#chicago trax recording

[myvinylplaylist]

Chicago Trax Recording

RIAA Gold Certified Sales Award for 500,000 copies sold of

R. Kelly: Born Into The 90’s

[possible-streetwear]

[thebonesofhoudini]

Virgo Four - Do You Know Who You Are? (1989)

[viciouscyclesradio]

Sweet, Sweet Acid

New Humanoid 12-inch: April's Featured Release

Sweet Acid Sound - Humanoid (2023, De:tuned) is Brian Dougans, 1/2 of FSOL since the Global LP in 1989. However, often on these new Humanoid releases, Yage is credited as the engineer, which is just another pseudonym for the duo. Sweet Acid Sound indeed. A bit lighter and housey-er than the usual serving, with a hint of 1990-ish Italo-house, which might not be on everybody's palette. 

Unlike the recent bangers, this beat is synced to standard house at around 125 BPM or less. Sweet Acid Sound does make a nice homage to the pure house era. More-so, the first LP on Westside Records in 1989 which showcased various forms of house music: from Trax Records' Chicago Acid to 2 In A Room style Hip House to Tony Humphries/Kiss FM inspired Garage. And at this point, Garry Cobain, a mate of Dougans, is brought in as a guest vocalist on Global's darkest track, the opening b-side's Sunshine and Brick, foreshadowing what was to follow later. Sweet Acid Sound is due on May 29th on De:tuned.

[thevirgox]

One of my favorite House records. “Let’s Get Busy” by Curtis McClain & On The House 🎶

[artdecodude]

I love it when two things I love but are way not related collide with each other. Case in point: I Art Deco (duh) and I love Industrial & Deathrock music; this is Lead into Gold's 12" single for Idiot/Blackened Heart, Hatred on legendary Wax Trax Records. This is (and still is Paul Barker's project). Paul is best known as the bass player for Ministry & Revolting Cocks back in their heyday. The Art Deco album art are from two Chicago Bridges. One bridge with the female subject, if sketchy sources are correct, is the Ogden Bridge, which was totaled in 1994 (this single came out in 1990). The Ashland Avenue bridge is still there but google maps doesn't show any artwork anywhere. The artist for both is Scipione del Campo, who did many other Chicagoland pieces in the same style.

[randomvarious]

Chicago House Playlist

Alright, folks, here's something that's been a long time coming: a playlist of house tunes that came from the city that gave birth to the global phenomenon in the first place, and also kickstarted the whole evolution of electronic dance music as we currently know it. When house music began, most dancefloors had moved on from disco to a mishmash of post-disco, boogie, hi-NRG, dance-pop, synthy funk, electro, freestyle, and a whole lot of other stuff, but there was something different that started to brew itself into a movement during the mid-1980s among a predominantly black, gay crowd in the city where disco had first been symbolically murdered in 1979.

And eventually, it became known as house music, named after both The Warehouse, the place that the genre's godfather, Frankie Knuckles, would have residency, and the posters that would be hung up to advertise the venue's events, which referred to 'house parties' and 'house music.' The Warehouse would open up in the late 70s and close in the early 80s, but in 1983, Frankie would open up his own club, The Power House, which would then change its name to the Power Plant, and then change its name again to The Music Box, after another legendary house DJ, Ron Hardy, would take up residency there.

So, a lot of this playlist channels the greatness of some of those halcyon Chicago house days. And so much of it is just pure, primordial dance music bliss; lighthearted, unserious, super fun, revolutionary grooves. There was an amateurishness to a lot of it back then that gave it a significant level of goofy charm, and that's something that seems to have gotten mostly left behind as the music continued to grow into the 90s. Songs like "Move Your Body," by Marshall Jefferson, which opened with this rich and clanging, jauntily unpolished piano rag of sorts, was so infectious, and his plainly bad, but passionate singing voice that would follow that iconic intro couldn't help but be adored too. And the song on this playlist that currently comes after that one, "Love Can't Turn Around," by Farley "Jackmaster" Funk & Jesse Saunders, is in much the same vein, as featured vocalist Darryl Pandy goes over-the-top berserk to start his second verse, making for another song that you really just can't resist 🥰.

