It can be argued that without Chicago’s Trax Records there would be no house music, no acid house, no techno, no EBM, no IDM, no big beat, and no electroclash. While some of these genres certainly might of existed without the influcence of the creative Juggernaut, its influence is hard to deny.

I’ve been digging up the old Trax releases for the past 6 years or so. Listening to them now is probably as rewarding as it when they first came out. They really retain their energy and are, to me, as inspiring as the early hardcore/indie Dischord or Touch and Go labels of that same era. They also serve as a stern reminder that you can get a LOT of funk out of a single DX-7, a 303, an 808, and a 4 track.

3 Trax legends will be on point at the skanky/pricey but surmountable Soundbar tonight for the Trax 20 year anniversary.

Marshall Jefferson
Farley JackMaster Funk
Maurice Joshua