Episode 38 –Joey Beltram - Energy Flash

It’s the mid-1980s in Queens, New York, where teenage graffiti artist, Joey Beltram, regularly rides the local M-train. These journeys of his begin from the last stop on the line, near where he lives in Middle Village. As Beltram takes the train, he meets other graffiti artists, and through these acquaintances he becomes introduced not only to different aspects of graffiti art, but also to the street parties that occur in their neighbourhoods. It is at these street parties that Beltram encounters djs playing a mix of hip hop and new electronic music sounds, including house. So drawn is he to the djs at these events, that Beltram will soon shift his creative energies from graffitiing to making music, eventually leading to him producing one of techno’s most iconic tracks, "Energy Flash".