Trax Records Drops Its First Vinyl Release In a Decade
Written by djfrosty on May 9, 2025
Legendary house label Trax Records has dropped its first vinyl release in a decade.
The project is a six-track compilation called Rising Again and features the work French duo Jacques x Gregory, American house producer Joe Smooth, KushGad, Spada, ThadX and veteran house producer and Trax affiliate Screamin’ Rachael. Five hundred copies of Rising Again have been made, and they’re now available via the Trax website.
Rising Again was executive produced by longtime producer Pi Rho, who tells Billboard, “I’m proud to be from Chicago, and I’m honored to be working with local artists like Joe and Rachael. I find myself in 20-plus countries a year so my goal is to always meet up with local musicians and tie them into my range of projects. That’s where I was fortunate with work with everyone else like Jacques & Greg, Spada, Kushgad and ThadX.
“For me,” he continues, “it’s amazing to see the global impact that house music has had around the world and I want to continue pulling in artists to collaborate with where it all began.”
Trax Records was founded in 1985 and is considered a crucial component in the evolution and dissemination of house music. In its early years, the label released key house tracks including Frankie Knuckles and Jamie Principle’s “Your Love,” Marshall Jefferson’s “The House Music Anthem (Move Your Body)” and many other genre-defining classics by artists like DJ Pierre, Ron Hardy, Mr. Fingers, Phuture, Maurice Joshua and Screamin’ Rachael.
All proceeds from Rising Again will go to SocialWorks, the Chicago-based organization founded by Chance the Rapper, which empowers youth through the arts, education and civic engagement. This charity was selected in partnership with DJs4Good, an initiative that helps DJs participate in social impact projects