Wax Trax! Records is an American
independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
based in
Chicago. It began as a record shop in
Denver, Colorado, opened by life partners Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher, who sold the store in 1978 and moved to Chicago. In November of that year, they opened a store under the same name in the
Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...
neighborhood. During the 1980s and 1990s, the accompanying record label became a presence on the
new wave and
punk rock scenes in the city, and an outlet for European bands. The label was purchased in 1992 by
TVT Records and was discontinued in 2001. In 2014, it was re-established by Julia Nash, daughter of co-founder Jim Nash.
Richard Giraldi of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' wrote, "As important as
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...
was to blues and soul music, Chicago's Wax Trax imprint was just as significant to the punk rock, new wave and industrial genres." According to critic
Greg Kot, the legacy of Wax Trax is trusting the artist.
Origins
The record store became a record label slowly at first, initially releasing limited edition records such as
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
'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
"I'm Falling" and "Cold Life" are songs by American Industrial band Ministry. Written by Al Jourgensen, these were first released in 1981 by Wax Trax! Records, as the band's debut single. Initially featuring "I'm Falling" as the A-side, the si ...
'' by
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
in 1981 — along with the licensing of
Front 242
Front 242 is a Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. Pioneering the style they called electronic body music, they are a profound influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.
History Formation
Fr ...
's ''Endless Riddance'' EP — that set the stage for Wax Trax! to become America's preeminent
industrial label of the 1980s and 1990s.
Artists
Among the most noteworthy artists released by Wax Trax! were
Minimal Compact (''Next One Is Real''),
Front 242
Front 242 is a Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. Pioneering the style they called electronic body music, they are a profound influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.
History Formation
Fr ...
(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
Sister Machine Gun is an American industrial rock band originally based in Chicago, Illinois.
History
The early years
Sister Machine Gun was formed by Chris Randall and Guilherme Machado in New York City. They performed at New Jersey's Pipe ...
,
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult,
Coil,
Chris & Cosey,
Chris Connelly,
Die Warzau,
In the Nursery,
Controlled Bleeding
Controlled Bleeding was an experimental music group based in Massapequa, New York, United States. The group was founded by Paul Lemos, the group's only consistent member. Most of Controlled Bleeding's released recordings feature two main collabor ...
,
The KLF,
Braindead Soundmachine
Braindead Soundmachine were an American industrial rock band founded by Cole Coonce, Warren Croyle (aka "Mr. Reality"), and Ikky Shivers. Eschewing the industrial music, industrial genre, they coined the name metaldisco in reference to their mus ...
,
Cubanate and
Laibach. The label also released a bevy of side projects by
Al Jourgensen and
Paul Barker of
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
, including
Revolting Cocks,
Acid Horse (a collaboration with
Cabaret Voltaire),
Pailhead (a collaboration with
Ian Mackaye of
Minor Threat),
PTP (short for "Programming The Psychodrill"),
Lead into Gold (a solo vehicle for Barker), and
1000 Homo DJs
1000 Homo DJs was a side project of American industrial rock band Ministry. The project released two singles, one of which featured a cover of Black Sabbath's " Supernaut".
1000 Homo DJs began as a side project to release outtakes from Ministry' ...
.
Partnerships
Nash and Flesher licensed a number of recordings from
Play It Again Sam of
Belgium, and eventually opened a North American office for the label (dubbed Play It Again Sam Records U.S.A.) as a division of Wax Trax!. Play It Again Sam, in turn, oversaw the operation of Wax Trax! Europe, although it closed abruptly when the relationship between the labels ended acrimoniously in the early 1990s. Play It Again Sam U.S.A. was subsequently absorbed by
Caroline Records.
Bankruptcy and purchase
Following a bankruptcy filing, Wax Trax! was bought by
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
-based
TVT Records in 1992, with Nash and Flesher retaining creative control of the label. TVT continued to use the Wax Trax! imprint for years, even after Nash's death from
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
-related complications on October 10, 1995.
[
][
]
In 1994 TVT released ''
Black Box - Wax Trax! Records: The First 13 Years'' under the Wax Trax! label. It was a 3-CD box set compilation of the label's biggest hits. However, due to licensing issues stemming from the label's bankruptcy, the set did not contain any material by Front 242, even though the band's single "
Headhunter
Headhunter or head hunter may refer to:
* Headhunting, hunting a human and collecting the severed head after killing them
* Executive search, informally called headhunting, a specialized recruitment service
Arts and entertainment Film and telev ...
