Duke Strange – S/T [LIES-221]

A special 15 year anniversary record celebrating L.I.E.S. Records. L.I.E.S. and Nation join forces on this huge release with a new collaborative project out of Chicago from “DuKe” and The Stranger. Two sided-12 inch housed in a full picture sleeve, once again we hear and see the scope of the broad range of what is, and can be “dance music” through the adventurous production of DuKe & The Stranger. Two eight minute versions alternating in time space and rhythm … this is the future, past and present wrapped into one from the visionaries.

listen

Duke Strange – S/T [LIES-221]

Traxx Presents The Definitive Articles of House Music Chapter 6

“The 6th chapter as the previous 5 chapters is education that a lot of alleged “House” DJs and Producers are obviously lacking showcasing modern, vintage and out of print/promo labels:
Trax Records, Underground House Records, Precision Records, Dezzarotic Records, L.A. Club Resource, Gherkin Records, Chicago Connection, Still Music Chicago, Dark Entries and Chiwax to productions from:
Ron Hardy, Felix Da Housecat’s 1st production, Sweet D, Gene Hunt, Larry Heard, Farley Jackmaster Funk, Virgo 4, X2, Dmarc Cantu, Steve Summers, Boyd Jarvis, Juju, Leron Carson, G-Strings, Ron Morelli, Terence Woodard, Delroy Edwards, Mutant Beat Dance and a new production of jakbeat to come from Chicago with a new alias project dropping later this year in 2025 for a label we support. (more news on that later)

⚠️ warning ⚠️
This selection covers the building blocks of the early dance music scene with selections of today and yesterday incorporating musical blueprint dubs, a couple of vocals in between but overall: a raw style of basement underground tracks of Chicago and New York’s timeless heroes & icons we admire, honor and inspired by their education.

We hope this will give people the chance to listen to music many may have never heard on this side of sound that provides a provocative and thoughtful musical workout in your mind with vinyl turntables, a vintage mix console with an effects box and cd players.”

Traxx Presents The Definitive Articles of House Music Chapter 6

Traxx presents The Definitive Articles Of House Music Chapter 5

“The 5th chapter from the definitive days of house music, as the previous 4 chapters is education that a lot of alleged “House” DJs and Producers are obviously lacking.

Traxx plays again from the early 80s, 90s & today 
from vintage, out of print and promo labels: Trax Records, Dancemania, Spectral, Sound Signature, Dirtyblends, LIES to productions from: 
Farley Jackmaster Funk, Boyd Jarvis, Marcus Mixx, JTC, Delroy Edwards, Carl Craig, Leron Carson, Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, Todd Terry, Colonel Abrams, Basement Jaxx, Sneaker, Gene Hunt, Mark Imperial, Orgue Electronique, Population One, Deep Concentration, Brand New Heavies, 2 Dogs In A House and a unpublished joint from the Chicago dungeon vault building blocks of the early dance music scene with selections of today and yesterday incorporating musical blueprints of Chicago, New York and Detroit’s timeless heroes we admire, honor and inspired by their education.

We hope this will give people the chance to listen to music many may have never heard on this side of sound that provides a provocative and thoughtful musical workout in your mind with vinyl turntables, a vintage mix console with an effects box and cd players.”

Traxx presents The Definitive Articles Of House Music Chapter 5

Modern Analysis – Houze Life / Kaotic Dilemma [NAT025]

For the next release to come in 2024 on Nation, we R ecstatic to preview the 1st of its kind split record cover artwork  for our label with both songs as 1 min clips personally carved sound-bytes, each with critical textual description that we urge you to read as the music plays within the frame. The project is Modern Analysis. a vintage analog duo comprised of duKe and AFQ.

listen

Modern Analysis – Houze Life / Kaotic Dilemma [NAT025]

Traxx presents The Definitive Articles Of House Music Chapter 4

For the 4th chapter from the definitive days of house music, as the previous 3 chapters is education that a lot of alleged “House” DJs and Producers are obviously lacking.

Traxx plays again from the early 80s, 90s and today from vintage and out of print record labels: Westwood, Trax Records, Bright Star, Rockin House, Dancemania, Alleviated, Subscape and Neroli….
to productions from: Ron Hardy, Boyd Jarvis, Virgo, Tyree, Marcus Mixx, Pharris Thomas, Mr Fingers, Kenny Dope, Nightwriters, Deep Concentration and we have arrived..
a new joint from {3MM} as 3 musical minds bridging and building blocks of the early dance music scene honoring a legendary institution landmark still standing with selections of today and yesterday incorporating musical blueprints of Chicago, New York and the UK’s timeless heroes we admire, honor and inspired by their education.

We hope this will give people the chance to listen to music many may have never heard on this side of sound that provides a provocative and thoughtful musical workout in your mind with vinyl turntables, a vintage mix console…effects box and 2 cd players.

