Joey Beltram – Classics (1996)

This album is a compilation of Joey Beltram’s music prior to the release of it. Although Acid House had a relatively short lifespan as a popular music genre, there are some golden oldies out there musically. This compilation is a good and measured example of this. Let’s have a listen to it and see if it is worth listening to, even today.

We begin with Energy Flash, an uptempo and banging Acid House number. The instrumentation here is very simple. Unlike other forms of EDM, it’s not overly “busy”, so to speak. When that Acid House sounding riff kicks in, we are in audio nirvana. It’s great to hear how precise and full of decent melodies this piece is. Crashing cymbals also add emphasis to the track. “Ecstasy, ecstasy!” is chanted here in a subtle way. It really does sound like a party classic. A must listen. It’s really suspenseful too.

Next is Jazz 303. It is a direct reference to the Roland TB-303 machine that is used to make so-called Acid House sounds. It sounds musically accomplished and interesting listening, with an almost gong-like sound in the background, along with the Acid squelching away in the background. It goes into an interesting breakdown, before going straight back into the main section of the track. Another good effort and worth listening to. Maybe the original Acid House music makers made music for the future? The music here is not dated at all whatsoever. It’s good to hear.

Subsonic Trance is next. With its structured melody and breakbeat drums, it will take you places musically that you have never been to before. Is it any wonder how acts such as The Chemical Brothers got their ideas from this sort of thing? It’s a nice, danceable and grooving tune. Give it a listen, that is if early EDM is your thing. Excellent work here by Joey Beltram. It’s only three and a half minutes long but captivating.

Psycho Bass follows. It sounds kind of freaky at the beginning, before going into an almost science-fiction sounding track. It’s still really good though, with slow distorted drum loops and Acid House melodies that make one think about going to an underground rave. In other words, it is really good EDM. Thoroughly enjoyable. Everything here fits perfectly on this track. It has an element of progressive EDM about it too.

The next track My Sound arrives and it is a great piece of old school melodies that sound cut up. It sounds a little discordant, but it is really another great piece. The chanting and yelping in it are really fun to hear. A little faster than the other songs on the album, it is really good stuff for that crazy time you’ve always been craving. Nice stuff Joey Beltram. The sampled laughter and midsection are very interesting to hear.

Following up is The Melody. It’s another carefully structured piece of EDM. It is more melodic than the other pieces on this album so far. It’s still an energetic and captivating listen. The 808 bells that kick in in the middle of this track add some interesting textures to the track itself. It sounds like a fast speed train going by, in a musical sense. Good to listen to. The pounding beats towards the end are really good.

Sub-Bass Experience says a lot about it simply by the title of the track. Aside from that, we have some more discordant, yet simple melodies to listen to. This album is the perfect soundtrack to hear for space-age travel and other great humankind feats. It takes you to that sort of place. Awesome to hear. The breakdowns are intense. A good track to listen to.

The Reflex is up after that. It begins with some simple melodies and beats and goes into robotic science fiction Acid House future that we have not experienced outside of this sort of music. In other words, it’s really very imaginative, and solid. A good and picturesque listening experience. It’s a standout on this compilation. The wah-wah like sounds in the breakdown are suspenseful, before going straight back into this trip.

The next song Mind To Mind has a song title that seemingly refers to the often ignored idea of telepathy, regardless of if one believes in it or not. It’s another solid piece with some slightly more post-Acid House sounds in it. It’s still danceable and listenable so you won’t feel that this song is out of place on this compilation. It’s a good track with tranquil Acid House melodies floating in your ears. Nice.

The following track Mentasm sounds like an Acid House style nightmare. Not in terms of quality, just it has some freaky melodies in it. It’s good to hear that Joey Beltram felt he could branch out and do more interesting pieces of music than what the Rave mainstream would dictate. It’s still as good as the other tracks, and yes, it does sound freaky. The subsonic bass in this track is wonderful.

Joey’s Riot starts off sounding rather annoying with that digital sound, if you listen to it, that is. It is another rather dark and eerie sounding tune for us to listen to. It’s a rhythmic and interesting tune, with a dog barking sort of sound in it. It then goes into a bass-heavy rave track. It’s not as good as it could be but is still listenable. Perhaps a remix of this tune would help?

The Trance is a more sinister, dark and heavy sounding piece from Joey Beltram. It’s horror movie music and sounds eerie. It would fit perfectly in the video game Doom series or another similar video game. Regardless, it’s really a good and inspiring listen. It has some melodies similar to what The Chemical Brothers would create in their early days. Good stuff. It’s a little repetitive though.

The last piece here is Groove Attack, which says it all in a good way. Joey Beltram proves his skills at making Acid House music here, and we end the album on a good note.

This is a very good release for an Acid House compilation. Beats anything released today by the Ministry Of Sound. In any case, Joey Beltram shows that minimalistic music can be consistent and good listening to. Any EDM fan should seek out this release today.

8/10