Another total favorite of mine on here is one that was produced by Frankie Knuckles himself: "Let the Music Use You," by the Night Writers, which is a near-eight minute masterpiece that has a divine, string-pad-and-bell-laden beat that immediately shows you why Frankie was revered as such a master of his own craft. And that beat gets paired beautifully with Ricky Dillard's soft and tender, heartfelt vocals too.

And then there's Kevin Irving's "Children of the Night," which features his excellent, soulful voice on a beat that combines string pads with prickly electro stabs, and was made by Larry Sherman, the founder of the most important label in the history of Chicago house itself, Trax Records, which has also caught a lot of flak over the years for its shady business practices.

A couple more notes: first, be forewarned that the track that starts this playlist is another tremendous classic, "Mind Games," by Quest— which features the voice of Liz Torres and some great and dreamy freestyle-type synth work—but even though it's on Spotify, it is, unfortunately, pretty damn scratchy. Luckily, I was able to include a much cleaner version on the YouTube version of this playlist, though 😊. And second, I like to keep these playlists as chronologically ordered as possible, but I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out when Screamin' Rachael's "Bip Bop" was actually made. It has an aggressive male rap vocal on it that's reminiscent of Turbo B's on Snap!'s "The Power," so it could be from that early 90s period, but I really don't know. So I just put it at the end, where it will stay until I one day possibly figure out when it was actually created.

This playlist is ordered as chronologically as possible and links are provided below to songs that have been posted about previously in order to give them more context:

Quest - "Mind Games" Marshall Jefferson - "Move Your Body" Farley "Jackmaster" Funk & Jesse Saunders - "Love Can't Turn Around" On the House - "Pleasure Control" Housemaster Boyz - "House Nation" Ralphi Rosario - "You Used to Hold Me" Night Writers - "Let the Music Use You" Dalis - "Rock Steady" Kevin Irving - "Children of the Night" Bam Bam - "Where's Your Child?" Paul Johnson - "3rd Dimension (Remixed by Armando)" Screamin' Rachael - "Bip Bop"

And while there are some incredible moments in that Spotify playlist, I still have way more Chicago house music to show you in the YouTube version. Some tracks that stand out in this bonus crop are the first one, the silly and campy "Undercover," by Doctor Derelict, which has about 3,500 plays on YouTube across a couple uploads; another one from Frankie Knuckles, which is a rare remix of his very popular "Baby Wants to Ride" that has ~31.6K plays, and features some political opining from vocalist Jamie Principle, and even a detouring interpolation of "America the Beautiful" in its second half (😆); and then one from a later era of Chicago—'99, to be exact—called "Testing & Balancing," by Jimminy Cricket, aka James Curd, that has around 170 plays and liberally samples from Al Green's soul classic, "Love & Happiness."

Doctor Derelict - "Undercover" Jungle Wonz - "The Jungle" Steve "Silk" Hurley - "House Beat Box" On the House - "Ride the Rhythm"Libra Libra - "I Like It" Paris Grey - "Don't Make Me Jack" Liz Torres - "Can't Get Enough" Frankie Knuckles - "Baby Wants to Ride" On the House - "Let's Get Busy" Mister Lee - "Come to House" Jimminy Cricket - "Testing & Balancing"

And this playlist is also on YouTube Music.

So, with the Spotify version of this playlist, we currently have 12 songs that total an hour and 16 minutes, and with YouTube, we're at 23 songs that total 2 hours and 24 minutes. Clearly, there are a whole lot more goodies in that YouTube one.

And if you want a Chicago house playlist that's a bit shorter, I have one that's made of stuff that's solely from the 80s too.

1980s Chicago House: Spotify / YouTube / YouTube Music

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

Like what you hear? Follow me on Spotify and YouTube for more cool playlists and uploads!

