Artist:
JB3
Title:
Close Grind
Label:
NovaMute
Cat#:
NOMU50
Release Date:
09th December 1996 (CD, vinyl, cassette)
later (digital)
Format:
CD, vinyl, download & streaming
Tracklist Vinyl:
A1.
Time
B1.
Curb
B2.
Back Porch
C1.
Loose Kick
C2.
Presence
D1.
The View
D2.
Upper
Tracklist CD & Digital:
01.
Time
02.
Curb
03.
Back Porch
04.
Loose Kick
05.
Presence
06.
The View
07.
Upper
08.
Believer
09.
Forklift
Press Info:
The music of Joey Beltram hits hard and strikes deep. Born 24 years ago in the tough urban surrounds of Queens, NYC, the sound of Joey Beltram is a product of his environment, uncompromising, unrelenting, man versus machine. Being brought up next to the subway track to Manhattan, the rumble and clatter of passing trains seems to have seeped into his subconscious, re-emerging in a distilled form in his numerous outings in a variety of guises over the past few years. From the mesmeric ‘Energy Flash’ to the hard and direct ‘Mentasm’, the track that spawned a legion of imitators with it’s distinct, and at that time, original ‘hoover – esque’ sounds over a raging techno beat. Joey Beltram has carved his own distinct groove, a man who does not specialise in easy listening. Twisted music that snarls in the face of mediocre corporate disco.
Frustrated with the claustrophobic surrounds of his New York world Beltram initially found release through his graffiti art. “We always used to hang out in the train yard late at night” he remembers, “because you wouldn’t be able to hit the trains until two in the morning. So we’d sit by a bonfire, tell graffiti tales and listen to the biggest, loudest boom box on the block.” Inspired by the sounds of Tony Humphries and his regular slots on New York’s underground radio shows. 16 year old Joey eventually took his urban art in a different direction, stringing together primitive sounds through a beat up old mixing desk, to come up with tracks that would form the basis of Beltram’s recording career. Raw, moody and distinctly urban, the Beltram template was formed.
Switch to 1996, via his recent outings for Tresor, for whom he recorded ‘Places’ in 1994, his atmospheric and distinctly deep offerings as Code 6, we find ourselves gawping in amazement that Beltram still holds the potential to mainline the hardest hitting sounds around directly into your skull. December 9th sees the release of his first album under the guise of JB3, ‘Close Grind’ for NovaMute, recorded in Joey’s new hangout of leafy, upstate New York. With most tracks tried and tested on acetate in clubs around the world, the album proves itself as a record distinctly oriented towards the dance floor. A record with the ability to leave the weak hearted handbag brigade gasping for breath and running for cover with it’s barrage of satanic electronica and atom bomb beats.
From the hard, tribal musings of ‘Back Porch’ to the strangely aquatic Captain Nemo – esque techno of ‘Presence’, ‘Close Grind’ leaves you disorientated. Scary stuff. Opening with the minimal ‘Time’ with its schizophrenic snare barrage, the album rapidly picks up pace. Via ‘Curb’, laced with phased, out funked up guitars over an undulating bassline [Joey Beltram goes disco ?] we are dumped at the feet of ‘Loose Kick’ with its unrepentant, deep and dark approach, direct hard techno in its purest form. ‘Loose Kick’ lets loose wild electronic stabs that drift in and out of the track like a wasp possessed by Satan. Taking the sounds of hell further, Beltram wheels out ‘The View’, with its menacing throbbing sub bass that could scare the jazzy drum and bass fraternity out of the jungle. With the CD version of the album carrying the previous NovaMute singles ‘Believer’ and ‘Forklift’, ‘Close Grind’ refines the raw industrial heart of NYC into blood curdling techno sounds. Joey Beltram, king of Queens.
Snippets:
Special:
JB3 aka Joey Beltram – “@ ADE – 2012”
Recommendations:
all releases on NovaMute we featured
Buy Vinyl:
Juno
originally released in 1996
Buy CD:
Juno
originally released in 1996
Buy Download:
Qobuz
Clone Digital
Bleep
Beatport
JunoDownload
Apple Music
more soon
Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Deezer
Spotify
Anghami
Youtube Music
Websites:
JB3 aka Joey Beltram
NovaMute
NovaMute Germany
Mute
Mute Germany