Traxx presents The Definitive Articles Of House Music Chapter 4

2023 Top 3 – Readers List

As we always do at the end of a year, we take the chance to thank you, our readers, for your continuous support and we also have a look at what you enjoyed the most on hipodrome. This is a summary of the top 3 albums, compilations and recordings that you liked the most this year.

Continue reading “2023 Top 3 – Readers List”
2023 Top 3 – Readers List

Traxx presents The Definitive Articles Of House Music Chapter 3

“For the 3rd chapter from the definitive days of house music, as the previous 2 chapters is education that a lot of alleged “House” DJs and Producers are obviously lacking.

Traxx plays again from the early 80s, 90s and today from vintage and out of print record labels: Polar, Trojan, Dirtyblends, Westwood, Smack Trax, Slip n Slide, Trax Records, to productions from: Boyd Jarvis, Urban Soul, Blaze, Virgo, Prince, Romanthony, Colonel Abrams, Leron Carson, Tyree, MBD, Marcus Mixx, Ron Morelli, Nature Boy, Delroy Edwards, Turtle Bugg, Cliff Solomon and also a new joint from Deep Concentration bridging and building blocks of the early dance music scene culture with selections of today and yesterday incorporating musical blueprints of Chicago and New York’s timeless heroes we admire, honor and inspired by their education.

We hope this will give people the chance to listen to music many may have never heard on this side of sound that provides a provocative and thoughtful musical workout in your mind..

This musical timeline is literally all over the rhythm scales ⚖️with vinyl turntables, a vintage mix console…effects box and cd players.”

Traxx presents The Definitive Articles Of House Music Chapter 3

Traxx presents The Definitive Articles of House Music Chapter 2

“For the 2nd chapter from The Definitive Articles of House Music, Traxx plays from the early 80s, 90s and today from vintage and out of print bootlegs and record labels housetime, precision, nbasement and street sounds to productions from Carlos Berrios the Latin rascals, Bobby Konders, Edward “Get Down” Crosby, the Williesden brothers and a secret alias known as Genius At Work with new material from Modern Analysis, Deep Concentration and musical blueprints of Chicago and New York’s timeless heroes we admire, honor and inspired by their education with this 2 hour and 48 minute selection.

We hope this will give people the chance to listen to music many may have never heard on this side of sound that provides a provocative and thoughtful musical workout in your mind..

This musical timeline is literally all over the rhythm 🎵 scales ⚖️ with vinyl turntables, a vintage mix console…effects box and cd players.”

Traxx presents The Definitive Articles of House Music Chapter 2

Traxx presents The Definitive Articles of House Music Chapter 1

This 3 hours and 45 minute selection showcases musical blueprints of all rare Chicago and New York like the days of old mostly from the radio shows with disc jocks playing music mixes.

The 1st chapter is from the definitive days of house music from Traxx playing from the early 80s, 90s and today from vintage and out of print record labels Trax, Jes Say and Dancemania to multiple Boyd Jarvis and Timmy Regisford productions but also material from Delroy Edwards, Steve Summers, Modern Analysis and new material.

Many thought this type of sound would never come again but we’ve been giving hints over the years that we hope this will give people the chance to listen to music many may have never heard on this side of sound that provides a provocative and thoughtful musical workout in your mind.

Traxx presents The Definitive Articles of House Music Chapter 1

The Creative Technology Consortium {CtC} – Panoramic Colorsound [DE300]

The venerable Dark Entries celebrates it’s 300th release with “Panoramic Coloursound”, a triple LP from The Creative Technology Consortium. Traxx, Andrew Bisenius, and Jason Letkiewicz forged the CtC during the depths of pandemic isolation. Drawing from film and television music of the 80’s/90’s and armed with a mighty array of vintage analog and digital synthesizers, they set out to explore heists, vices, and catastrophe. Panoramic Coloursound collapses sound and image into a neon blur throughout its 25 tracks. While retro scores were the starting point for the CtC, the project does more than pay dutiful homage — these notes are warped and skewed, devolving into decaying digital soundscapes. EBM-inflected basslines pop up on tracks like “Catastrophe” and “A Retro Vice”, menacing numbers that recall Traxx and Letkiewicz’s legendary work as Mutant Beat Dance (a project also featuring Beau Wanzer). “Follow Our Kode” pairs heroic synths with funky bass, striking cosmic chords akin to the material that Traxx and Bisenius have released as An Anomaly. Krautrock-esque guitars slide along anthemic pads on “Beautifully Polluted Sunset”, which comes across like an alien Miami Vice closing theme. The CtC channel corroded VHS vibes while making music for the future.

listen

The Creative Technology Consortium {CtC} – Panoramic Colorsound [DE300]

2022 Top 3 – Readers List

As we always do at the end of a year, we take the chance to thank you, our readers, for your continuous support and we also have a look at what you enjoyed the most on hipodrome. This is a summary of the top 3 albums, compilations and recordings that you liked the most this year. I’m really happy and proud to see that we have very similar taste in music.

