Sunday, June 22, 2008

Surprising myself here with Joey Beltram's Classics, which I'm listening to for the first time in whole. This really is good! I hadn't realized his other stuff might be worth hearing, loom so large do the classics. And obviously nothing else is "Energy Flash" or even "Mentasm." But the way he arranges stuff is pretty brilliant, particularly on "The Melody," and he was probably has most patient hand of any of the early 303 artists. "Sub-Bass Experience," for example--its acid line is low enough all right, but it's also never tweaked to fuck--only once does he make a drastic tonal change, about 47 seconds from the end. It's obviously got its dated qualities, but they only make the thing sound cooler, the way this stuff can be turned into a kind of sonic truism of faith. It's so simple! Make b-lines that engage! Cheap can be otherworldly. Simple ideas can be good ideas. Sometimes hewing to your surroundings can highlight your uniqueness. Try to have fun.