Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Beltran.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It all started when I was about 5 years old. Growing up in a latin house hold I remember my weekends consisted of cleaning & Spanish music. I use to dread those Saturday mornings waking up to the sounds of Cumbias, Vallenato, Merengue & Salsa. Worldwide classics that at the time I didn’t know had created an impact in the latin community. As time went on I started to grow a liking to these foreign sounds. I guess you can say I learned to appreciate it at a young age. My family and I are huge music lovers but what ultimately sparked my curiosity in it was a song named “Piano by Raul Di’ Diblasio”. I had never heard such beautiful sounds in my entire life. I remember feeling like I was in another world when I first heard that track. The twinkle of the piano keys & the sounds of the saxophone had me in a trance. Something about that song made me feel like music was going to be a huge part of my identity for the rest of my life. Since then I’ve been hooked onto songs that give me a euphoric feeling like “Piano” first did. I’d like to think that I have incredible range when it comes to music. From my mom showing me latin music to my brother introducing me to hip-hop & indie alternative to my aunt introducing me to electronic/dance & pop. I truly enjoy being able to find the bridge between different genres because to be honest I enjoy all types of sounds. Many people don’t know but my first love of music was actually Jazz & 1940s vocals like Billie Holidae, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. For most of my younger years I dabbled with all types of genres but never really had much time to venture into music since I was a full time student athlete. After some years in college I found myself at a crossroad since my future in soccer was uncertain. Besides music soccer was my main passion but I truly never saw myself doing anything else than becoming a pro soccer player. When that didn’t go as planned I looked for something that would give me that escape from reality like soccer did and it wasn’t until I went to a Soulection show in 2013 that I had an epiphany. I told myself that I wanted to learn how to DJ. I remember looking up at the DJ on stage and having this out of body experience where I personally saw myself DJ’ing for a crowd of people. I knew I had found something I truly enjoyed because it was one of the hobbies that was really hard to learn but refused from quitting. In the past whenever I took a liking to anything and wasn’t good at it I usually just gave up. I never truly thought about putting anything out into the universe until some of friends told me that I was pretty good at DJ’ing so I thought maybe I’d upload a mix onto Soundcloud.com for fun. That was back on January of 2019. I went with the name “Nostalgia Radio” because growing up in the early 90s I truly feel like I was exposed to so many amazing genres of music. Nostalgia Radio to me encompasses the feelings I get when I am able to lock in and get lost in my mixes. I honestly created it as an outlet for me to go to and release whatever emotions I had gone through that week. It’s a place for me to just be creative with a variety of sounds that inspire me in that moment. I never really thought people would actually tune in and enjoy my art but I’m truly grateful for those who continue to take time out of their day’s to listen. I am extremely honored by it. Thank you to all of those who support this passion project. <3
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Far from smooth but to be honest I wouldn’t have it any other way. The struggles / challenges is what truly makes me appreciate the art of curation. When I first created Nostalgia it was because I needed a place to release my emotions. It was never intended to be for the public. It wasn’t until a group of friends encouraged me to upload my mixes on Soundcloud that I felt like I was leaving my comfort zone and was terrified of putting my art out for the world. When I first started uploading music I remember I would have so much fun and just got so lost in the sound. It felt so effortless playing music for hours. Putting out bodies of music every week just seemed like a second language to me. It wasn’t until I started to get really fixated on the streaming numbers and instant gratification from listeners that I began steering away from the real reason I created the show. I remember hating music for quite awhile and didn’t want to listen to anything because I was constantly reminded of how I wasn’t growing as a DJ/Artist regardless if I felt my mixes were good or not. The art of mixing and creating was slowly fading away from me because I wasn’t receiving any feedback from listeners. I remember asking myself “why am I wasting my time if no one is even listening.” I just felt so defeated with constantly comparing myself to other DJ’s and radio shows. I truly felt unhappy creating what was the one thing that brought me so much joy. Over the years I had to step back realise it was just apart of the game and that I will always be my biggest critic. I needed to ask myself “why? ‘What is the real purpose of Nostalgia Radio?” Through that process I had to understand that I was doing it all for me and that this radio show is really all an escape for me. Music is the closet thing to the feeling of euphoria that I got when I would spend hours practicing. I realized that I created this show for me because it is a place where I can just create without bring judged and so thats where I’ve made my piece with it 🙂 If people tuned in I am greatly appreciated but if not I’m ok with that too. It’s my escape and it always will be my creative outlet where I can just be me. With that being sad I am truly grateful and appreciated for those who do take time out of their days to tune in. Here is to finding what truly makes us happy!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I currently work a 9 to 5 for Los Angeles County. I don’t see myself behind a desk for the rest of my life but I am grateful for having a job in these crazy times. I recently just created a DJ/Entertainment business this year where I can utilize my skills for monetary gain. The business is called Beyond the Sound Entertainment. We work along side my friend’s catering business and provide guests with music and food for their private events such as weddings, birthday’s, corporate and all sorts of private events. I like having two musical outlets were I can separate my creative side with my more mainstream one. I guess you can say I specialise in music curation since I don’t really produce my own music. I would love to but I don’t really want to make time for it since I have such a busy schedule being a dad and full time employee. Ever since I was a kid I considered myself a very curious kid which is probably why I enjoyed lots of abstract sounds. I mean technically I still am haha. My hugest inspirations for my art is Pharrell, The Neptunes, Sade, Billie Holidae, and Frank Sinatra to name a few. For whatever reason these artists really gave the courage to be open to sounds that weren’t considered mainstream. I use to be embarrassed about listening to music that others wouldn’t listen to but as I got older I gained the courage to not care. It was also nice to find a community of friends are were also open to different types of sounds like me. I take pride in saying that I truly feel like I have one of the widest ranges of genres. My friends usually are amazed at how I can usually find an artist that is really good in almost any genre they through at me. I’ve always had this saying when it comes to DJ’ing “Any DJ can play Top 40s and be considered a great day because everyone knows the songs they are playing but a great DJ can introduce me to something new that I didn’t know I would like.” I would love to one day make my business my main source of income but until then I have to do what I have to do to support my passions and my family. I know with hard work and dedication I will one day achieve my dreams *
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
When it comes to music I receive happiness when a supporter or spectator comes to me and tells me “I have no idea what you played but I truly enjoyed it” to me that means more then seeing a packed dance floor. I believe true happiness comes from the things that can’t be bought like being a father and waking up each morning because unfortunately not everyone gets that opportunity. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to appreciate the little things that matter most in life: health, family, God, shelter and deep conversations with friends. It’s often these things that we take for granted on an everyday basis. I enjoy creating, working out, listening to music & spending time with my son along with a long list of other activities. When it comes to music the thing that truly makes me happy is being able to share my mixes with the world. I’ve learned that one of the keys to life is being grateful for the things that you already have. If I can echoey anyone around me then I feel like I’m filing my purpose on this planet. I could go on forever about the things that make me happy but these are just some of the few.
Thank you to those who took the time to read this short interview about me <3
Pricing:
- DJ Sets $200 per hr but open to negotiation
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nostalgia.radio/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nostalgia_radio
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nostalgiaradio
Image Credits
Shoutout to @mattxryan, @devinlamoreaux & @greenking909 for the photos taken.
