The Grooveblaster

The Grooveblaster is the performing name of Gerry Belsha, an American music producer, remixer, and songwriter based in Raleigh, NC. Originally a bassist for The Blowtorch, his electronic music career began a decade ago with unauthorized remixes of artists including Steely Dan, Dionne Warwick and Francoise Hardy. His work became well known in the bootleg remix scene, perhaps too much so, as MySpace shut down his artist account just as he was getting heat from Dot Allison after his mix of her “Quicksand” demo was played by tastemaking Los Angeles radio station, KCRW. Then CDBaby refused to digitally distribute his debut album, Look in the Mirror and Dig Yourself, due to heavy use of unlicensed samples, all of which lead Belsha to question his musical direction. Determined not to run into any more trouble, he began creating his own unique musical hooks and enlisted a host of indie vocalists for his new work, including Laura Harley, Yasi Baby! of Pacha Massive, and Anji Bee of Lovespirals. The resulting 2008 album, Cities, Streets & Bebop Nights, retains that retro funk, soul, and lounge sound but with an even more organic feel.

Listen to The Grooveblaster with Anji Bee:

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“Whole Wide World” from Cities, Streets & Bebop Nights (2008)

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“Summer Days” from Cities, Streets & Bebop Nights (2008)

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