" had been the label's best-selling record to date. A video compilation of the same name was also released, containing music videos by label artists (and likewise omitting Front 242's "Headhunter" video.)
TVT closed the label's doors in 2001, with the final Wax Trax! imprint appearing on KMFDM's ''
Beat By Beat By Beat'' DVD.
Dannie Flesher retired from the music business and subsequently died of pneumonia on Sunday, January 10, 2010, in Hope, Arkansas. He was 58. Julia Nash owns and maintains the website titled "WaxTraxChicago.com: The Official Family Site dedicated to the memory of Jim Nash / Dannie Flesher and the History of & Wax Trax! Records."
Retrospectacle
On January 10, 2011 WaxTraxChicago.com announced "Wax Trax! Records Retrospectacle Comes to Metro."
The Retrospectacle was the 33 & 1/3 year Wax Trax! Records Anniversary commemorative concert with proceeds that benefited the non-profit "
Center on Halsted
Center on Halsted is a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community center in Chicago, Illinois. Kim Fountain serves as Chief Operating Officer.
The center is located in the Lakeview neighborhood on the corner of Halsted Street a ...
;" hosted by "The Nash Group 2449 (The Nash family and friends including
Metro Chicago's owner
Joe Shanahan
Joe Shanahan is the founder and owner of Metro Chicago and Smart Bar in Chicago, Illinois. He is also the part owner of the Daily Bar and Grill, as well as Double Door.
Shanahan is regarded as an expert in the field of independent music promotio ...
)" on April 15, 16 and 17th, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois; with performances by former Wax Trax! Artists:
Front 242
Front 242 is a Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. Pioneering the style they called electronic body music, they are a profound influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.
History Formation
Fr ...
,
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult;
Luc van Acker,
Paul Barker, and
Chris Connelly formerly of
Revolting Cocks with special guest
Jamie Duffy; and
En Esch,
Günter Schulz,
Raymond Watts formerly of
KMFDM; additional artists included Rights of the Accused, as well as Chicago DJ's and VJ's.
Notably not included in the event were Ministry's Al Jourgensen and KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko, who issued a joint statement, saying:
"Jourgensen was never asked to participate, and Sascha Konietzko's (and KMFDM's) desire to participate and perform was ''declined'' by the event organizers. However, while we are both in no way associated with this event, we want to make it clear that we do support the good works of the charity involved and honor the memory of Wax Trax! founders Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher."
Rebirth

In June 2014, Jim Nash's daughter Julia Nash re-established Wax Trax! Records with the release of a 12-inch single from Cocksure. This was followed shortly afterward with the release of a 7-inch single for
Front 242
Front 242 is a Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. Pioneering the style they called electronic body music, they are a profound influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.
History Formation
Fr ...
to mark the band's 30th anniversary in the US.
This was accompanied by a pop-up store at the
Metro Chicago music venue on June 15, 2014.
Documentary
In 2016 Julia Nash began work on directing and producing a documentary about the history and impact of her father and his partner's independent store and label. The film, titled INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT: The Story of Wax Trax! Records won numerous awards and international acclaim during the 2018 festival circuit.
After seeing the documentary, Vans became an executive producer on the project to help make the film commercially available. In 2019, Vans sponsored in coordination with Record Store Day, a 6 city North American tour to promote the film. The tour included showcasing the Wax Trax! band Ministry with an early era set.
Discography
See also
* ''
Black Box - Wax Trax! Records: The First 13 Years'' - a retrospective box set of Wax Trax!' output as an indie label
*
Chicago Record Labels
*
List of record labels
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
WaxTraxChicago.com the official Jim Nash, Dannie Flesher, & Wax Trax! historical site
Wax Trax! Records the Denver record store
*
*
*
ttp://mywebpages.comcast.net/sborst20/waxtrax/index.html Black Box a highly detailed discography of the label
{{Authority control
Record labels established in 1978
Record labels disestablished in 1992
Music of Denver
Industrial record labels
Electronic music record labels
New wave record labels
Defunct companies based in Chicago
American independent record labels
Defunct record labels of the United States
American companies established in 1978
American companies disestablished in 1992