The Beat Club

Ony Rodriguez began his career in the late 1980s as a rhythm guitarist and producer with EMI recording group, The Voice in Fashion. Even after attaining minor commercial success, Ony Rodriguez decided to pursue his personal interests and style of music more and started the Beat Club. What began as an ongoing “free-form” studio jam with friends led to the international hit “Security”, and his departure from The Voice in Fashion.

Influenced by the likes of the “Miami Bass” movement, New Order and Kraftwerk, Rodriguez's music relied less on his main instrument of the guitar and more on his love for electronics.

Initially on Atlantic Records, The Beat Club was offered the opportunity to become the first recording act to be signed to New Order manager and Manchester’s Factory Record mogul, the late Rob Gretton’s own personal label robs records. The Beat Club went on to release several recordings in the UK resulting in the singles “Security” which reached no. 92 in the UK Singles Chart (recorded by, and featuring New Order’s Bernard Sumner), “Dreams Were Made to Be Broken” and “X”.

Rob allowed me to pursue my love for the studio, and the artistic freedom an independent label allowed, forever changed my attitude towards the business and defined the priorities for my career.

— Ony Rodriguez

Upon the expiration of the contract with Atlantic Records, Rodriguez (along with his wife, Mirey Valls) went on to start Electrobeat Records in Miami, Florida. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Electrobeat has released over a dozen albums produced by the Beat Club under various pseudonyms including Ony, Fuzzy Logic, Toys for the Revolution, Santa Fe and Urban Select.

In late 2006, the Beat Club released the album Robotica which included the club singles “Dream Within a Dream” and “Lost in Space”. The first quarter of 2008 saw the release of the new album Minimalista, along with a possible promotional tour in 2009. In 2010, first album Paris was reissued on CD by LTM with new artwork and bonus tracks.

After working in the studio for so many years, I miss the live performance. I miss the immediate feedback –it is because of the complexity and expense of a live performance for a project of this type that I have stayed away from the audience for so long. Things have changed; technology has finally made it affordable for an independent studio artist to go on the road. With a laptop you can have virtual synthesizer stacks while at the same time running a video show. I can finally go out and expose my music to new fans, thereby providing a direct promotional venue so essential in today’s industry.

— Ony Rodriguez

Along with releases on Electrobeat, Atlantic, Rob's Records and ZYX Records, the Beat Club has been featured on various compilations including Champion Records UK, John Digweed's Azuli release and other mixes, in addition to a recent cover version of "Security" by the Freestylers on their album Adventures in Freestyle.

The Beat Club's "Paris" (1994)

[1]

• The Beat Club's Official MySpace page. Retrieved on August 8, 2007.
• Electrobeat Official Website Archived 1992–2008 Rodri Publishing (ASCAP)
• Electrobeat Official Website (Interview) Archived 1992–2008 Rodri Publishing (ASCAP)
• Miami New Times article, From December 12, 1995
• Beat Club biography at LTM

• Official website