty Energy Flash. 'I'm not one of those people that gets too moody and wants to change my style totally all the time. I'm always trying to keep a link between my old records and new records.' His remixes include Orbital's Oolaa, and the Smarte's Sesame's Treet, for US consumption.