JOEY BELTRAM レコード& CD

Review: It was only in 2018 that New York techno mainstay Joey Beltram revealed that he was the man behind 'SW37', a record which had been an underground classic since it first started doing the rounds in 1998. It remains an evergreen favourite almost 30 years on, which is why Damon Wild's Synewave is reissuing it here. The A-side is gloppy, dubby techno with impish percussion darting about the mix and drunken hits bring an off-kilter edge. On the flip, 'SW37B' is stripped back to pure deep techno serenity with deft ambient pads and a sense of unrelenting meditation that locks you in the here and now.

Review: 'Beltram Vol. 1' is arguably R&S Records' biggest release, thanks to its inclusion of the timeless track 'Energy Flash', which through various unexplainable forces has become instantly recognizable as the defining track of Netherlands rave. Revered for its reversed strings, low-murmuring voices (that infamous "ecstasy" sample) and crisp-clear acid lines, the track is backed up by three further bangers: the resonant sonic alkali Jazz 303, the gated-piano'ed Subsonic Trance and the early downtempo / big beat cut Psycho Bass. Here it is again, as timeless and essential as ever.

Review: Joey Beltram's second EP for R&S Records, which was originally released in 1991, is not as celebrated as his first, which famously included the peerless (and hugely influential) 'Energy Flash'. Yet, as this reissue proves, it remains a perfect distillation of the New York producer's breathlessly heavy, industrial-tinged and distinctively intense brand of techno. For proof, check 'My Sound', where raw, rave-igniting, Belgian-style lead lines dance atop a typically stomping, bass-heavy groove, and the fiendishly nasty, breakbeat-sporting, industrial-influenced mind-mangle that is 'Sub-Bass Experience'. Elsewhere, 'The Reflex' is a deeper and more psychedelic interpretation of Beltram's trademark sound, while 'The Melody' is a bustling breakeat techno shuffler built upon deep organ bass, occasional electro beats and sparkling lead lines.

Review: What can be said about this timeless banger that hasn't been said before? From the iconic throbs of acid to the delirious string hook, the menacing intonation of "ecstasy" to the eerie plastic strings, this is as seminal as a rave track can get. While many out there will no doubt have this jam tucked away on any number of techno compilations or cramped up on one of the original single issues, "Energy Flash" is a track more than worthy of its own luxuriant single-sided release, and in doing such a release so many years on R&S are making a powerful statement.