1001 Songs Challenge #731: Energy Flash (1990)

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenging of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post everyday (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be…

 

Joey Beltram – Energy Flash (1990)

 

We’re staying in the US today, dear reader, and New York but making our way over to Queens. Here we find a young man by the name of Joey Beltram. A music producer and DJ, Beltram is credited with being a key pioneer in the world of techno. When we join Beltram in 1990 he is not even 20 years old but has a single out by the name of Energy Flash. 

This techno piece is all about the sound with a handful of singing in there though the words are not easy to decipher. It’s only a handful of words used though and repeated. The track relies on a persistent drum beat, use of bass and synthesiser. Clocking in at nearly 6 minutes Energy Flash would offer the blueprint for future techno tracks to come and was the sort of song guaranteed to pack the dance floor at a rave.

Joey Beltram is credited as a significant figure on the techno scene. Energy Flash was a key song in 1990 and was followed in 1991 by Mentasm which included a technique known as the mentasm riff or hoover sound. Beltram has been cited by the likes of Daft Punk as a key influence and he continues to DJ and remix tracks to this day, his legacy assured by the time he reached his early twenties!

 

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

The Doors – The End (1967)

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Queen – Don’t Stop Me Now (1978)

Ultravox – Vienna (1980)

The Smiths – How Soon Is Now? (1984)

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)