Wax Trax!
| Wax Trax! Records | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Jim Nash, Dannie Flesher |
| Status | Purchased by TVT Records in 1992 after filing bankruptcy, reestablished in 2014 |
| Genre | Industrial, rock, electronic, experimental |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Official website |
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Wax Trax! Records is an American independent record label. It began as a record shop in Denver, Colorado opened by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher. They sold the store in 1978 and, in November of that year, opened a new one under the same name at 2449 North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, Illinois in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. This store would become the center of the new wave, punk rock and industrial music scenes in Chicago.
"As important as Chess Records was to blues and soul music, Chicago’s Wax Trax imprint was just as significant to the punk rock, new wave and industrial genres." (Richard Giraldi, Chicago Sun-Times)
The original label was purchased in 1992 by TVT Records, and subsequently discontinued in 2001. In 2014, it was re-established by Julia Nash (cofounder Jim Nash's daughter).
The record store became a record label slowly at first, initially releasing limited edition records such as Brian Eno's "Wimoweh/Deadly Seven Finns" seven inch. The first official Wax Trax! release was Strike Under's Immediate Action twelve inch EP in 1980, followed by Divine's Born To Be Cheap seven inch. But it was the release of Cold Life by Ministry — along with the licensing of Front 242's Endless Riddance EP — that set the stage for Wax Trax! to become America's preeminent industrial label of the 1980s and 1990s.
Among the most noteworthy artists released by Wax Trax! were Minimal Compact (Next One Is Real), Front 242 (including Jean-Luc De Meyer side project C-Tec), KMFDM, PIG, VNV Nation, Underworld, Meat Beat Manifesto, Front Line Assembly, Young Gods, Sister Machine Gun, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Coil, Chris & Cosey, Chris Connelly, Die Warzau, In the Nursery, Controlled Bleeding, The KLF, Braindead Soundmachine, Cubanate and Laibach. The label also released a bevy of side projects by Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker of Ministry, including Revolting Cocks, Acid Horse (a collaboration with Cabaret Voltaire), Pailhead (a collaboration with Ian Mackaye of Minor Threat and members of Ministry), PTP (short for "Programming The Psychodrill"), Lead into Gold (a solo vehicle for Barker), and 1000 Homo DJs.
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