The older I get, the more I’m proud that I have stuck true to many of the values I held in my teens (thirty one and counting, since you ask). I’m still veggie, would rather buy vinyl than CD, am still left-wing, and proud that I teach in a comprehensive not a private school.
So why the heck was I so damn conservative about dance music for so many years? Why was I so rockist?
The reality is that dance music, rather like indie, is such a broad church that the label increasingly means less and less with every year that passes.
As time went by, acts like Portishead, Massive Attack (who were responsible for my favourite song of the last twenty years ‘Unfinished Sympathy’), Leftfield, Orbital, the Orb, Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers…and many others told me not to be so foolish. And when I discovered the DFA label, it bought a new understanding to me, finally enabling me to understand that ghettoisation was not necessary.
And finally, I have been led, my interest piqued by the famous Simon Reynolds, to check out Joey Beltram. These two tracks are regarded as classics. Nearly twenty years after they came out, I think I finally understand why.
Joey Beltram – ‘Energy Flash.’ mp3
Joey Beltram – ‘Mentasm.’ mp3