Continue reading “2022 Top 3 – Readers List”
2022 Top 3 – Readers List

Traxx @ H.A.N.D. Have A Nice Day (Berlin) 22.10.2022

“The recording of what was heard the morning of October 22nd 2022 at Have A Nice Day, Berlin. Much love and respect to Nation for making this possible.”

Traxx @ H.A.N.D. Have A Nice Day (Berlin) 22.10.2022

The Jak – An Offbeat Formation of Control / The Syringe [DB007]

The Jak has returned with 2 new Dirty bLends in extremely limited quantity. Introducing nU cOhort to the label: The Falcon (a silent assassin). This new artist alias to the label has contributed to the further effort of maintaining the sound from the early inception of chicago tracks like the days of old that still lives and breathes in us today that honors and treasures enriched essential dance music history.

DirtyBlends Edition 7 both sides IZ straight HEAT!

The Jak kicks the A-Side into madness with a Jakbeat blueprint of energetic electronics and various bass lines on this obscure creation honoring Ron Hardy, Frankie Knuckles and Farley that resonates a confrontational question repeatedly saying “Who said i can’t beat U for the title track ‘An Offbeat Formation of Control’.

The Falcon Flys fiLthY iLL on the B-Side wit a whiPLash idea influenced from Chicago’s south-side of rhythm styles Paul Johnson and Chip E!!! made 2 Jak 4 Crazies that is truly Definitive Jakbeat.

listen

The Jak – An Offbeat Formation of Control / The Syringe [DB007]

The Jak – A Lost Religion [DB006]

“The Jak has returned with 2 new Dirty bLends in extremely limited quantity. Introducing nU cOhort to the label: Rudy Rugar(a wild bandit). This new artist alias to the label has contributed to the further effort 
of maintaining the sound from the early inception of chicago tracks like the 
days of old that still lives and breathes in us today that honors and treasures 
enriched essential dance music history.

DirtyBlends Edition 6 is Underground Bizniss!

The Jak kicks the A-Side off with A Lost Religion… an offbeat rhythm with furious undercover drums, an atomic boom effect triggering energized strings fusing an artistic tradition of early basement style production of The Muzik Box re-igniting the past to the present into the future for education.

Roughneck Rudy Rugar beAts the B-Side with 2 tracks that is the 1st time we’ve ever done for any of our releases that both tracks are absolutely true examples of house heaven done DiRTy with: Pazuzu and Back To Enterprise .”

listen

The Jak – A Lost Religion [DB006]

Internal/External – 12 [KODE06]

Nation’s sublabel Kode presents a new project between Chicago’s visionary Traxx and Athens, Greece June Records label mates Tsampikos Fronas & Trenton Chase as External/Internal…a new wave electrabeat collaboration. This 1st 12” showcases 2 tracks with different energy and emotions drawing musical influence from the early 80s pre-proto sounds of alternative and progressive chemistry and also offbeat rhythms that creates tension of feelings in character and musical arrangements with vocals sung on both productions from Trenton Chase.

listen

Internal/External – 12 [KODE06]

The Jak Presents DirtybLends Demonstration III: Technique

Rush Hour Music invited Traxx in Amsterdam to Doka playing from start to end for 8 hours {150 person capacity/maximum vibes}

the demonstration for Doka was the 3rd exclusive edition of dirtyblends entitled: ⚙️🎛 TecHnique ⚙️ further showcasing musical blueprints of all rare chicago tracks both old and new, plus many NEW tracks unheard from dirtyblends along with raw disco, funk and edits all over and in between like the days of old in chicago diving deep into the ghosts of Ron Hardy at the Music Box, Liaisons Dangereuses at the Hacienda, NEW music from Nation and Kode plus INSANE unreleased treasures from Prince come together to raise the room’s musical temperature and awareness that was a self-evident spiritual experience, illumination, truth, emotional depth and suspension of time.

this demonstration has lots of new music to come from several releases we won’t announce just yet but what has been provided in this document is hours upon hours that is literally all over the rhythm 🎵 scales ⚖️

this was an intimate connection to the dance floor..

The Jak Presents DirtybLends Demonstration III: Technique

William Kincaid / Lex Lathan – Can’t Be / Mayhem Manipulation (The Jak Interpretation) [DB005]

The Jak has returned witH Dirty bLends 5 in extremely limited quantity introducing nU cOhorts to the label. These new artist aliases to the label have contributed to the further effort of maintaining the sound from the early inception of dance tracks like the days of old that still lives and breathes in us today that honors and treasures enriched essential dance music history. William Kincaid (a rugged accomplice) smacks it fiLthY iLL on the A-Side wit a MUDDY whiPLash idea of tHe Music Box made 2 Jak 4 Crazies for ‘Can’t Be’. Lex Lathan (a villainous apprentice) Slays off the B-Side wit Jakbeat/Detroit damage on Mayhem Manipulation.

listen

William Kincaid / Lex Lathan – Can’t Be / Mayhem Manipulation (The Jak Interpretation) [DB005]