_   _                     _                             __       
| |_| |__   ___   _ __ ___| |_ _   _ _ __ _ __     ___  / _|      
| __| '_ \ / _ \ | '__/ _ \ __| | | | '__| '_ \   / _ \| |_       
| |_| | | |  __/ | | |  __/ |_| |_| | |  | | | | | (_) |  _|      
 \__|_| |_|\___| |_|  \___|\__|\__,_|_|  |_| |_|  \___/|_|        
                                                                  
             _                                               _    
 _   _      | |_ _ __ __ ___  __  _ __ ___  ___ ___  _ __ __| |___
| | | |_____| __| '__/ _` \ \/ / | '__/ _ \/ __/ _ \| '__/ _` / __|
| |_| |_____| |_| | | (_| |>  <  | | |  __/ (_| (_) | | | (_| \__ \
 \__,_|      \__|_|  \__,_/_/\_\ |_|  \___|\___\___/|_|  \__,_|___/
                                                                  
_
_-_
___-_
_____-_
_______-_                /\
_________- _____________/__\_____________
__________|             |  |             |
__________|             |  |             |
__________|__          |    |          __|
_____________|         |    |         |
_____________|         |    |        |
_____________|         |    |        |
_____________|         |_   |        |
_____________|        |__-_  |       |
_____________|        |____-_|       |
_____________|        |______|       |
______________|       |______|      |
              |       |      |      |
______________ \      |______|     /-_
                \     |______|    /   -_
________________ -_             _- ____ -_
                   --_________--          -_
____________________________________________-_

A Cult Dutch label resurrects from the mists of time!!!

U-Trax is a dutch label from the city of Utrecht - operating in the early
1990s they released a number of forgotten relics. One of these 'odball'
labels  like Irdial Discs or FRAK that didn't give a f*ck about anything
hip or popular. Dreamy, pensive, colorful,deep with a frisky smart no rules
attitude - a typicial dutch techno sound that I refer to as POLDER TECHNO
(which would also include non-U trax artists such as ROSS 154, STERAC, some
ORLANDO VOORN stuff like his living room project and TERRACE's first album
ROUND UP - which is probably the first Polder techno album...? but thats
stuff for an other article...)POLDERTECHNO was the soundtrack of my
schooldays - cycling in the rain with my walkman on through the grimness
of teenage angst with an optimistic life view.

U-TRAX also had a sidelabel called PHOQ-U PHONOGRAMMEN which released
the (even) more rawer and harder stuff...but for me its all the same.

Anyways the label has re-surrected - U-TRAX IS BACK, they have been
slowly re-releasing some old classics and in 2019 they are going to release
some fresh material as well!

To introduce you to this label or to freshen up the memory here are some
super U-TRAX (& sidelabel) classics:

THE CONNECTION MACHINE - ECHOES FROM TAU CETI:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyZjUjaSzUc

Natasja Hagemier & Jeroen Brandjes are the Connection Machine - for the
true techno freaks they don't need any introduction as they are beyond
legendary. Most of you will know their Planet E release but U-TRAX was more
or less their homelabel and they were heavily involved with a lot of aliases
and records. Those snares...those wistful organs that shabby early rompler
saxophone...!!!!!!!!!!!

P.A. PRESENTS  FLIGHT STIMULATOR
[https://youtu.be/bLDkaQTZMSI]
Epic acid journey with deeeeeeeeep Jupiter strings

HEINRICH TILLACK - PUMP TRACK
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGmpS0xBkek]
Intense classic - in the heat of the night you mix in those claps...it stops
and then the MASSIVE PUMP ACID line blasts out - the crowd goes wild.
Simple as that.

SYNDROME - EVILISH COSMOS
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYXzi_HndZ4]
ANother Connection Machine alias - introspective philosophical techno from
their DREAM TEC album.

INVENTIONS & DIAMENTIONS - SERINITY
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMJ8fPGO5Mw]
Timeless Fanon Flowers production - no fucks are given as the smoozy synth
space intro [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3-PFDt65sY] of 
Steve Miller Band's fly like an eagle is sampled into a hypnotic
loop that keeps massaging the mind like a Shephard tone 
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_tone]. The drums are perfect
 - smudged out and dirty - a lesson in raw techno.

PIECES OF A PENSIVE STATE OF MIND - MISSIN' YOU
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-Z_VgFAjhc]
Cool elegant hazy record by Frank de Groodt aka the OPERATOR and now part of
Ultradyne

MAARTEN & TJEERD - LUNETTEN LP
[https://youtu.be/_ev3_JpS674]
Everytime I am in the train and pass the Lunetten station (A suburb of Utrecht)
I think of this record...for over 25 years.


CRAY EMOTICON - CHOICE CHIP
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8foZgivJ2zc&list=PL9Nt7sLSu7x1x09iCEFaBFwHfzGe5fodT&index=3]
And another Connection Machine alias - going into more crusty acid territories!

SW