[industrial-horror]

What came back to earth was a great rock ‘n’ roll band…

35 years ago on November 21st 1989, cEvin Key, Nivek Ogre, Ken Marshall and Al Jourgensen released Skinny Puppy’s 5th studio album 'Rabies' on Nettwerk and Capitol Records. Recorded at Chicago Trax Studios, artwork by Steven R. Gilmore. #Rodent 🎸🎶

[ourladyofomega]

Front 242's final U.S. shows at Chicago's Metro; November 15/16, 2024.

📸 Wax Trax! Records

[possible-streetwear]

[rhapsodynew]

#Music from A to Z

GRAMMYS 2025 (Part 1)

So, the nominees for the Grammy Awards have been announced. The 67th ceremony will take place on February 2, 2025. Let's see what's going on in the blues categories.

BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM.

- Joe Bonamassa

tops the list of nominees with his 16th studio album last year, "Blues Deluxe Vol. 2". Joe has previously been nominated for a Grammy three times, including in this category for the album "Royal Tea".

"The contrast between a brash 26-year-old and a solid 46-year-old is significant. Is the fire burning as brightly as before? Do I still have the same thirst for creativity? Am I good enough to pay homage to the heroes of my songs? The answer lies somewhere in this album."

- Shemekia Copeland

participates in two more nominations besides this one: "Best American Roots Song" and "Best Americana Roots Performance", and all of them for the album "Blame It On Eve", which we recently introduced you to. Shemekia has previously received five Grammy nominations.

- Steve Cropper,

legendary guitarist, producer and songwriter, twice Grammy winner in 1968 and 1994 and winner of six nominations. Few are able to create new bands at the age of 80, but Steve Cropper is nominated for a Grammy in this category for the second time with his rock and soul quintet Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour, for the debut album "Fire It Up" in 2021 and for the second album "Friendlytown" this year. Cropper recruited Billy Gibbons, Brian May and Tim Montana. "If your heart doesn't shake at the first bars of this album, it means you're already dead," Steve jokes.

- Ruthie Foster

and the album "Mileage". The tenth studio album by a folk-blues celebrity is a reflection on a life full of triumphs and losses. This is the story of the musical journey that led the "little black girl with a guitar" from singing in churches in rural Texas to numerous Grammy nominations (this is the sixth nomination) and collaborations with Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trax

- Antonio Vergara

and the album "The Fury". This is not just a celebration of modern blues, but a masterpiece. The famous blues guitarist, singer and producer assembled an intercontinental cast of artists to create the album. Vergara hails from Ecuador and combines the influences of Chicago and Texas blues with his Latin American roots, creating a timeless, boundary-breaking sound. He is the first Latin American artist to be nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category. Joe Bonamassa added the song "My Lucky Mojo" from this album to his personal Spotify playlist.

- Cedric Burnside

and the album "Hill Country Love". Cedric is the grandson of the famous delta bluesman R.L. Burnside, and from the age of 13 he began to tour with his grandfather as a drummer (by the way, he has several Blues Music Award awards in this category). At the age of 30, he won the Blues Music Award in the category "Best New Artist Debut" for the 2008 album "Two Man Wrecking Crew" with Lightning Malcolm. Two more albums in 2015 and 2018 were nominated for Grammys, and "I Be Trying" won in the category "Best Traditional Blues Album" in 2022. Cedric says that hill country blues (blues of the northern Mississippi region) is in his blood. "It doesn't matter where I end up: if I move to Australia or France, I'll still stay hill country. You can't take that away from me.… I feel like I am hill country blues."

