Joey Beltram

Joey Beltram was born in Queens, New York, to a Mexican father and an Italian mother, and started DJing as a young teenager, spinning electro and hip-hop before falling under the spell of Chicago house and then Detroit techno. By 18 he was recording for the Detroit label Transmat and collaborating with Richie Hawtin for the Plus 8 label, and his 1988 single "Energy Flash" was picked up by the Belgian label R&S, launching an association with Belgium's techno scene that would define much of his career. At the end of 1989 he moved to Ghent, Belgium, becoming the first American producer to work there for an extended stretch.

In 1991 he teamed with Edmundo "Mundo Muzique" Perez as Second Phase to release "Mentasm" on R&S, introducing the churning "hoover" synth sound that went on to shape drum and bass, hard house, and countless other tracks. He released his debut album, Beltram Vol. 1, the same year, and after parting ways with R&S went on to release Aonox on San Francisco's Visible Records in 1994, Places on Tresor in 1995, and The Rising Sun, also on Tresor, in 2004, along with founding his own label, STX, in 1999.

Beltram was later name-checked by Daft Punk on their 1997 track "Teachers," and continues to tour and DJ at festivals including Dance Valley and Awakenings.