I’ve been looking forward to writing this post for a while now! It’s time for me to give some serious props to Tom Beltor, the winner of RV Mix Contest 003! First a little background…
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A couple weeks ago, I was working really late, well into the morning hours, alone at the office, thoroughly caffeinated, with my speakers turned way up…I was looking for a new mix to play, so I fired up Tom’s Rising of the Sun…I was so impressed that I sent personal emails to several of my friends to brag about it! I was proud that the RV network has become a forum that gives deserving underground artists an opportunity to shine and be discovered by new, welcoming ears.
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Tom’s mix starts out in smooth progressive fashion…gently undulating and swelling, getting your ears primed. Over the course of about an hour, he weaves his way through a seductive sequence of tracks. I really dig the diversity of the poignant moments in Rising of the Sun. For example, around the 5:20 mark, you hear this blissful, mellifluous motif. Then, Tom settles things back into a steady, ear-tingling groove. Around the 21:00 mark, he changes gears a bit by dropping a twisted, slow-moving, grimey track…it has this subtle, gritty sound that gets right in your head. The set stays solid from start to finish – well-conceived, well-sequenced, and superbly mixed.
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Of course, I’m not the only one who really digs Tom’s Rising of the Sun mix. It’s been downloaded over 2,400 times in less than two weeks! Tom has shown that the RV network can be a great place for getting visibility if you’ve got killer tunes to share.
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I’ve talked about Tom’s Rising of the Sun mix, but I also want to share some info about him personally. He was born in 1979 in Berlin and drawn to music at an early age. His influences were DJs like Sasha, Digweed, Nick Warren, and Fergie. At age 25, Tom bought his first DJ set and started his foray into the world of trance. Over time, his interests evolved from trance to progressive trance and then to progressive house. In November 2006, Tom gained the honor of hosting a two-hour monthly show on friskyradio, which is still being heard and enjoyed today.
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Tom says he tries to really give something to people when he DJs – that he wants to share a part of himself and his feelings by playing music that has depth.
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All I have to say is keep doing your thing Tom! Sharing yourself through electronic music is an ambition that deeply resonates with us here at RV! ‘Nuff props!
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Eddie B