I’m back with a new DJ mix, and this time it’s a selection of techno from the late 1980’s and early 90’s. The first wave of acid house had passed and the tempos had increased, the sonic landscape widening as the genre began to mature. The roots of the Trance genre are here, alongside harder-edged sounds from Germany and New York, mingling with the Afro-futurism of Detroit. This is when EDM “grew up” and went from a popular dance craze to the exploration of whole new worlds and visions.
Listening to old-school acid house often means listening to scratchy old recordings ripped from 20-25 year old mixtapes. Not this time! Back in 2000, Underground Construction, a Chicago house label known for releasing literally hundreds of great 12 inches, compiled and released an excellent compilation of hits from the Trax Records vaults. For those not familar with Trax, here’s a little history from Discogs:
Trax is one of the two original Chicago house-music labels (the other being D.J. International Records). Founded in the early 1980s by Larry Sherman, Screamin’ Rachael, Jesse Saunders, and Vince Lawrence. Responsible for the release of “Acid Tracks” by Phuture, “Move Your Body” by Marshall Jefferson, and many other records that shaped the Chicago and acid house sounds through the 80’s until the early 1990’s.
Mixed by DJ Rick Garcia, this is a journey through twenty-four of Trax Records’ most famous and beloved anthems. These songs shaped the future of house music and techno, with their haunting synths and acid 303 lines, as well as soulful vocals by Darryl Pandy and Xavier Gold. Essential and timeless.