- The Fabulous Thunderbirds

and the album "Struck Down". The band, which was founded in 1974 in Texas by Jimmy Vaughn, inviting Harper and vocalist Kim Wilson, who remains its only permanent member. In 1979-1983, the band released 4 albums, recognized as one of the most significant recordings of the "white blues", but not commercially very successful. In 1986, she won the Blues Music Award in the category "Band of the Year" and was twice nominated for a Grammy in 1987. Jimmy left the band in 1989 to record a joint album with Stevie Ray "Family Style". The recording of the album "Struck Down" was attended by Alvin Bishop, Bonnie Raitt, Mick Fleetwood, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal, Steve Strongman and famous music artist zydeco Teggapse Simien

- Sue Foley

and the album "One Guitar Woman". A solo acoustic album by a Canadian blues guitarist and singer dedicated to the "female guitar pioneers" who left their mark on music, not only in the blues: Elizabeth Cotten, Memphis Minnie, Rosetta Tharp, etc. Sue also wrote the book Guitar Woman. In 2001, Foley won the Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy), received 17 Maple Blues Awards, was nominated several times for Blues Music Awards and twice won this award in 2020 and 2023.

- The band "Little Feat"

and the album "Sam's Place". The band, founded in 1969 in California, performed eclectic blues rock with elements of country rock, southern rock, rhythm and blues and soul. Among the many rock bands of the 70s, she stood out for her original sound and high performance skills. In 1979, after the death of their leader Lowell George, the band broke up. The reunion took place in 1987. The last album "Rooster Rag" was released in 2012, and it was the last to feature guitarist and vocalist Paul Barrere (died in 2019). Paul wrote the band's hits such as Skin It Back, Time Loves a Hero and Old Folks Boogie. And suddenly, in May of this year, a new album was released, where all the leading vocal parts were performed by Sam Clayton. He is a percussionist and backing vocalist, in the band since 1972. The album consists of cover versions of famous blues standards, except for the opening track.

- Taj Mahal

and his sextet with the album "Swingin' Live at The Church in Tulsa".

There is no need to introduce this outstanding bluesman. He was nominated for a Grammy 9 times, won this award three times, and in the category "Best Contemporary Blues Album". And at the beginning of this year, at the famous Tulsa studio, a new album was recorded in front of a live audience in a typical genre for a musician, combining a variety of styles.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1BS29Yn0GYgoJG7LAMkqXI?si=hSo9mN1TSuenLxdUwAI0VQ

[myvinylplaylist]

Lead Into Gold: Idiot 12” Single (1988)

Side A: 45 RPM

Side B: 33 1/3 RPM

Matte embossed sleeve.

Another Luxa Pan Production.

Manufactured & Marketed by Wax Trax Records Inc 2445 N. Lincoln Ave Chicago, Il 60614

[thisisprettybroken]

Odd Genre Time: Warehouse Music

Have some LGBTQ+ history I ran into on a wiki dive. Warehouse or "House" music was invented by a gay Chicago DJ. Frankie Knuckles' mixes of Salsoul and early Electronic music from Europe were the beat of Chicago in 1984. He played at "The Warehouse", a predominantly black, gay dance club. Look this man up because he's a founding father for what we know DJing to be today. By 1985 the "Hot Mix Five" had a hit radio show that highlighted this new sound. These were now 5 DJs that also began making long, continuous mixes that brought all parts of the world into their arrangements. With a popular radio show further standardizing this futuristic sound, more DJs joined in until it was foolish to spin anything else. In the United States, this is the nucleus of what we now recognize as Dance Music in a modern club setting. Bedroom producers who liked this sound hit their local pawn shops for cheap synthesizers.* Some people working in the area's record stores at the time recall a whole section set aside for "Tracks Heard at the Warehouse." It was tempting and profitable to make demo tapes in your bedroom because if you got played at the Warehouse you might get a record deal... So emerged this sound of Chicago gay culture. House music is gay and intersectional, spread the word. If my video above and the history behind it sound like your speed, check out: ---------------------------------------------- Larry Heard - Imagine a neon-lit gay club with this on the speakers. It's so 80's. Warehouse is often described as "textural" and this track absolutely nails it in that regard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N9Wnqz8Rh8 Frankie Knuckles - He was handed a drum machine by a friend who said people are making their own tracks now. Given the chance now to make his own Trax, he chose this. A tune that makes you say "This isn't house music, this is just gay sex." The song's lyrics seem to imply there's a religion-play thing going on, it's VERY gay... Let's just say don't blast this on the work speakers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EtEPT3DvdM PHUTURE - The story about "They didn't know how to use the TB-303s at all, and they still cranked out jams with it." is apparently true and it's about these guys. Self described "Outsiders" they wanted to try making some Warehouse music. A Dj finally gave them a spin at another huge club and found that it played better to crowds later in the night who are on more drugs or just plain drunker. The beginning of Acid House. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igNBeo3QSqc -- *None of the synthesizers they used are cheap anymore :(

