Helping to define the phrase "takin' it back to the old skool" is this compilation of gay club hits from the dawn of House music in the 1980s, brought to you from one of the first labels specializing in the House genre, Trax Records. For those unfamiliar with the Trax catalog, the label was home to some of the earliest pioneers in House music. Hosting artists like Frankie Knuckles, Lidell Townsell, Robert Owens, and Farley Jackmaster Funk, Trax Records helped provide a venue for the experimental musings of the burgeoning House Music subculture.
The focus of this particular CD are the tracks that were the biggest hits in the underground gay African-American and Hispanic urban dance clubs of the time. Beginning with the moody atmospherics of tracks like On The House's "Give Back To Me" and "Ride The Rhythm," "I Can't Forget" by Mr. Lee, "Work The Box by Santos, or the hypnotic "Free Yourself" from Virgo, the CD's first focus is on the minimal, percussive nature of many early House tracks, only flourished with a few gentle piano or synth chords and repeated vocal lines.
The squiggley basslines of groundbreaking Acid House innovations like Jungle Wonz's "Time Marches On" and "We're Rocking Down The House" from Adonis are also brought into the mix before the CD moves into more vocal territory like the disco-styled "A Perfect Love" from Jere McAllister, the urgently pounding "Rock Steady" by Dalis, and the piano driven "Sensation" by Ron Hardy. European electronic influences are felt with the heavy synth stabs of Farley Jackmaster Funk's "Give Yourself To Me" and "Bad Boy" by Frankie Knuckles as well as the dizzily lovely "Sister Sister" from Screamin' Rachael, a song that that in retrospect provided a blueprint for modern Hi-NRG hits from the likes of Sarina Paris or Amber. Ending with Farley Jackmaster Funk's absolutely anthemic "Love Can’t Turn Around," after listening to "Queer Trax" it is truly striking how influential these songs would prove in shaping the popular dance styles for the years to come.
The CD is mixed live by King D. and though there are the occasional transitions that may jar ears used to the studio tricks that smooth most contemporary mix CDs, the live mix style of the CD is suitably in keeping with the material. With a whopping 23 tracks, "Queer Trax" works both as a history lesson for anyone who doesn't know what the phrase "Jack Your Body" means and a welcome flashback for anyone that does.
