Trax Records is releasing a hefty compilation project next month as part of the label’s ongoing 40-year-anniversary celebrations.
Out digitally and on vinyl on June 20, Trax Records: The 40th Anniversary Collection features singles and remixes by house pioneers including Frankie Knuckles, Marshall Jefferson, Ron Carroll, Frankie Bones and Joey Beltram, along with work by the label’s late founder Larry Sherman and its longtime owner/president Rachael Cain, who has long made music under the name Screamin Rachael.
The project was curated by the label’s creative director Jorge Cruz, who’s been with Trax since 2009. Cruz will play as part of a release party for the project happening at Chicago’s Reckless Records on June 20. Beyond Cruz’s set focused on the history of Trax, the event will feature sets by Joe Smooth, Ron Carroll, Screamin’ Rachael and more.
The project will also be available for purchase via limited-edition vinyl drops. On June 20, the first batch of songs of the compilation’s 40 total tracks will be released, with subsequent vinyl releases each containing six to seven tracks to maximize sound quality and happening through January 2026. Vinyl will be available at record stores worldwide.
The Trax plant opened in Chicago in 1984, with the label business becoming officially incorporated the following year, amid the dawn of house music, with Trax widely recognized as a crucial early hub for evolution and dissemination of the genre. 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.
The label also recently announced the release of its first vinyl release in more than a decade, Rising Again, a six-track compilation that’s out now.
Trax Records: The 40th Anniversary Collection track list
Jacques x Gregory feat. Screamin’ Rachael – “I’ll Take You There (Full Journey Mix)”
Willie Wonka – “What Is House”
Frankie Knuckles – “Your Love”
Marshall Jefferson – “Move Your Body”
Stylophonic – “Jack It Up”
Armando – “Love In Heart”
Mark Row, Jame Starck feat. Carol Jiani, “Free Your Mind’
Paul Johnson – “Follow This Beat”
Screamin’ Rachael – “Rising (Lea Rognoni Remix)”
Fuck Charley Pleasure Zone – “House Nation”
Yuri Suzuki – “DATA MANIA”
D Beat – “Pump It (Lea Rognoni Remix)”
Sir Nesis- “Freaks (So Called Friend Remix)”
Frankie Bones – “Beat Me Up”
Joey Beltram – “The Start It Up”
Ricky Dillard – “As Always (Full Vocal Version)”
Marshall Jefferson – “Ride The Rhythm (Remix)”
Owen E – “Shift”
Analog 87 – “rOOmclaSSic”
Jorge, Carmelo Carone – “Jack the Acid Kid (Hiroko Yamamura & Eric Elvambuena Remix)”
Phuture – “Spank Spank (Original Mix)”
Screamin’ Rachael – “Gina (XXX) [Someone from Lithuania with a Friend Named Jorge Remix]”
Jared – “Fly So High (Roger Sanchez Tilt Mix)”
Hercules – “7 Ways to Jack”
Ron Carroll – “1993 the Bargin Enterprize”
Luca Gerlin – “Battery (Kkles Mix)”
Jesse Velez – “Girls Out On The Floor (Dub)”
Camilo Do Santos – “1984”
Samurai Sam – “House of Japanese”
David Chong – “There Is No Place”
Frankie Knuckles – “Your Love (You Got The Love Remix)”
Seph Martin – “Rainy Nights”
Larry Sherman – “Colors”
Miss Autumn Leaves – “No Turning Back”
Late Nite ‘DUB’ Addict – “The ‘F’ Word”
Carlos Nilmmns feat. Genoveva – “Fade Out (Original Mix)”
Ron Hardy – “Liquid Love (Chicago Mix)”
Screamin’ Rachael – “Sensation (Zewmob Radio Edit)”
Chris Jones – “Strong2 (Dance Mix)”
Screamin’ Rachael – “My Main Man”