[tewz]

61. Where is a place you would love to visit?

A record store that has good industrial musics for good prices. Preferably Wax Trax!

The House on the Rock, Wisconsin (been there 4 times).

New York or L.A. and maybe Chicago again.

San Diego to visit family.

Milwaukee to visit family.

Honestly I prefer just staying home hehe <3

[iamdangerace]

Something I need.

Hailing from Chicago’s renowned Wax Trax! Records stable of recording artists, MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT have been conjuring up sonic tales of sex, blasphemy and kitschy horror since 1987. Along with label mates such as Front 242 and Ministry, TKK (as often abbreviated), helped develop the industrial music genre, yet have consistently evolved their sound, creating one of the most diverse repertoires in modern day music. They can be described as electronic rock, heavily influenced by both disco and punk, with the distinctive use of spoken-word samples lifted from B-movies laced throughout their songs. The band has released 14 studio albums, a slew of compilations and singles, and has appeared on a variety of soundtracks.

[bellheadband]

2024! That's a wrap! This has been a whirlwind of a year.

32 shows 10 states 3 Festivals 1 paranormal convention A Special Live Podcast hangout 6 music video award nominations ..and a whole lot of fun

We kicked off the year with a music video release for Bad Taste and continued to tour off our 2023 EP ‘Good Intentions’. We came out with two new t-shirt designs (Chicago and Beetle) https://bellhead.bandcamp.com/merch, and some new stickers and buttons (that you can only get at our live shows).

The year started (and ended with) a Stabbing Westward show! HUGE thanks to Chris and Walt for letting us tag along. The spring, summer, and fall had us touring all over the US- going as far west as Colorado, south to New Orleans, and east to DC. We played with a ton of bands and DJ’s, and met so many wonderful humans along the way.

We played a show with guitar legend Lenny Kaye, made the best friendships at the Dark City Fest (we miss you all so much), got to hang out with Charles Levi, found bigfoot in Pennsylvania, visiting Sweetwater, and went to the original Wax Trax store in Denver.

We even managed somehow, to get away to the recording studio and cut a new EP.

We had some bad news along the way too. Our close friend, and founder of The Funeral March, Joe, sadly lost his battle to cancer this year. We miss him terribly.

But not to end on a sad note, Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…. To all our friends and fans that have been with us from the start- encouraging us to keep on rocking, to all of the new people we met along the way this year, and to all the bands we shared a stage with. Bread was broken, drinks were shared, and forever bonds were made.

We’d like to pretend that we’re taking much needed time off in the winter for sleep, but we all know that’s not going to be the case. This year we played new songs (like the one in the video below), and we’re going to finalize our new EP that’ll come out sometime in 2025, along with some new merch, a new music video, and, of course, tour dates. We already have a good dozen or shows on our calendar including a festival (or two). So don’t worry, you’re going to see us, VERY SOON.

As always, we’re 100% DIY. Ivan, Karen (with the help of Dave Schock) do all the booking, promotion, social media, song writing, and the 8000 other things bands need to do. If you enjoy what you hear, please share our music, follow us on Spotify (add us to your playlists), and if you’re a booker or promoter, PM us, we’d love to work with you next year for a show.